The Power of Value Based Pricing If You’re a Cost Plus Business 🖼️

When we speak of pricing strategies, there are many approaches that come to mind. Competitive pricing, price skimming, cost-plus pricing, penetration pricing, economy pricing, dynamic pricing, and value-based pricing are among the many approaches you can choose for your business. Many pricing experts favour value-based pricing because it focuses on the value customers perceive rather than simply the cost of delivering a product or service.

 

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>Download Now: Free PDF Future Proof Your Pricing Strategy

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Value-based pricing is a pricing strategy that sets prices according to the value customers perceive in a product or service. The approach considers what customers are willing to pay for an offering that solves a problem or meets a specific need.

 

 

If your business relies on cost-plus pricing, shifting to value-based pricing means moving the starting point from your costs to the value customers place on your products or services. Based on the approach discussed throughout this article, the key changes are:

• Understand customer value. Identify what customers value, the problems they need to solve, and the benefits they receive from your offer.
• Research willingness to pay. Research how customers perceive your products and what they are willing to pay, rather than relying solely on internal cost calculations.
• Identify value drivers. Rank and prioritise the factors that influence customer decisions, then use these insights to inform pricing.
• Give sales teams a stronger value proposition. Help salespeople explain the economic value of the offer so they can defend prices without immediately resorting to discounts.
• Build the right pricing capability. Value-based pricing requires a mix of customer insight, data analysis, economics, strategy and commercial skills.
• Keep adapting. Customer preferences, competitors, and markets change, so value and pricing decisions need to be reviewed rather than treated as “set and forget.”

For a cost-plus business, the fundamental shift is therefore from asking what an offer costs to asking what it is worth to the customer. This change provides the foundation for the customer-focused approach explored throughout the rest of this article.

 

Therefore, a value-based pricing strategy requires a blend of technical expertise, commercial insight, customer understanding, and diverse ways of thinking.

 

 

By the end, you will have a clearer understanding of value-based pricing and whether it is the right approach for your business.

 

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The table of contents for this article includes:

I. Value Based Pricing: The Power of Being Value Based If You’re a Cost Plus Business

II. Value Pricing: Articulating Value not Price and Why It Is Vital

III. A Quick Guide to Value-Based Pricing

IV. Value-Based Pricing Steps: Separating Facts from Myths

V. What Is Value-Based Pricing Strategy and How Can You Utilise It?

VI. Strandbags Uses Customer Value Pricing Strategy To Make Its Comeback

VII. Check Out This Humorous Value Based Pricing Example!

VIII. Customer Value Pricing: Profits Soar With Adaptive Pricing Team

IX. Overcoming Strategic Overload with Pricing Strategy as a Value-Based Proposition

X. Benefits Of Value Based Pricing For Pet Care Businesses Planning To Raise Prices

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Capability Building Programmes For Pricing & Sales Teams!

 

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Value Based Pricing: The Power of Being Value Based If You’re a Cost Plus Business

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I wanted to start today by sharing a personal story about the power of value-based pricing. This is based on an experience I had as a customer, not a practitioner or expert. I think a value-based pricing strategy is best understood from the customer’s perspective. This gives you a deeper sense of how customers experience cost-based pricing, or what happens when a business fails to adopt a value-based approach.

 

When I was twenty-one years old…

 

I went to Tate Modern in London with my dad for the first time. It was 2000 and the very first year the gallery had opened the building to the public. It was also the first time I began to understand the importance of value-based pricing. My dad and I had talked for many weeks before our visit about all the wonderful pieces of art we would see there. We were also aware of the high price of entry for private exhibitions. But we were still prepared to go.

 

For my dad and I, art, books, and films were our primary activities in London together. Art helped us explore and challenge what we valued and why (as opposed to what we thought we valued). I had my dad right beside me explaining why he valued a certain piece of art. However, I was also free to discover the value of the same piece of art inside my mind and with him as well. In addition, I had the idea that Tate Modern was going to be the best place to test our assumptions and share our views.

 

Introduction to Value Culture 💡 Podcast Ep. 96!

 

I had a vision in my head of people wandering through the rooms and debating great art. Sharing their knowledge, opinions, views, and feelings…

 

What I found, though, was that Tate Modern was more like an abattoir without the rib-eye steak. The very first moment we got there, I noticed the stone-cold silence. No one was talking or sharing views or ideas. We went to the counter to buy tickets for a Damien Hirst exhibition. An extremely gaunt, avant-garde staff member gave us our tickets with a very serious expression. He then began his set spiel on how Damien Hirst’s ‘Cow’ was the spirit of Tate Modern.

 

This made me wonder: how could dead animals, including a shark, a sheep, and a cow, hanging preserved and suspended in tanks of formaldehyde capture the value of Tate Modern? By any standard, the Hirst exhibition pales in comparison to the space in which the cow floated (the old OXO building, a landmark in London).

 

I turned to my dad and said, if that’s all the value they can offer us, we should skip the exhibition and just walk around the building. We didn’t do that though. We paid nearly 40 dollars each to see Damien Hirst’s Cow exhibition and zero dollars to explore the building.

 

As I was walking around the exhibition, looking at all the dead animals floating in harsh chemicals, I couldn’t figure out for the life of me why we were supposed to be so impressed by this? What the value of it was, or why the ticket price was so high?

 

I walked around the room in silence, feeling slightly queasy along with everybody else.

 

I tried very hard to appreciate “Cow” as a valuable piece of art, but I couldn’t see it. I walked around the exhibition in silence, waiting for the opportunity to leave and explore the rest of the building.

 

I did try to share my views with my dad as we walked around the abattoir, I mean the gallery. But the first time I said something to him, an arty-looking person overheard and glared at me with contempt, like “What do you know about art you philistine?” And then the second time I tried, I read a sign beneath the dead Cow’s head, on its tank, explaining that the true value of Damien Hirst was his ability to capture the spirit of our age. I looked up at the cow and back at the sign. Up at the cow and then around the room. Did this dead cow capture the spirit of our age?

 

Not to me, it didn’t. I thought this gallery was firmly set on telling me I’m wrong, and that their view on value was the definitive view. I suspected bashing my views and destabilising my value system was their way of making more money. They had a captive audience of uninformed visitors willing to pay a lot of money for something they didn’t even like or understand. Visitors were pretty much paying to be herded around like cattle in a relatively small room filled with dead animals. They were being told at every step how to think, feel and react to their surroundings. Maybe Damien Hirst is onto something here after all.

 

Explore my views

 

So, I didn’t explore my views with my dad as I would have done in the past. Never have I shared these thoughts with anyone until now. I sort of suppressed my true thoughts and reactions. I think I only returned to the gallery again once after that too. The second time was the same, but this time I skipped the exhibitions and just walked around the building for free.

