Why Pricing is Harder than Quantum Mechanics

I’m heading to San Diego today to do a workshop on Measuring the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Pricing. Believe it or not, this will be a fun 2 days for me and the other participants. One of things that is … Read More

In Luxury Goods, Price is Part of the Value

Luxury vendors have long known that high price is part of their appeal. Not the price per se, but the exclusivity that comes with it. Like a peacock’s tail, the conspicuous consumption of goods that lack any practical purpose is … Read More

Unbundling

Have you been part of a discussion where everyone at your company believed that their offering provided more value than a competitor’s, but the customers just don’t see it? The marketing team often thinks sales doesn’t know how to sell … Read More

Price Segmentation

Outside of work, when people learn what I do for a living, I tend to get one of two responses. Most likely, people nod politely while looking for exits. Or, they tell me “we sell widgets, and I know we’re … Read More

French Court Rules Free Shipping Illegal

A French court ruled that Amazon’s free shipping policy violates a law that forbids booksellers from discounting more than 5% off list price. Rather than stopping the practice, Amazon has upped the ante, continuing the policy in the face of … Read More

Back from the Writers’ Strike– A Daily Show and This Blog

As you may have noticed, the quantity and quality of posts has suffered since my writers have gone on strike. But like The A Daily Show, we’re back. Fittingly, when Jon Stewart returned to the studio last week, he had … Read More

Price of 12 Days of Christmas hits all-time high

According to PNC, the price of the “12 Days of Christmas” (Christmas Price Index, or CPI) rose 3.1%, driven by the rising price of gold and the minimum wage hike, which increased the cost of maids-a-milking. The total cost of … Read More

Cheese Alert: 7 Tips for Raising Prices

It’s almost the end of the year, which means many companies are putting the final touches on their 2008 price lists, and a lot of people are getting ready to have uncomfortable conversations with customers about why their prices are … Read More

Give Their Pricing Team a Bonus

Scotland recently paid £125,000 (over $250,000) to advertising firm The Leith Agency to come up with a new slogan to welcome visitors to Scotland. The old phrase “Scotland, the Best Small Country in the World” typified the “Scottish cringe” according … Read More

A Powerful Pricing Thought Experiment

Courtesy of Seth Godin, who asks you to think about real estate agents charging 6% of a transaction, and facing mounting price pressure. The challenge is… what if you had to charge 7%. What if you had to charge more … Read More