George Boretos is the founder and CEO of FutureUp, where he helps companies uncover hidden revenue and margin opportunities through AI, predictive analytics, and pricing science. In this episode, he explains why AI can't simply tell you what to charge, how machine learning can uncover pricing opportunities, and why competitor pricing data can sometimes make your model worse.   Why You Have to Check Out Today's Podcast: Learn where AI actually helps pricing from price optimization and segmentation to uncovering underpriced customers. See why more data isn't always better.  Discover what your sales data can reveal about willingness to pay, price variation, and hidden revenue opportunities.   "Don't use AI to actually get specific pricing directions and price point suggestions. Don't follow it blindly." — George Boretos    Topics Covered: 00:00 – Why "What Price Should I Charge?" Is the Wrong AI Prompt. Why general-purpose AI lacks the context and pricing intelligence to set your price. 03:30 – Where AI Can Actually Improve Pricing. How AI can support optimization, segmentation, packaging, and tiering. 06:30 – Why There's No Single "Right" Price. Why pricing requires different methods for different businesses. 09:00 – The Pricing Data AI Needs. Why transaction volume isn't enough without price variation. 12:00 – What Win/Loss Data Reveals. How won and lost deals can reveal win probability and market exposure. 14:30 – Finding Customers You're Undercharging. How price differences can uncover segments and pricing patterns. 17:30 – When Competitor Data Hurts Your Model. Why adding competitor pricing data can actually make a model worse. 20:30 – Why Market Indicators Can Matter More. How market trends can sometimes explain pricing better than competitors. 23:00 – Why Companies Ignore Pricing. Why simply caring about pricing can unlock major margin opportunities. 25:00 – Pricing Strategy vs. Execution. Why the best pricing strategy still needs strong execution to work.   Key Takeaways: "Use AI as a tool... Don't use it to actually get specific directions, specific price point suggestions." — George Boretos  "Pricing is a great differentiator. It can move mountains, it can increase margins, revenue, everything." — George Boretos    Connect with George Boretos: Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgeboretos/   Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: [email protected]  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on June 1, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/the-business-case-nobody-built/ If you have any feedback, definitely send it. You can reach us at [email protected].  Now, go make an impact.   Connect with Mark Stiving: Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/  

What happens when a former client returns for a live pricing coaching session? Mark Richman, CEO of Skeleton Key, shares how applying Mark Stiving's value-selling principles helped increase his close rate from 35% to 70% by focusing on customer outcomes instead of pitching solutions. Now, he returns to the hot seat to workshop his toughest pricing challenges in real time—from buyers who can't quantify value to outcome-based pricing and pricing for emotional outcomes.  This isn't another pricing interview; it's a front-row seat to a CEO getting his sales strategy challenged, refined, and rebuilt in real time.    Why You Have to Check Out Today's Podcast: Steal the framework that helped transform a 35% win rate into 70% — without changing his product. Find out why your prospects' "solution" is often the biggest obstacle to closing the deal. Watch Mark Stiving challenges Mark Richman's sales strategy and uncover the hidden pricing opportunities he almost missed.    "That willingness to not talk about what we do and that focus on why the client's there in the first place and how you can really help them achieve the outcome they want has transformed the way I sell. I went from about a 35% close rate to a 60 to 70% close rate."  — Mark Richman   Topics Covered: 01:30 – A Live Pricing Coaching Session Begins. Mark Richman returns to the hot seat as Mark Stiving coaches him through real pricing and sales challenges. 03:10 – Why Nobody Cares About Your Product. Mark Stiving explains why buyers purchase outcomes, while Richman shares how this mindset transformed his sales process. 05:15 – From 35% to 70% Win Rates. Mark Richman reveals the conversation shift that doubled his close rate, and Mark explains why it works. 08:45 – When Buyers Ask for the Wrong Solution. Mark Richman shares a real AI sales conversation, and Mark shows how to uncover the real problem instead. 16:20 – Pricing Emotional Outcomes. Can you charge for less stress and more time? Mark and Mark Richman debate when emotional value is enough. 19:15 – The Customers You Should Walk Away From. Mark explains why buyers who can't define success are often impossible to serve well. 27:40 – Finding the Right Pricing Metric. Mark shares alternatives to outcome pricing that let your revenue grow alongside your customers' success. 30:50 – The Pricing Opportunity Richman Almost Missed. A regulatory deadline becomes a lesson from Mark on willingness to pay and pricing confidence. 36:10 – The Biggest Lesson from the Coaching Session. Mark shares one pricing experiment every business should try, while Richman explains the sales lesson that changed everything.   