 

I felt kind of guilty about stifling my views too. At the time, I felt as if my views were not important and not valued. I was angry with the gallery for silencing me and making me self-conscious. The whole experience seemed like a framing and anchoring exercise, positioning the gallery as a font of all knowledge and visitors as ignorant. I thought it was very clever of Saatchi to use a magnificent building with lots of rich history and cultural significance to frame worthless pieces of art and then later sell them for millions of dollars to private collectors.

 

Why Explain Value-Based Pricing?

 

I tell you this story about Tate Modern because I could have told you fifty business stories with a similar lesson. Executives were bewildered about why their customers were asking for price reductions or were even prepared to bear the switching costs of moving to an alternative supplier. At the same time, the same executives could not explain the value of their offer to their customers. Or why their customers were so unhappy to find out that someone else was charging substantially less for the same thing.

 

A business that:

• Tells customers they have no right to complain when service is poor
• Fails to understand what customers value
• Assumes incumbency provides protection from competitors
• Overcharges while under-delivering
• Fails to recognise its responsibility to provide a strong customer experience

 

The Tate Modern

 

Like the Tate Modern, it is easier to shut down any dialogue with customers and expect them to cough up the money. Even when they’ve had a terrible experience with you! I suppose, when you shut out customers, you don’t have to face feedback like “your offer is of limited value, I want my money back or a discount to compensate for what you’ve just put me through…”

 

It’s not just a shame when price discussions turn into verbal bashing about how useless and no good your business is. It is a real loss. It is a loss for you, your team, your peers, your customers, and your business. When it comes to re-evaluating pricing, we need leaders and innovators challenging the status quo and proactively trying to understand customer viewpoints, pain points and problems (even if it is a bit difficult to stomach sometimes).

 

Asking more questions

 

We need managers who do not just offer discounts at the first sign of trouble.. We need more people asking questions to uncover how we can help customers achieve their financial goals, make their lives easier, and fix their problems.

 

This includes listening to staff and customer feedback and doing something about it. Not believing incumbency is enough, because it’s not. It also means building world-class teams with the right mix of skills, styles, and capabilities. They drive a value-based pricing strategy in a tough market and a business culture built around staunch cost-plus values and beliefs.

 

To overcome the emotional bias for the status quo in your business, you need to understand what value-based pricing is. So, what’s the difference between cost-based pricing and value-based pricing? Cost-based pricing can become limiting when businesses focus too heavily on internal costs and fail to consider customer value, willingness to pay, competitive positioning, and market conditions.

 

Businesses that rely heavily on cost-based pricing often spend considerable time on complex cost-allocation analysis. There’s an overly simplistic mark-up to finish off to set unrealistic margin targets. They also seem to believe that it’s okay to have their sales teams bashed daily by procurement. They sit through the painful process of procurement, unpicking their finance or marketing team’s irrational cost plus logic line item by line item, with absolutely no defence or position.

 

So, what is the definition of value-based pricing? In B2B markets, value-based pricing is more than surface-level customer surveys or marketing jargon. It’s a way to empower your sales teams and your customers to have a meaningful and relevant discussion about the value of the commercial exchange (not just the invoice price).

 

Read about the best sales techniques in selling value effectively

 

The Advantages of a B2B Value-Based Pricing Strategy

 

Value-based pricing is a strategy, approach, and toolkit that can help salespeople defend prices when procurement teams are primarily focused on reducing costs.

 

In B2B markets, value-based pricing can help sales teams defend prices by explaining the economic value of the offer.

 

Value-based pricing is also relevant to B2C businesses facing margin pressure. Why? Because consumers evaluate products and services based on their individual needs, preferences, and perceptions of value. Humans don’t understand absolute value. Value needs to be explained in relative terms for us to understand it. Not shoved down throats using a cookie-cutter approach.

 

I find that B2C businesses that haven’t done a good job understanding what consumers value offer blanket promos and excessive discounts, hoping this will drive volume. Often it doesn’t. Discounts are unlikely to create sustainable demand when customers had little intention of purchasing the product in the first place.

 

It’s your responsibility, as a leader, to help your teams educate your customers on the value they are receiving. This means clearly showing customers the trade-offs they’ll have to make if all they want is a rock-bottom price. This is true for both consumer value pricing and B2B value-based pricing.

 

Help your sales teams and customers understand the opportunity costs and risks of not using your products and services. Value-based pricing focuses on the gains they would get using your product versus the competitors.

 

Often, even saying this puts executives off. It leads them to water down value-based pricing with their hunches, rules of thumb and assumptions about customers. Value-based pricing requires a mix of customer psychology, economics, strategy, data analysis, promotions and incentives, and mathematical modelling. Many choose to leave out the parts with which they don’t feel comfortable or competent (often the customer’s part). Doing this, however, can lead you straight back to the beginning. Unexplained value, angry customers, volume loss, revenue loss, tired and stressed out sales teams, segmentation models that don’t make sense or limited insights into customer yield, need I go on?

 

Conclusion

 

To sum it up, I think what I’m saying is we need more of a balance in business. We need people in the business to count and protect our money for sure. In addition, we need people in the business who can make money and find new growth opportunities. Yes, I know you have sales and finance teams already, but sales teams are busy selling, and finance teams are P&L experts with a limited view on the market.

 

Your teams need help to drive profitable revenue growth. They need the support of a world-class pricing team to help them. A team dedicated to helping them make more profitable sales and deals. And you need a world-class pricing team on board. They help optimise prices across your products and customer segments. They drive consistent and safe EBIT gains in highly competitive and disrupted markets.

 

If you really want to improve your pricing in the best way possible, then, you need a diversity of thinking and people who know what they are doing when it comes to value discovery, strategic price-setting and pricing strategy.

 

Improving pricing is a process, not an event. Not everyone who puts their hand up to do pricing can do it, often they are the worst option.

 

You now need to be careful about how you hire and select people to do this and how you resource your organisation to get your business through some tough times ahead.

 

⇑ Table of Contents

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Capability Building Programmes For Pricing & Sales Teams!

 

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Value Pricing: Articulating Value, Not Price and Why It Is Vital 

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“At the end of the day, it comes down to price”. I heard this today from a marketing manager (not a pricing professional) in an electrical supplies company.

I told him to pack his bags (jokingly) as he had just admitted that his job was nonsensical. If it was just price all our adverts would be big billboards at $19.99 etc. written on them.

 

What is the Service Worth to the Customer?

 

It is all about price, but only when the product and service on offer are exactly equivalent i.e. when a perfect commodity exists at a precise equal quantity and in a precise place and state. In that non-existent instance, the lowest price option would win the deal. Of course, even this super, simplified example ignores instances such as seller reputation, counter-party risk, payment terms, account management, service guarantees, money back offers etc.

 

Articulating the value (value pricing) begins by understanding this and actually explaining it to people both inside (sometimes more difficult) and outside your company.

