Impact Pricing

Hosted by Mark Stiving, Ph.D.

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500

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Jun 2026

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About the show

The Impact Pricing Podcast will help you win more business at higher prices by teaching you about pricing and value. Once you understand how your buyers perceive the value of your product, you can build, market and sell products that win at higher prices. Pricing is really about creating, communicating and capturing value.

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June 15, 202625 min

Why Pricing Might Be the Best Path to CEO You've Never Considered with Ryan Walter

What if the pricing function isn't just a specialty discipline—but one of the best training grounds for future CEOs? Ryan Walter, Partner at Jennings Executive Search and author of The Pricing Talent Playbook, joins Mark to explore the evolution of pricing careers, what separates great pricing leaders from average ones, and why pricing may soon become a recognized pathway to the CEO role. Ryan draws on his experience recruiting pricing talent and leading pricing teams across retail, manufacturing, data products, and industrial businesses. If you're building a pricing career, hiring pricing talent, or wondering how AI is reshaping the profession, this episode offers a glimpse into where pricing is headed next. Why you have to check out today's podcast: Discover why pricing may become a legitimate path to the CEO role. Learn why pricing transformations often fail despite strong strategy. Understand how AI is changing pricing talent expectations and why curiosity may now be more important than technical expertise alone. "My prediction is that the pricing function is going to end up being a path to CEO." — Ryan Walter Topics Covered: 01:00 – From Professional Musician to Pricing Leader. Learn why the skills required in professional music translated surprisingly well into pricing leadership. 03:05 – The Rare Combination Every Great Pricing Professional Needs. Why pricing success requires both IQ and EQ—the ability to work with complex data while influencing executives, sales teams, and non-technical stakeholders. Ryan explains why finding both traits in one person is surprisingly rare. 05:05 – The EQ Problem Pricing Professionals Must Solve. Mark and Ryan discuss why being right isn't enough. Learn how great pricing leaders simplify complexity, build trust, and communicate insights in ways that drive action instead of resistance. 06:50 – Why Ryan Wrote The Pricing Talent Playbook. Ryan explains the motivation behind his new book and why pricing leaders need more guidance on talent, team building, interviewing, and career development—not just pricing models and strategy. 09:20 – The Hidden Reason Pricing Transformations Fail. A fascinating hiring story reveals how a successful pricing leader was undermined when executive priorities shifted. Learn why organizational support often matters more than technical pricing expertise. 11:30 – What AI Is Changing About Pricing Right Now. Ryan shares examples of pricing leaders using AI to perform customer profitability analysis, strategic planning, and complex investigations in hours instead of weeks. The discussion moves beyond productivity into AI as a strategic thought partner. 14:30 – The New Hiring Question Every Pricing Candidate Should Expect. More companies are now evaluating AI readiness during interviews. Ryan explains what hiring managers actually want to hear—and why curiosity matters more than having the perfect answer. 17:00 – Why Pricing Professionals Change Jobs More Often. Many pricing leaders thrive on building functions, driving change, and solving messy problems. Ryan explains why some professionals leave after creating momentum—and why that's often a feature, not a flaw. 19:15 – The Two Pricing Archetypes. Are you the builder or the operator? Ryan breaks down the two common pricing career paths: the change agent who loves creating order from chaos and the operator who excels at maintaining and evolving mature pricing functions. 22:00 – Why Pricing Could Become a Path to CEO. The episode's biggest idea. Ryan explains why pricing professionals gain unusually broad exposure to strategy, systems, finance, customers, and operations—and why that experience mirrors many responsibilities of a CEO. Key Takeaways: [on pricing talent and skills ] "You need to be able to do the math and deal with the data and build models and figure out how systems work. But you also need to speak to non-technical folks in a way that they understand what your model is doing." – Ryan Walter [on pricing talent and skills ] "It's not just how to do math. It's helping as a thought partner to come up with [pricing] strategy." – Ryan Walter [Communication & Influence ] "You can't tell the sales leader about the R-squared. You have to simplify that down." – Ryan Walter People & Resources Mentioned: Jennings Executive Search – Executive search firm specializing in pricing and commercial leadership recruitment. The Pricing Talent Playbook – Ryan's new book focused on pricing talent, career development, and building pricing organizations. Connect with Ryan Walter: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-walter3141/ Email: ryan@jenningsexec.com Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com