Key Takeaways: "You're not exploiting the customer by charging for value. The only question is whether the customer believes the price is fair." — Mark Stiving "What matters isn't your hourly rate. What matters is whether it's a fair exchange for the value you're creating." — Mark Richman "Raise your prices. Win fewer deals at higher prices and make more money." — Mark Stiving "Helping clients uncover the value of solving the right problem changed everything about how I sell." — Mark Richman   Connect with Mark Richman: Website: https://skeletonkey.com Email: [email protected] Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrichman/   Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: [email protected]  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on May 25, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/you-didnt-lose-the-deal-you-lost-the-commitment/ If you have any feedback, definitely send it. You can reach us at [email protected].  Now, go make an impact.   Connect with Mark Stiving: Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/  

Michael Barbarita is the founder of Next Step CFO, strategic CFO, and author of Powerful Business Strategy. After more than four decades of helping businesses grow through smarter financial and business strategies, he's learned that the biggest pricing challenge isn't price—it's trust. In this episode, he reveals why buyers instinctively trust salespeople who aren't attached to the outcome, how transformational conversations outperform transactional ones, and the practical sales strategies that keep buyers focused on value instead of price.   Why You Have to Check Out Today's Podcast: Learn why buyers trust salespeople who don't appear desperate for the sale and how perceived indifference creates credibility instead of resistance. Discover how to shift price objections back to the buyer's transformation. Build stronger offers with upsells, cross-sells, and downsells that protect your value.   "The key is to be perceived as indifferent and transformational." — Michael Barbarita   Topics Covered: 01:40 – Why Business Owners Underprice. Why pricing based on your customer's wallet hurts your business. 04:05 – Sell Transformation, Not Transactions. Keep buyers focused on outcomes instead of products and price. 07:35 – Why Buyers Always Return to Price. The psychology behind price objections and buying decisions. 10:40 – Why Buyers Trust Indifferent Salespeople. How focusing on the buyer—not the sale—builds trust. 13:45 – Buyers Buy Futures, Not Features. Mark explains why customers pay for a better future, not product specs. 16:30 – Can CFOs Really Understand Value? Mark and Michael debate strategy, value, and finance. 19:50 – Finding What Customers Really Value.The questions that uncover why customers actually buy. 22:15 – Michael breaks down his sales framework: Captivate → Fascinate → Educate → Close. 25:30 – The Power of Upsells, Cross-Sells & Downsells. Capture more buyers without lowering your prices.   Key Takeaways: "You have to get on the same side of the table as your prospect." — Michael Barbarita "Packaging and bundling products and services together lets you add more value while increasing the price." — Michael Barbarita "No matter what you do, there's always going to be the price-sensitive people. Instead of losing them, have a downsell." — Michael Barbarita   Connect with Michael Barbarita: Website: https://nextstepcfo.net Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelbarbarita/ Book: Powerful Business Strategy (Free Download)   Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: [email protected]  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on May 18, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/how-buyers-actually-buy-and-why-aida-isnt-the-answer/ If you have any feedback, definitely send it. You can reach us at [email protected].  Now, go make an impact.   Connect with Mark Stiving: Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/  

Claire Wang is a pricing strategist, speaker, and author of The Price of Influence. With a background spanning insurance, consulting, and commercial strategy, she helps organizations shape willingness to pay by understanding how people perceive value.  In this episode, she shares why pricing professionals need to think beyond numbers, how empathy shapes influence, and why your next great pricing skill may have nothing to do with pricing at all.   Why You Have to Check Out This Episode: Learn why great ideas often fail—not because they're wrong, but because people don't see their value. Discover how pricing principles can help you gain buy-in, influence stakeholders, and communicate more effectively. See why empathy and perspective-taking may be the most underrated skills in pricing leadership.   "Your idea is like the product, and the person you need a yes from is your customer." – Claire Wang    Topics Covered: 02:10 – Why Claire Wrote The Price of Influence. Learn why Claire believes pricing professionals need to become better at communicating ideas—not just analyzing data. 05:00 – Your Idea Is a Product. Discover how pricing frameworks can help you persuade stakeholders and gain buy-in across your organization. 08:20 – How Buyers Build Willingness to Pay. Why willingness to pay isn't created at the moment of purchase—it grows through every customer interaction. 10:15 – The Real Meaning of Value. Claire explains why understanding another person's problems is the foundation of communicating value effectively. 13:00 – Shaping Willingness to Pay Starts Earlier Than You Think See why pricing should influence product design, sales conversations, and marketing—not just the final price. 