 

We’ll try to compare value pricing with low-cost pricing strategy. How these different approaches can affect product pricing.

 

Introduction to Value Culture 💡 Podcast Ep. 96!

 

Low-Cost Pricing Strategy: Why Free Services Can Be A Bad Idea

 

Have you ever tried to teach or mentor someone and found them to be disinterested and not engaged in the process? This can be a very frustrating process for the teacher or mentor as their work becomes fruitless. It can also negatively impact remuneration. For example, if your remuneration is performance-related, bonuses, etc. may be payable if your client is successful or passes some hurdle. Also, having a record of achieving positive success with clients is very important for future sales.  This can be the case in businesses from personal trainers to career coaches or of course, pricing consultants.

 

The US-based marketing expert Joe Polish has a saying ” if you do not pay, you do not pay attention” meaning that if there is no monetary exchange for value or information transferred, then people tend to undervalue it. I ask you to think back to when clients did not pay attention, were they paying you a sum that would be regarded as considerable or not pocket change?

 

Differences between Value and Low-cost pricing

 

Low-cost pricing can be established by larger competitors, with lower operating costs, to out-compete a small or new business on price alone. More established competitors could force you to take further price reductions that reduce your profits in trying to compete with your larger competitor’s low ball pricing to force you out of the market. Your pricing strategy can ultimately determine your business fate in a small business. By managing your pricing strategy, small business owners can extend business longevity and produce healthy profits.

With value-based pricing, a company considers the value its product or service provides to customers rather than relying primarily on the cost of producing it. To do this, the company determines how much money or value its product or service will generate for the customer. This value could originate from factors such as increased efficiency, happiness or stability.

 

Potential implications of a low-cost pricing strategy for consultants

 

This carries a number of important implications for anyone involved in consultancy or any pricing environment regarding low-cost pricing strategy decisions:

 

• Charging too low a price can attract too many customers. Evidence shows that even charging a nominal fee greatly reduces the number of people using free services. For example, they put very little financial value on the service that they are unwilling to pay even for a nominal fee.

 

Note: in this context, arranging payment can be difficult and put people off also. Hence, Amazon invented the one-click shopping approach as a way to increase sales.

 

• Charging too low makes people undervalue your product or service. This argument is used in favour of some forms of vouchers to give people “free” schooling. Thus, they believe, particularly in the USA, that putting a monetary value on the schooling that children and families receive will greatly increase their focus and attention. Interestingly, there is a counter-argument to this one in US University courses, despite huge fees, only 18% of students graduate within 4 years.

 

• You may attract the wrong kind of customer. As a consultant or advisor, if you provide advice for a low cost, you may attract customers who do not “invest” enough financially, to also invest mentally, i.e. you can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink. As we have covered in our blogs on psychological pricing and luxury pricing strategy, sometimes a high relative price tag can make people place more value on the service being offered.

 

Implications

 

Both value-based pricing and low-cost pricing aim to influence customers’ purchasing decisions, but they do so in very different ways.

A low-cost strategy can weaken perceived value when customers begin to associate your offering primarily with price. Whereas value pricing focuses on how much the customer values a product is a totally different customer-focused approach to pricing.

In short, a low-cost strategy can attract the wrong kind of customers who want free services or product. With value-based pricing, you can find customers willing to pay a price premium because they believe your product or service will fix an immediate need.

 

Conclusion

 

In running a business, there is a huge difference between cheap and free. Hence, very few companies have built profitable or sustainable businesses with solid financial performance by always offering free services.

 

A low-cost pricing strategy can be difficult to sustain when it relies primarily on continually reducing prices rather than creating a defensible source of customer value. More retailers should instead switch to value pricing.

 

More retailers are preferring the value pricing strategy as it accurately determines what the customers view as the product’s worth.

 

⇑ Table of Contents

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Capability Building Programmes For Pricing & Sales Teams!

 

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A Quick Guide to Value-Based Pricing

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Here’s a quick guide to value-based pricing for teams embarking on a price rise, improvement or transformation project. Customer value-based pricing is considered to be the best pricing strategy for both B2B and B2C businesses, at least from a pricer’s point of view. Why?

 

The fact is, most businesses approach value-based pricing in a way which is not entirely right. This, in many ways, is a great opportunity for learning and development.  In our view, the problem still comes down to a vague value-based pricing definition and surface-level understanding. 

 

So, in this article, we will provide you with a quick guide to value-based pricing, including an overview of the problem, some insights, tips and a reading list on value-based pricing.  

 

We strongly believe profitable pricing decisions are based on learning good habits but also unlearning bad habits too. So, let’s start now.

 

Why is it still so misunderstood? Here’s a quick guide to value-based pricing

 

Value-based pricing should by now be a well-established concept, but many businesses still struggle to understand and implement it effectively. There are still a fair few staunch disbelievers out there dismissing value-based logic because they believe pricing should be cost-based rather than value-based. 

 

Supporters of cost-plus pricing can be found across both B2B and B2C markets, from small businesses to large organisations. What’s more, they strongly believe that using simplistic multipliers on aggregate costs is a more tangible and reliable way to set prices than understanding how customers perceive and value their products. 

 

As a result of these assumptions and blind spots, many businesses still rely heavily on cost-plus pricing when setting prices for new products and conducting price reviews. This, in turn, indicates that most organisational strategies and approaches are the opposite of a value-based pricing approach. 

 

And to be honest, I don’t blame them. Pricing is both an art and a science and it can take a lot of time to master. Again, this is why you need an expert pricing team to help you or at the very least, a quick guide to value-based pricing and reading list. 

 

So here it is.

 

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Related Podcast: What Is Value Based Pricing? 💰 Episode #0005

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Did you know that there are books that just talk about pricing entirely? Books like:

 

1. Negotiating with Backbone: Eight Sales Strategies to Defend Your Price and Value by Reed K. Holden

 

2. Confessions of the Pricing Man: How Price Affects Everything by Hermann Simon.

 

3. The Ultimate Guide To Retail Pricing 

 

4. How to Develop a Powerful Pricing Strategy for Your Business by Peter Hill.

 

5. Pricing: The Third Business Skill: Principles of Price Management by Ernst-Jan Bouter.

 

6. The Psychology of Price: How to Use Price to Increase Demand, Profit and Customer Satisfaction by Leigh Caldwell.

 

7. Brilliant Selling: What the Best Salespeople Know, Do and Say by Tom Bird and Jeremy Cassell.

 

8. Pricing Strategy: How to Price a Product by Bill McFarlane.

 

Reading the books (listed above) and this quick guide to value-based pricing will dispel some of the myths surrounding customer value-based pricing. What’s more, learning to understand customer value-based pricing with a fresh, untinted lens will help to eliminate the myths of it being a dark art.

 

A quick guide to value-based pricing basics

 

Value-based pricing is about figuring out how your customers value your product portfolio, every single product, every single customer group, and eventually every individual customer.