June 12, 20263 min

Buyer Insight: Why More Features Make It Harder to Buy

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on March 30, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/why-more-features-make-it-harder-to-buy/ If you have any feedback, definitely send it. You can reach us at mark@impactpricing.com. Now, go make an impact. Connect with Mark Stiving: Email: mark@impactpricing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/

June 8, 202630 min

The Pricing Sprint: Why Human Behavior Still Wins In the Age of AI with Jenny Millar & Ann Padley

Jenny Millar is the CEO and Founder of Untapped Pricing, and Ann Padley is a Senior Strategy Consultant at Untapped Pricing. Together, they are the co-authors of The Pricing Sprint, a practical framework that helps organizations make better pricing decisions through customer insight, behavioral science, and cross-functional alignment. In this episode, Jenny and Ann explore why pricing is ultimately a human problem—even as AI becomes more capable of analyzing data, running scenarios, and optimizing decisions. If you're responsible for pricing, product strategy, or commercial growth, this episode will change how you think about behavioral pricing, customer decision-making, and why human behavior still wins in the age of AI. Why you have to check out today's podcast: Learn why pricing problems are often people problems—not pricing problems. Discover how small changes in pricing presentation, packaging, and choice can increase willingness to pay. Understand why AI can improve pricing decisions, but human judgment still drives great pricing. "Most pricing problems aren't pricing problems. They're human behavior problems." — Jenny Millar Topics Covered: 01:20 – Why Great Pricing Starts With Human Behavior, Not Spreadsheets. How human-centered design helps companies create pricing that customers actually understand and respond to. 03:59 – Are Buyers Irrational? The Debate Every Pricing Team Needs to Hear. Why customer decisions aren't always driven by logic—and how pricing teams can use that reality to their advantage. 10:19 – The Hidden Link Between Behavioral Economics and Willingness to Pay. How customer perceptions, context, and price presentation influence what buyers are actually willing to spend. 12:15 – The Pricing Sprint: A Faster Way to Improve Pricing Decisions. Jenny and Ann break down their practical framework for testing, validating, and implementing pricing changes with confidence. 16:19 – Why Companies Consistently Misjudge Customer Value. The internal biases and assumptions that cause businesses to leave money on the table—and how to uncover what customers truly value. 21:50 – Who Should Own Pricing? Solving One of Business's Toughest Questions. Why pricing often falls between departments and what successful companies do differently to create alignment. 26:51 – Can AI Improve Pricing Without Replacing Human Judgment? Where AI can help pricing teams move faster—and where human insight remains irreplaceable. 28:11 – Why the Way You Present a Price Can Matter More Than the Price Itself. Real examples of how small changes in pricing presentation can drive revenue growth without changing the underlying price. Key Takeaways: "When behavioral pricing is done right, it actually leads to higher customer satisfaction and better customer experience." – Ann Padley "Most pricing problems aren't pricing problems—they're human behavior problems." – Jenny Millar "Loss aversion, status quo bias, and misaligned incentives are all shaping pricing decisions inside a company." – Jenny Millar "Every dollar that flows into an organization is the result of a pricing decision." – Jenny Millar Resources Mentioned: The Pricing Sprint - The new book by Jenny Millar and Ann Padley that outlines a human-centered approach to pricing, combining behavioral science, customer research, experimentation, and cross-functional decision-making. Dan Ariely - Behavioral economist and author of Predictably Irrational. Referenced during the discussion about whether buyers are truly rational in their decision-making. Steven Forth - Founder of Ibbaka and longtime pricing thought leader. Mentioned during the discussion about the possibility of AI agents eventually becoming buyers and negotiating on behalf of humans. eBay — Jenny's former employer, where she spent 10 years in pricing analytics and pricing strategy roles, helping shape pricing for a multi-billion-dollar business. University of Bristol Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship - Referenced as part of Ann's background in human-centered design, innovation, and behavioral science. Behavioral Economics - Referenced throughout the episode as the study of how psychological factors influence decision-making, willingness to pay, and pricing perceptions. Human-Centered Design - A core principle behind the Pricing Sprint methodology, focused on understanding customer needs, behaviors, and decision-making processes before making pricing changes. Connect with Jenny Millar & Ann Padley: Website: https://www.untappedpricing.co.uk/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jennymillar/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annpadley/ Book: The Pricing Sprint: https://www.amazon.com/Pricing-Sprint-Steps-Unlock-Power-ebook/dp/B0GN8CTTW4 Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com