16:40 – Why Pricing Teams Need More Perspective, Not More Certainty. Learn how collaborating with sales, marketing, and product teams leads to better pricing decisions. 19:15 – Do You Want to Be Right or Effective? Mark and Claire discuss why letting go of ego is essential for influencing others and getting ideas adopted. 21:00 – Using AI as a Thinking Partner. Hear how Claire uses AI to challenge her thinking, uncover blind spots, and improve decision-making. 24:00 – The One Pricing Skill Everyone Should Develop. Claire shares the advice she believes can have the biggest impact on every pricing professional's career.   Key Takeaways: "When you truly understand your audience, you understand their needs, you understand their hesitation, then getting a yes is almost inevitable." - Claire Wang "A good product design process should always be having pricing people involved early on." - Claire Wang "I would intentionally ask AI to be my sparring partner, challenge me, point out my blind spots." - Claire Wang   Connect with Claire Wang: Website: https://www.claire-wang.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-wang/    Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: [email protected]  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on May 11, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/what-is-a-pig-worth/ If you have any feedback, definitely send it. You can reach us at [email protected].  Now, go make an impact.   Connect with Mark Stiving: Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/  

Adrienne Gordon is the CEO of PriceSpace and founder of Pricing Empowered. With more than 25 years of pricing experience, she helps organizations combine pricing strategy, organizational change, and AI adoption to improve commercial performance.  In this episode, Adrienne and Mark explore what happens when pricing teams become half human and half AI. They debate whether AI can ever make pricing decisions on its own, why "humanless negotiation" may be closer than most companies realize, and how pricing leaders can use AI to strengthen—not replace—human judgment.   Why you have to check out today's podcast: Learn how to build a pricing team where humans and AI each do what they do best. See how pricing analysts, managers, and executives can use AI to make smarter decisions—not just write better prompts. Discover why AI buyers and humanless negotiations are closer than you think—and what pricing leaders should do now.   "Always offer versions. Put three things on the table so your customer chooses between you and you; not you and your competitor." – Adrienne Gordon   Topics Covered: 01:45 – AI Won't Replace Pricing Teams. It'll Redesign Them. Discover which pricing responsibilities AI can handle today—and where human judgment still matters most. 03:25 – Stop Using ChatGPT Like Google. Learn Adrienne's simple framework for turning AI into an experienced pricing partner instead of a search engine. 05:15 – The Pricing Work AI Should Already Be Doing. See how AI can clean data, uncover pricing insights, build value calculators, and automate repetitive analysis. 07:00 – How Pricing Leaders Should Use AI. Explore how managers and executives can use AI to test pricing strategies, positioning, and competitive scenarios. 09:15 – Don't Trust One AI. Make Them Debate. Why Adrienne uses multiple AI models to challenge each other's thinking and produce better recommendations. 12:05 – Building a Pricing Team That's Half Human, Half AI. Learn how to redesign pricing roles so people and AI each focus on what they do best. 15:20 – The One Decision AI Still Can't Make. Mark and Adrienne debate why accountability—not intelligence—is AI's biggest limitation. 17:00 – Humanless Negotiation Is Coming. What happens when AI buyers negotiate with AI sellers—and how it could reshape commercial pricing. 21:10 – Buying AI Isn't an AI Strategy. Why companies need a clear adoption plan before investing in more AI tools. 24:10 – The Pricing Advice That Never Gets Old. Why offering three options helps buyers compare your solutions instead of your competitors'.   Key Takeaways: "Stop using AI like Google. Give it a role, give it context, then give it a task." – Adrienne Gordon "Stay in the same thread. Keep giving it feedback. It gets smarter." – Adrienne Gordon "When in doubt, put multiple AI agents against one another and let them check each other's work." – Adrienne Gordon   People / Resources Mentioned: PriceSpace – Adrienne Gordon's pricing consultancy focused on AI adoption and commercial excellence. ChatGPT – Used throughout the discussion as an example of AI for pricing analysis and strategy. Claude – Discussed as one of Adrienne's preferred AI tools for analytics and executive presentations. Manus – AI platform Adrienne frequently uses for research and strategic intelligence. DeepSeek – Mentioned as a strong AI platform for pricing analytics. Perplexity – Mark references using it alongside ChatGPT and Claude for research. McKinsey – Referenced in discussing research predicting the growth of AI-driven negotiations.   Connect with Adrienne Gordon: Website: https://pricespace.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrienne-gordon-0a93129/    Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: [email protected]  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on May 4, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/the-information-trap-is-killing-your-deals/ If you have any feedback, definitely send it. You can reach us at [email protected].  Now, go make an impact.   Connect with Mark Stiving: Email: [email protected] LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/