 

Do your customers understand the benefits of value-based pricing on your products and services? 

 

How would potential customers value your portfolio if only they knew about you? 

 

How much do you think they’d be willing to pay for the stuff you sell them if you knew what they valued and how much they valued it?

 

Difficult questions, I know, but they get to the essence of value-based pricing.

 

So how do you go about determining a customer’s willingness to pay for your products when you don’t know how they value and perceive your business or portfolio? Simple answer: You can’t. You’ve got to find out and do the research. Ask the right questions and bring your assumptions and insights into a pricing framework which elicits essential criteria and a list of customers’ value drivers. And from here, start to rank, sort and prioritise these unique value drivers on an ongoing basis and put economic values behind each one. 

 

These criteria may include:

 

1. Your ability to supply what customers want. 

 

2. Network/convenience, i.e., not going too far to get it. 

 

3. How they came about value-based pricing in B2B in the first place.

 

4. What pressing problem is making them look for your products. 

 

5. How easy it is to buy from you. 

 

6. How well they understand their needs and relate the solution to your offer. 

 

And finally, you also need to be realistic about how competent your teams are at pricing in this way. It takes a complete mindset change to do value-based pricing properly. Not every business is ready to implement value-based pricing effectively. It requires strong customer insight, data, segmentation, and commercial capabilities.

 

Value-based pricing requires people with a range of skills, capabilities and experiences, from maths, science, statistics, psychology, marketing and finance. They need to be logical but think laterally because essentially they are maximising margin and revenue by charging optimal prices for each customer based on the amount they are willing to pay for what they are receiving now. And it looks at the likelihood of customers paying more with additional marketing, better logistics and supply chain infrastructure, product innovation, and better technology.

 

No, it’s not simple but this is why businesses are now hiring expert pricing teams to do the heavy lifting. 

 

Discussion on a quick guide to value-based pricing

 

Pricing is a vast and fast-evolving discipline. Cost-plus pricing can become risky when it is used as the primary approach to profitability without considering customer value, willingness to pay, competition, and market conditions. Pricing is a specialised discipline, and experienced pricing professionals continue to develop their knowledge as markets, technology, and customer behaviour change.

 

Value-based pricing is a discipline in its own right now. Value is relative and deeply intertwined with the market. An expert pricing team knows this and is constantly learning and tracking the market to inform their pricing decisions and playbook. A set-and-forget attitude to pricing is risky and antiquated. 

 

The market is always changing, and it is a perennial truth that customers will not always want or like the same stuff. What remains constant is that customers seek meaningful benefits and outcomes when they make a purchase. This does not mean value for money, which is occasionally the reason why we buy. Rather, buying something that solves a problem or meets a real need (financial, emotional, physical or psychological), this is value, and this is what customers are willing to pay for.

 

Knowing this, your approach to pricing, value and learning should be adaptive and human too. Rest on your laurels with financial terms and cost-plus pricing knowledge based on what you learned 20 years ago, and face volume and revenue loss and eventually a profit downgrade. 

 

Implications

 

• If you are not sure how to price properly, hire an expert pricing team that knows what it is doing.

 

• By prioritising the opinions of your customers, you are focusing on the people who will be making the buying decisions rather than just your own internal business needs and metrics.

 

• It takes time to find the right pricing strategy. You have to be dedicated to discovering your customers’ preferences before you set your prices.

 

Conclusion

 

• Pricing is a business-critical marketing decision. It shows what the product is worth, what the business is worth, and, especially, what the customer is worth.

 

• Find out how much they are willing to pay for your product and what features they want to see you develop. By doing so, you will be able to not only give customers what they want. You’ll also be able to attract and retain these customers.

 

• People are different and value things differently. For your business, the important thing is to ask your customers what they would have bought if your product or service were not available. Their answers tell you who your toughest competitors are.

 

⇑ Table of Contents

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Capability Building Programmes For Pricing & Sales Teams!

 

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Value-Based Pricing Steps: Separating Facts from Myths

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With value-based pricing steps, we will dispel some of the myths surrounding value-based pricing. In an earlier article, we gave you a Quick Guide to Value-Based Pricing. Here are the top 5 myths about value-based pricing marketing. These are followed by some tips and advice on what you can do to improve your approach to pricing.

 

» Myth 1: The price that creates the most sales is correct.

 

Well, that’s not quite right. You have to think about the three-, six-, and nine-month impact of each pricing decision you make. You’ve also got to think about how discounts, promotions and price rises impact your price and brand positioning in the market. 

 

The problem with only using a volume pricing strategy and cost-plus logic to set prices is that it drives your prices down, and keeps them low as consumers get used to taking discounts from you and seeing low prices in front of your products.

 

Pure volume plays are a risky pricing action in any market because there’s no guarantee that customers will buy more simply because it’s cheap. And what if your costs change? Answer: You’ll probably end up either overcharging customers or undercharging yourself. This can be a nightmare for customer price perception and your bottom-line profitability. 

 

Introduction to Value Culture 💡 Podcast Ep. 96!

 

Best strategy on value-based pricing steps

 

So, what is the best strategy for maximising margin and revenue in a safe and sustainable way? The correct price will always be the price that is good for both you and the customer. The additional profit generated through better pricing can then be reinvested into the growth of your business.

 

» Myth 2: Pricing is a financial decision.

 

Again, you’ve got to look at the bigger picture as value and pricing is more than just a financial modelling exercise.

 

When you’re calculating the best invoice prices for your items, you don’t want to hike up your prices too much because your spreadsheet says you’ll make more money doing this. No, listening to uncommercial financial models alone will drive your customers to the competitors and leave a sour taste in their mouths about you. But you still have to make money and shouldn’t be shy of this. Oftentimes, making money is the perfect excuse to back out of anything scary in life. But pricing decisions shouldn’t be scary or risky.  

 

For example, if you want to sell high, sell high but know you can do this based on data and evidence. If you want to increase your prices later, do so by enlightening your customers on the value they once valued and have received without delay or fault. There is no shame in reminding your customers that you deserve to get paid for great products and services that they really value. Value is a two-way street. 

 

A Marketing Decision

 

Pricing is, in fact, a marketing decision. The price you put on something, whether deliberate or not, sends a message to your customers about what the product is worth, what the business is worth, and especially what the customer is worth. The point of pricing is about capturing value and making stable profit margins; not just a short-term spike in sales or revenue.

 

Research your market for value-based pricing steps

 

» Myth 3: It’s okay to give random discounts if it gets more customers.

 

This practice can erode margins, weaken price discipline, and undermine customers’ perception of value.

 

Sometimes, a prospective client would come in and say, “Hey, I really want to buy from you, but your prices are too high so I will have to go to X your competitor unless you give me a substantial discount.”