June 5, 20264 min

Buyer Insight: Will AI Shrink Our Teams or Expand Our Ambitions?

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on March 23, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/will-ai-shrink-our-teams-or-expand-our-ambitions/ If you have any feedback, definitely send it. You can reach us at mark@impactpricing.com. Now, go make an impact. Connect with Mark Stiving: Email: mark@impactpricing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/

June 1, 202633 min

Why Buyers Don't Buy When They're Convinced — They Buy When They Can Predict with Todd Caponi

Todd Caponi is the author of The Transparency Sale, The Transparency Sales Leader, and The Four Levers of Negotiating. He advises revenue teams on decision science, transparency, and how buyers actually make decisions. In this episode, Todd challenges one of the biggest assumptions in business: that more information leads to better decisions. Drawing from buyer psychology and real-world sales research, he explains why buyers actively seek out negatives, why perfect pitches create skepticism, and why transparency accelerates trust. Why You Have to Check Out Today's Podcast: Discover why more information often makes buying decisions harder. Learn why buyers seek out negatives before positives and how transparency can increase trust, shorten sales cycles, and improve win rates. Master the shift from persuasion to prediction so buyers feel confident moving forward instead of getting stuck in analysis paralysis. "We don't buy when we're convinced. We buy when we can predict." — Todd Caponi Topics Covered: 01:03 – Why Negotiating Pricing Feels So Unnatural. Todd shares the negotiation breakthrough that led him to embrace transparency instead of traditional sales tactics. 05:18 – Why Buyers Trust Imperfect Solutions More Than Perfect Ones. The consumer research that changed Todd's thinking—and why buyers actively seek out negatives before making decisions. 08:50 – Transparency vs. Honesty: The Difference That Changes Sales Outcomes. What transparency really means and how proactively sharing weaknesses can accelerate trust. 12:15 – The Long Game Wins the Short Game. A debate on incentives, trust, and whether transparency actually benefits individual salespeople. 15:11 – Do Buyers Make Emotional or Logical Decisions? Todd explains why feelings often drive decisions before logic enters the picture. 20:24 – Why B2B Buyers Still Behave Like Consumers. Buying committees, RFPs, and the hidden emotional biases behind supposedly rational decisions. 25:14 – Buyers Don't Buy Products—They Buy Predicted Futures. Mark introduces a powerful framework for understanding how buying decisions really happen. 31:42 – More Information Doesn't Help Buyers—It Makes Decisions Harder. From mail-order catalogs to AI, Todd explains why information overload increases decision friction. 32:35 – The Case for Radical Pricing Transparency. Todd's practical framework for pricing conversations built around volume, commitment, cash flow, and predictability. Key Takeaways: "Transparency is without asking, I'm going to tell you the truth." — Todd Caponi "The long game wins the long game—but it wins the short game too." — Todd Caponi "More information has never made buying easier. It's always made it harder." — Todd Caponi "True salesmanship is the science of service." — Todd Caponi (quoting Arthur Sheldon) People & Resources Mentioned: Arthur Sheldon - Early sales philosopher and author of The Art of Selling (1911), whose principle that "true salesmanship is the science of service" remains relevant today. António Damásio - Neuroscientist and author of Descartes' Error, referenced during the discussion on emotion, logic, and decision-making. Northwestern University Research - Consumer behavior research that revealed buyers actively seek out negative reviews and trust products with balanced ratings more than perfect scores. The Transparency Sale - Todd's bestselling book exploring how openness and honesty accelerate buying decisions and improve sales outcomes. The Four Levers of Negotiating - Todd's latest book on transparent negotiation and value creation. Connect with Todd Caponi: Website: https://toddcaponi.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddcaponi/ Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com