 

To please the customer or get the sales over the line, many sales teams give in and offer large discounts. Then they say to themselves, “What’s the big deal? We got a new client and the client got a discount. Isn’t that win-win?”

 

Big mistake. These are the kind of customers who arm-wrestle you for a lower price and don’t make for good long-term clients. Interestingly, they are the people who complain most loudly about minor issues and they try to suck up most of your time by looking for special treatment.

 

And worst of all, they tell the entire community that you’re a pushover and you don’t really know what your business is worth. This encouranges everyone else to ask for a discount.

 

Part of the pricing decisions in value-based pricing steps

 

» Myth 4: Price erosion is an outside force that you can’t control. Wrong!

 

Price erosion can occur when businesses repeatedly lower prices or offer discounts without a clear commercial rationale, gradually reducing realised prices and potentially weakening perceived value.

 

Price erosion is essentially the gradual loss of pricing power as you and your competitors making a number of risky price actions over time. Playing the market like life is a zero-sum game doesn’t really work either. In fact, it’s a repeat purchase from valuable customers that really maximises margin. 

 

Penetrating the market with low ball prices is a short-term revenue play, and is not sticky at all. Customers tend to move on to the next cheap offer. You become yesterday’s news and find yourself viewed as a commodity.  

 

Tips on how to control price in value-based pricing steps

 

It is you who controls your prices. When you set them too low or don’t build enough value to justify them, you have nobody to blame but yourself.

 

Strengthen your market position by offering products and services that customers value, understanding the difference between cost-based and value-based pricing, and consistently meeting customer expectations.

 

The goal is not simply to make customers perceive your prices as “fair”, but to demonstrate enough value that the price is justified by the benefits they receive.

 

The only way to get the right prices for your offers is to understand what problems you are good at solving. Hence, becoming the go-to expert in your community for that.

 

Implications

 

• The correct price will always be one that is good for your business and good for the customer. Do not let speculation dictate your price.

 

• Giving random discounts will give the impression that you don’t know your market value and consumers. They will always expect a discount.

 

• Pricing is all about capturing value: it shows what the product is worth, what the business is worth, and especially what the client is worth.

 

• Remind your customers that you deserve to get paid for products and services that they really value. Hence, value is a two-way street. 

 

• Relying solely on financial models without understanding customer needs can lead to pricing decisions that weaken competitiveness. If customers do not understand the value behind your price, they may look for alternatives or become more price-sensitive.

 

Conclusion

 

• Adhering to the myth that pricing is out of your control is essentially a load of crock. You control what your price should be with the help of the pricing team.

 

• The benefits of value-based pricing can increase your business’s profits and revenue of your business. In effect, following these myths will not increase your revenue.

 

• The goal of value-based pricing is not simply to make customers perceive your prices as fair. It is to demonstrate why the price is justified by the value they receive.

 

⇑ Table of Contents

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Capability Building Programmes For Pricing & Sales Teams!

 

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What Is Value-Based Pricing Strategy and How Can You Utilise It?

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Despite the true definition of value being incredibly subjective, it remains a vital aspect for businesses to understand. Depending on your product offering, your business may need to use a value-based pricing strategy. Therefore, the way customers perceive value is key to unlocking your margins and driving revenue. In this article, we will be answering exactly what a value-based pricing strategy is and how you can fully utilise it.

 

Introduction to Value Culture 💡 Podcast Ep. 96!

 

How To Take Advantage of Value-Based Pricing Strategy

 

Most customers are naturally driven by price and want to find the best price for what they are getting. Likewise, they will usually have a general idea of how much something should cost. This is called customer perception. Many businesses draw on this perception of what customers value in order to inform their pricing strategies. 

 

Though customers know what they are after, they usually have a lack of understanding of what contributes to a product’s value. This provides businesses with ample opportunity to inform value through marketing and branding. 

 

Without adjusting marketing strategies alongside price changes, increasing prices will not change the perceived value of the product. Rather, the customer’s willingness to buy a product is what changes. It’s important to understand these aspects, especially when shifting to a value-based pricing strategy. 

 

What Is a Value-Based Pricing Strategy?

 

A value-based pricing strategy sets prices according to the value customers perceive in an offering. This is different from cost-plus pricing, which is based on the cost of production of the product. 

 

Cost-plus pricing can be useful for relatively standardised products and services, while value-based pricing is particularly useful when customers perceive meaningful differences between competing offerings. Products usually have unique features that allow them to take advantage of a value-based pricing strategy. 

 

Brands such as Apple and Starbucks use differentiation, brand positioning, customer experience, and perceived value to support their pricing. Other industries also include designer apparel, cosmetics, personal care, and even Software-as-a-Service or SaaS. 

 

Advantages 

 

Value-based pricing has a lot of potential advantages when used properly. This includes the ability to price higher when you launch a product. If you have marketed your product correctly, higher prices can drive hype and exclusivity around a product. 

 

This pricing strategy can also provide valuable insight into what customers are willing to pay. Knowing this can give your business invaluable insight into what needs to be improved and the level of demand. Having this data can enable you to discover the right profit-driving price point for your product. 

 

Likewise, since value-based pricing is customer-centric, you have the ability to forecast solutions that your customers are looking for. This gives you additional perspective into what you should be developing next, allowing you to stay innovative and ahead of the game. 

 

Disadvantages

 

One downside to this pricing strategy is that it can be resource-intensive. You’ll need to invest a lot of time and labour to get it right, which is something that not all businesses can do. As we said in the beginning, value is subjective. This can make value estimates imprecise or inaccurate. 

 

Not all businesses will have the resources or time for trial and error. Researching your customer’s values isn’t a one-time endeavour. In fact, you’ll need to keep it up in order to continuously evolve and adapt to the current market. However, if done right, this model can prove incredibly profitable. 

 

Creating A Customer Value Model

 

Once you have defined your target market and gathered sufficient customer data, you can begin building a customer value model. Once you have put together a research team that spans product engineering, marketing, and sales, you can begin to put your customer value model together.

 

Below are several key steps to achieve this:

 

Target Market

 

The first crucial step, if you haven’t already done so, is to determine your target market. This will give your team and business a narrower scope to focus on, especially as you begin to conduct field assessments. Having a target market will also help you position your brand accurately. 

 

Value Elements

 

After determining your target market, put together a list of value elements that will affect your costs and offers. This includes technical elements of your product, as well as economic and social factors. You should also consider aspects such as the lifespan of your product, usage, etc. Identifying these elements will help you accurately gauge what sets your product apart from the competition.

 

Data Gathering

 

Once you have put together a list of relevant value elements, you can begin data gathering. You can start by creating field value assessments that can help you understand more about your customers. These can help you understand customer price perceptions and estimate the monetary value of different elements of your offering. Surveys and focus groups are a great way to gain insight into your target market. 

 

Using Your Data To Manage Your Value-Based Pricing Strategy

 

The data you collect from research and field assessments will inform your product pricing. However, it’s important to put your learnings to use beyond this.

 

Here are two additional ways you can utilise your data:

 

Managing Your Offerings

 

You will inevitably discover variations in your customers’ needs, which you can take advantage of. The insights can be used to develop lucrative supplementary services or new offerings in the future. By widening your product range through flexible market offerings and innovative solutions, you can attract new customers and maintain existing ones. 

 

Remember that this can only be achieved through a deep understanding of how customers value each element. Likewise, you need a thorough knowledge of how muc it will cost to deliver these solutions. Remember that offerings that cost more to produce and deliver than they’re worth can become sources of value leakage.

 

Manage Customer Relationships

 

The core of a successful business is a good customer relationship. You can strengthen this further through your research in the same way that open lines of communication and feedback mechanisms do. Good relationships can also benefit your reputation and give your business more credibility. 

 

Conclusion

 

As we conclude, a value-based pricing strategy should be based on customer value drivers. They give you a better understanding of what matters to people, no matter how subjective it seems. There may be a lot of work involved, but the benefits you reap are well worth the effort. So, set up the necessary resources to implement it and work with a competent pricing team that can help you navigate pricing strategies. 

 

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Capability Building Programmes For Pricing & Sales Teams!

 

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Strandbags Uses Customer Value Pricing Strategy To Make Its Comeback 👜

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Historical Case Study: How Strandbags Used Customer Value to Respond to Digital Disruption. Most retail businesses today are transitioning to the digital world to stay relevant. They consider digital marketing as the next trend in business. However, Strandbags disagrees.

 

Strandbags, now operating under the STRAND brand, built a large Australian retail presence in the luggage and bags market. Founded in Australia in 1927, the retail store has become a hugely successful business, making it a household name across the country. But despite its successes, Strandbags had become acutely aware that its once successful brand strategy is now losing its relevance. It needs to reinvent itself and take the brand to a younger, global audience. To emphasise, it needs to do this without driving away its existing loyal customer base.

 

Introduction to Value Culture 💡 Podcast Ep. 96!

 

Fighting to hold on 

 

It is currently surviving on a quagmire of discounts, percentages, numbers, stacks of product and ubiquitous discount messaging. This is diminishing the shopping experience and quality impression of its products. With that in mind, the true image of its brand, the genuinely good-quality products, the astonishing breadth, diversity and relevance are losing out to its competitors.

 

However, with the surge in global luxury retailers, many of them have been able to remain solvent due to the strong demand from Chinese tourists. But the situation is changing with many retailers. Just like Strandbags, they are losing out to online retailers who have good online product ads and pricing offers.

 

The retail market is changing rapidly. Online shopping is taking over from brick-and-mortar stores. Most especially the retail businesses that are facing insolvency. Retailers are being forced to reduce their physical presence and are cutting stocks to reduce costs and CAPEX. To counter this, a good online customer value pricing strategy is the key to survival for many traditional stores, all the while trying to transition their business to online platforms.

 

More Display Room

 

The present strategy of Strandbags is to commit more to its physical stores and to expand more display space. The recent closure of other retailers in Australia has actually been a blessing for Strandbags. The real estate leases have become more accessible for the company. In effect, they are able to acquire the store spaces they need. They believe it will give them the edge over the online retailers.

 

Strandbags’ goal is to buck the traditional retail trend in order to remain relevant to the next generation of consumers. With the luggage sector continuing to evolve, Strandbags was responding to changing consumer expectations and increasing competition from online retailers. they are giving control of the shopping experience to shoppers. They listened to their customers’ feedback. As a result, they found out that customers don’t like cluttered stores filled with stock and sale signs.

 

What customers really want is a clear brand story and value. So, instead of the typical cost-based pricing used in the past, Strandbags is now experimenting with a hybrid everyday customer value pricing strategy. This is a value-based strategy set up to attract their customers (old and new) to see their latest fashionable luggage and bags.

 

An example of customer value pricing is a painting that is usually priced on its perceived value or when a book on a specialised field is priced high due to its market niche.

 

Much of the refreshed brand both visually and technologically is from the feedback they’ve received from their customers. The customers are savvy enough to know more about the brand by looking it up on the web. They researched it online even before entering the store. In effect, they are also visualising what they want, when they want it, and how they want it.

 

To become a digital mecca, the store features handheld checkouts for staff to help customers transact then and there, instead of putting them in a line. Video screens line the walls and showcase the brand to the customers wandering in, while the store itself fulfils e-commerce orders. Thus, this allows customers to interact with Strandbags as long as they please.

 

The Digital Challenge

 

The challenge now is for the brick-and-mortar stores to attract the time-poor, bargain-hungry customers to buy more in their store rather than buying from their online competitors. What’s more, they need to distinguish themselves from the online stores, showing off the superior quality and low price of their products.

 

Product quality and price are a blur to retail customers. No meaning or resonance.

 

Retailers now want to create a hands-on experience that cannot be recreated online, promoting original offers and services to customers that online retailers cannot provide.

 

Three customer value pricing strategies to entice customers back to stores

 

1. Loyalty Programs

 

This strategy has been around for a long time, but it was revived again due to digital disruption.

 

Big stores like Strandbags have loyalty program cards that can earn you credits when you go shopping with them, including other in-store benefits like complimentary gift wrapping or special events.

 

Loyalty programs are not only gaining popularity; they are also becoming more integrated with the supporting brand and shopping experience. They offer consumers a seamless experience across the point of sale, the Internet, phone and mobile channels.

 

This is a big challenge for retailers in boosting sales while also giving customers something different from the norm.

 

Strandbags also used loyalty initiatives to encourage repeat purchases and strengthen the relationship between customers and the brand. The broader lesson is that loyalty programmes can support value creation when their benefits are relevant to customers and aligned with the overall shopping experience.

 

2. New Stores

 

The introduction of a ‘new look’ and bigger space has been well received by their customers. The change in-store layout has also indicated that people are still eager to shop at their stores, especially when it is something new to the region but established elsewhere.

 

Novelty is alluring to customers, both in terms of pricing and product, but price complexity and messy stores are not.

 

As these big name brands continue to expand, the influx of people often benefits other stores in the area. Once Strandbags stores get busier, other stores near them have an opportunity to attract more business, boosting the industry as a whole. But whether or not other retailers are cashing in on this trend is still in question.

 

Currently, Strandbags has plans to expand, both their product range and in the geographical sense.

 

3. VIP Events

 

Whether it is a seasonal launch party, a special sale or an opportunity to debut a product, VIP discounts and special events are growing in popularity with a range of retailers.

 

As a VIP customer, you’ll receive special e-news updates with special offers and style tips, thus, taking advantage of the benefits, even during Christmas and every day of the year.