May 29, 20265 min

Buyer Insight: Buyers Are Rational, It's the Sellers That Aren't

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on March 16, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/buyers-are-rational-its-the-sellers-that-arent/ If you have any feedback, definitely send it. You can reach us at mark@impactpricing.com. Now, go make an impact. Connect with Mark Stiving: Email: mark@impactpricing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/

May 25, 202630 min

AI Agents, Zero Humans, and the End of SaaS Per-Seat Pricing with Ajit Ghuman

Ajit Ghuman is the co-founder of Monetizely, former VP of Product at Segment, and author of Price to Scale. In this episode, Ajit breaks down one of the biggest pricing challenges AI companies are about to face: what happens when software no longer supports employees — but starts replacing them entirely? If your company is building, pricing, or monetizing AI products, this episode will change how you think about per-seat pricing, buyer psychology, and the future of SaaS monetization. Why you have to check out today's podcast: Understand why per-user pricing may stop working as AI agents increasingly replace human workflows inside software products. Learn Ajit Ghuman's 3-part "Agentic Pricing Spectrum" for evaluating AI products based on autonomy, operational scope, and output-to-cost dynamics. Discover why buyers are suddenly comfortable with tokens, credits, and bundled AI pricing — even when they don't fully understand what those units actually mean. "Unless you understand what your market is, who your buyers are, what do they want... it's the only thing that I start with when I do any project." – Ajit Ghuman Topics Covered: 02:02 – Why Pricing Became the Most Direct Link to Customer Value. How pricing became the clearest connection between products, value, and business strategy. 06:29 – The AI Pricing Problem Nobody Has Fully Solved Yet. Why AI is forcing SaaS companies to rethink seats, tokens, outcomes, and margins. 07:38 – "Zero Human Companies" and the End of Per-User Pricing. Ajit explores a future where AI agents replace entire job functions — and asks the terrifying question: what happens when there's no user left to charge for? 12:30 – Why Cursor Still Charges Per User (For Now). A fascinating breakdown of AI coding tools, human "anchors," and why most AI products still can't fully move to outcome-based pricing. 16:51 – The Coming AI Commoditization Wave. Why Ajit believes agentic AI companies could rise — and collapse — dramatically faster than traditional SaaS businesses. 23:07 – Why Buyers Suddenly Accept Tokens, Credits, and Weird AI Pricing. Ajit explains how ChatGPT normalized token-based pricing — even though most buyers still don't fully understand what they're paying for. 26:00 – The Real Reason AI Pricing Feels So Chaotic Right Now. Inference costs are dropping, users are disappearing, and pricing anchors keep shifting faster than companies can adapt. 29:35 – The One Pricing Principle That Still Matters in the AI Era. Despite all the chaos around AI monetization, Ajit says successful pricing still starts with deeply understanding your buyers and their problems. Key Takeaways: "The anchor is still the human… but the moment the human disappears, per-user pricing starts breaking." – Ajit Ghuman "Agentic AI may compress 20 years of SaaS evolution into just a few years." – Ajit Ghuman People / Resources Mentioned: Cursor — Used as a real-world example of current AI pricing models Harvey AI — Referenced as an example of high-value AI transformation inside the legal industry Anthropic — Mentioned in relation to inference models powering AI tools OpenAI — Referenced throughout the discussion on tokens and AI pricing behavior Salesforce — Discussed in relation to potential future shifts away from per-seat pricing Zoom — Used as an example of changing pricing priorities during growth stages Connect with Ajit Ghuman: Website: https://www.getmonetizely.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajitpalghuman/ Email: ajit@getmonetizely.com Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com