 

For example, Westfield shopping centres regularly run events and competitions to engage with shoppers, often working with retailers to promote different activities. The response to these kinds of events is fairly positive, suggesting it is one of the ways for traditional retailers to get an edge over their online counterparts and giving customers a more unique experience.

 

While many people associate online shopping with savings and convenience, traditional retailers can still provide a range of benefits for shoppers. Many of the success stories told by physical stores tie in with strategies like the three above. This suggests that differences in shopping experience will lead to a balance between stores and screens.

 

Implications

 

• Using value-based pricing is a better alternative to cost-based pricing. It reminds customers about what they really value when they make a purchase from you.

 

• People don’t just want stuff; they also want real shopping experiences. Even though they don’t realise it yet, these experiences serve as a constant reminder to live in the real world, jerking them out of the lazy online world they have become accustomed to.

 

• Strandbags is attracting new foreign buyers, especially the Chinese. It will give them the boost needed to sell their products online for future customers.

 

Conclusion

 

• Strandbags is actively expanding its brick-and-mortar presence, using the possible launch of large-scale mega-stores down the line. This is supported by the fact many shoppers still prefer to shop in a physical store rather than going online, but only if the pricing and store experience is right.

 

• Much of the brand’s revamp, both visually and technologically, is centred around giving control of the shopping experience to the customers.

 

 

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Capability Building Programmes For Pricing & Sales Teams!

 

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Check Out This Humorous Value Based Pricing Example!

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Value based pricing example: Pricing is not exactly regarded as the funniest business sector, or one that lends itself very well to humorous anecdotes. However, I heard one the other day that I thought was pretty funny and really highlights a great value based pricing example in a real-world setting. It is one that can be applied to almost any industry, from tradesmen fixing a faulty appliance to any B2B scenario.

 

Taylor Wells is a real revolution in helping companies improve their commercial capability and delivering sustainable margin improvements. We help companies plan and scope their future pricing strategy and capabilities and then enable the recruitment and pricing team building required to implement the strategy.

 

 

Introduction to Value Culture 💡 Podcast Ep. 96!

 

 

 

Conclusion

 

 

⇑ Table of Contents

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Capability Building Programmes For Pricing & Sales Teams!

 

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Overcoming Strategic Overload with Pricing Strategy as a Value-Based Proposition 🏷

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Some of the most common pressures that businesses will constantly face are evolving customer needs, global competition, and rapid technological change as they try to meet new goals and expectations.

 

But why do some initiatives work for some companies while they don’t for others? Which strategic management steps would balance long hours of hard work and efforts to ensure long-term financial success and brand visibility?

 

In this article, you’re going to learn the differences between organisations that simply focus on monetisation and those that use value-based pricing as the core of their business model.

 

We discuss how you can raise the customer’s willingness to pay as well as suppliers’ willingness to sell. We’re also going to show you how successful brands distinguish value-added services from substitutes. What factors make other companies more successful than their competitors?

 

At Taylor Wells, we believe that a value-based pricing strategy has a greater impact on the sustainability of businesses. We argue that creating value shouldn’t just target the customers. It should also include employees and suppliers as those three resources are interdependent when highlighting your value proposition.

 

Introduction to Value Culture 💡 Podcast Ep. 96!

 

Pricing Strategy for your Customer: Value-based 

 

Research has found that a significant proportion of large companies generate returns below their cost of capital, highlighting the importance of creating and capturing value effectively. If these companies didn’t fail to look into value proposition opportunities, then their ROI would put them in a position position.

 

Value creation should focus on:

Customers

Employees

Supplier networks

 

Value creation encourages the customers’ willingness to pay more, justifying the value and quality being offered to them.

 

What is “willingness to pay” in a customer value strategy?

 

Willingness to pay is the maximum amount or price range that customers will pay based on their individual motivations, desires, and value perception. It’s also often confused with pricing. 

 

So, how can you distinguish between the two?

 

Some customers are so price-sensitive that even pricing a product or service a cent higher will make a difference in their decision to buy. 

 

For managers who focus on expansion and growth, earnings are a greater motivation with questions like “How can I sell more?”

 

But a company that is driven by its value offerings would centralise its efforts in gaining customer loyalty and trust. It engages customers in the company’s success journey, while constantly thinking of the customer’s best interests.

 

What do successful companies that focus on pricing strategy and are value-based have in common?

 

They always put more importance on value creation rather than just profits. They use this vision in many areas of their culture and organisational processes. Especially when it comes to their top three resources: employees, customers, and suppliers.

 

Likewise, they are aware that when they prioritise value perception first, income streams, as well as profit and margin opportunities, follow far more quickly in the long term.

 

How do you do this?

 

Take a look at opportunities to improve the quality of your product/service and its features. Look into your pricing structure, for instance. How can you shift to a price premium? 

 

Apple, for example, charges a premium price for its devices that undergo remodels with new and improved features. It releases the latest versions of new gadget inventions annually. Apple uses product differentiation, ecosystem benefits, brand positioning, and product innovation to support premium pricing across many of its products.

 

Or take a fashion brand like Gucci. Its selling point is creating a feeling of exclusivity and social status for its customers.

 

So, if your strategies don’t motivate a willingness to pay or willingness to sell within the sales and marketing teams, then it means they’re ineffective. It means that more planning, research, and execution has to be done.

 

Below, we suggest some ways that management teams can deal with strategic initiatives:

 

Pricing as a Customer Value-based Strategy

 

Successful brands are capable of attracting the right target market. In other words, these are customers who really appreciate the ways that a company prioritises and creates value in its services/products.

 

1. An Australian health insurance company, for example, includes perks, discounts, and exclusive memberships in health facilities and gyms, spas, sports gear, and fresh markets or groceries. 

 

Their value-based pricing strategy strikes at the core of their customers’ key value drivers, health. Thus, their brand perception and value grow over time, thanks to these value-driven efforts.

 

2. Likewise, an Australian car insurance company also put in place more emergency vehicles in its lineup to cater to car accident cases. This allowed them to serve their customers better while minimising costs over fraud, helping them to raise their customers’ willingness to pay at the same time.

 

3. Take Tesla for instance. Tesla offers Mobile Service for eligible repairs, allowing technicians to perform certain services at the customer’s location. What’s more, customers set the time of day that is most convenient to them. So, they don’t have to go to an auto shop and wait in long lines until the work is finished.

 

In turn, they favoured this convenient option as one of their value drivers, while Tesla ultimately increases customers’ willingness to pay.

 

Value-added services increase customers’ willingness to pay

 

Successful companies and brands can easily recognise value-added services or products. In other words, these are extra offerings or premium options in addition to the basic version of their services. 

 

Some examples are appliances, cars, e-book websites, printers, gadgets, and the airline industry. Telecommunication companies are also known for using value-added services and bundles with streaming services.