May 22, 20264 min

Buyer Insight: Credits Trade Clarity for Flexibility

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on March 9, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/credits-trade-clarity-for-flexibility/ If you have any feedback, definitely send it. You can reach us at mark@impactpricing.com. Now, go make an impact. Connect with Mark Stiving: Email: mark@impactpricing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/

May 18, 202629 min

Your Customers Don't Care About AI (And That's Your Pricing Problem) with Dan Balcauski

Dan Balcauski is the founder of Product Tranquility, where he helps B2B SaaS companies improve pricing, packaging, and monetization strategy. In this episode, Dan breaks down the uncomfortable reality behind today's AI gold rush: buyers are tired of "AI-powered" hype, SaaS companies are struggling to monetize features nobody uses, and pricing teams are rewriting their strategies in real time. If your company is trying to monetize AI without becoming another forgettable AI feature, this episode will change how you think about pricing, adoption, and customer value. Why You Have to Listen: Learn why AI features alone don't drive purchases — and how to position AI around customer outcomes people actually value. Discover the biggest AI pricing mistake SaaS companies are making — charging for features before customers build adoption habits. See how smart SaaS companies roll out AI strategically — using adoption-first pricing, early access models, and workflow-driven product design. "Prove value with your new AI features before you throw a paywall in front of it." — Dan Balcauski Topics Covered: 02:10 - "Freemium Is a Terrible Idea for Most SaaS Companies". Why most freemium models fail before companies fully understand the real costs behind them. 06:48 - Why AI Can't Automatically Set Your SaaS Prices. Dan explains where AI can help pricing teams and where human judgment still matters most. 09:53 - The Dangerous Truth About AI Pricing Advice. Most LLMs learned pricing strategy from bad SEO content and outdated thinking. 13:35 - The Adoption vs. Monetization Framework. The simple 2x2 model every SaaS company should use before pricing AI features. 17:34 - Margin Percentage vs. Margin Dollars. A smarter way for CFOs and SaaS leaders to think about AI profitability. 18:32 - "Buyers Don't Care That Your Product Uses AI". Why customers care more about outcomes and workflows than your AI technology. 24:31 - Why SaaS Companies Keep Changing AI Pricing. Most AI pricing models don't survive their first 18 months. 26:07 - The "Early Access" AI Pricing Strategy. How smart SaaS companies introduce AI features without hurting adoption. 29:24 - "Earn the Right to Monetize". Why proving customer value should happen before putting up a paywall. Key Takeaways: "We need to prove our value first before we can monetize it." – Dan Balcauski People / Resources Mentioned: Steven Forth — Mentioned as a trusted source of pricing expertise and strategic thinking. Anthropic Claude Code — Dan's primary AI workspace for research synthesis and pricing analysis. Readwise — Tool Dan uses to ground AI outputs using trusted expert highlights and notes. Salesforce — Referenced as an example of rapidly evolving AI pricing strategies. Pragmatic Institute — Mentioned during the discussion on product adoption and feature prioritization. Connect with Dan Balcauski: Website: https://www.producttranquility.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/balcauski/ X: https://x.com/dan_balcauski Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/saas-scaling-secrets/id1682338188 Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com

May 15, 20263 min

Buyer Insight: If Buyers Can't Explain It, You've Not Sold It

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on March 2, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/if-buyers-cant-explain-it-youve-not-sold-it/ If you have any feedback, definitely send it. You can reach us at mark@impactpricing.com. Now, go make an impact. Connect with Mark Stiving: Email: mark@impactpricing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/