 

1. For instance, a movie theatre in the U.S. was creative enough to include a nursery in its establishment. Parents could comfortably leave their kids in the care of childcare professionals, while they enjoy their movie time.

 

Now, the theatre’s complementary services don’t seem to be directly related to the movie theatre’s core offering. But in thinking beyond basic theatre complements like popcorn, soda, 3D glasses, comfortable seats, and ticket bundle sales, they successfully offer value. 

 

2. Sony broke into the e-readers market ahead of Amazon. It had more advanced technology with a minimal budget and took advantage of wireless access. But Amazon got ahead using its free 3G internet access in what we now know as Kindle.

 

Introduction to Value Culture 💡 Podcast Ep. 96!

 

A pricing strategy that’s value-based should attract the right talent and company employees. 

 

In most cases, employees stay in an environment where there is flexibility and engagement even if it is a little below the standard industry wages. 

 

Although paying employees more when they deserve it can encourage employee loyalty, remember that simply giving out high salaries doesn’t always mean that it creates value within the workforce.

 

Instead, varying the jobs and offering flexible or creative workflows creates a value-based culture.

 

Just as customers have a “willingness to pay,” suppliers have a “willingness to sell.” Employee compensation and engagement can also influence an organisation’s ability to attract and retain the talent needed to deliver customer value.

 

So, what are the factors that motivate an employee’s willingness to sell? And what are the common problems that they face?

 

1. For example, Gap found through a stable-scheduling trial that more predictable employee schedules could improve business performance. The study reported a 7% increase in median sales and a 5% increase in labour productivity in participating stores. This historical example illustrates how changes to employee working conditions can also create commercial value.

 

Gap let Shift Messenger step in, which is an app for retail workers who need to swap shifts with other retail employees. The company tested the approach for several months and reported improvements in productivity and sales.

 

As global competition and demand heighten, managers will often ask their employees to do more.  So, how do they align their priorities and shift to a pricing strategy value-based action? They can simplify their strategies. 

 

Often, looking after employee welfare helps staff perform better. And consequently, financial performance tugs along with employee performance success. They are able to attract the right talent who are loyal and satisfied. And they will often go the extra mile to achieve organisational goals, targets, company culture, and objectives.

 

Likewise, organisations that have optimised their training programs attract staff and applicants who place importance on learning and continuing education.

 

2. An Australian customer service company chose to encourage an appealing work environment and employee benefits for its staff. As a result, employee satisfaction and productivity increased. Attrition and frequent absences also went down, ultimately lowering expenses on recruiting new talent and other damages. In turn, their customers’ willingness to pay also rose.

 

Pricing Strategy in the context of Value-based Suppliers

 

If most suppliers expect a minimum rate of compensation, how does a company offer value? One way to do this is to find solutions to minimise the supplier’s operations costs. You can offer further value by increasing productivity.

 

Bear in mind that as their costs are reduced, their minimum acceptable price, or “willingness to sell,” also decreases.

 

1. Nike, for instance, introduced improved production methods in one of its factories in Southeast Asia. As a result, profits went up and were shared by its suppliers.

 

When organisations focus on value-based strategies, they are able to serve the right customers. On the flip side, companies that are more focused on short-term goals overlook why value-based strategies are important.

 

2. In 1999, Excite reportedly had an opportunity to acquire Google for less than $1 million but ultimately declined. According to accounts of the negotiations, the proposed price was reduced to approximately $750,000, but Excite still rejected the deal. Why? Simply because they believed Google was “too good.” And they didn’t see any sense in diverting online visitors to other sites using customised and relevant search results.

 

Instead, they copied about  80% of their competitors’ performance and remained a follower in the market. As a result, they missed out on a huge opportunity to become part of today’s giant web company. Failing to set value-based priorities also made them skip on major long-term profit earnings.

 

Hitting Two Birds with One Stone: Value creation for both Suppliers and Customers

 

Companies that centralise their business model on value creation are also capable of satisfying their suppliers.

 

Take consumer electronics retailer Best Buy, for example. In the early 2010s, Amazon was competing with Best Buy using aggressive pricing across a wide selection of products.

 

To address the competitive threat, Best Buy’s CEO at the time introduced a new strategy by allowing suppliers to create their stores within Best Buy’s stores. This was a way to keep shoppers hooked with a wide variety of products they can select from. This also increased their willingness to pay.

 

Later on, Amazon and other giant brands like Sony, Samsung, and Apple invested millions in the stores-within-a-store model. This in turn lowered the overall costs of Best Buy’s suppliers and ultimately reduce shipping times, helping them to get ahead of Amazon and other competitors.

 

Nowadays, Best Buy’s website page functions as a virtual showroom where customers can browse first and weigh their best options before going to the store to make a purchase. Its online presence became a more customised, value-added experience focused on convenience.

 

The strategy helped Best Buy strengthen its competitive position by improving the in-store experience, deepening supplier relationships, and differentiating itself from online competitors.

 

Pricing Recruitment For Pricing Managers!

 

Complementary Services vs. Substitutes

 

Being able to distinguish substitutes from value-added offers is also key in the value proposition. Take how automated teller machines (ATMs) were supposed to substitute for bank tellers. Or how music streaming services replaced CDs and cassette tapes (but it wasn’t a substitute for live concerts.) Personal computers were also meant to replace paper. Yet all three have failed to completely remove people’s need for those services.

 

And then there’s the profit pool. Apple has greatly demonstrated how a brand can maximise its profit pool. Through its iPhone, MacBook, and iTunes lineup, it ultimately raised its customers’ willingness to pay compared to its competitors. Likewise, Microsoft also shifted its income stream for its game console to its gaming apps.

 

Willingness to pay and willingness to sell may seem abstract at first. But using visualisation tools can make this process easier as you start out. By focusing on the main value drivers of customers, you can simply create your own value map.

 

Pricing

 

When the value propositions of two competing brands seem too similar, customers will differentiate and decide based on each brand’s pricing. And this is where pricing professionals or advisory firms step in to help you develop your product differentiation. They work with marketing, finance, and sales teams to justify the best value offer that they can give customers.

 

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〉〉〉 Get Your FREE Pricing Audit  〉〉〉

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Conclusion

 

Besides coming up with value-added services, companies need to be well-acquainted with every step of their customer’s journey. This helps them create more opportunities for their pricing as a customer value-based strategy.

 

Brands that are successful in creating value are tech-literate. They know how they can maximise emerging technologies and transform them into cross-functional features within their services.

 

On the flip side, organisations that are focused on monetisation are more risk-averse, defensive, and threatened by changing market trends. They fail to think ahead of the competition. 

 

Some businesses also fail by playing catch-up, meaning they only start planning to adapt to the trends and market changes when they is already happening. Value-based leaders are able to forecast more accurately, using their resources and energy in the right areas.

 

Willingness to pay and willingness to sell are innovation platforms. They serve as an engine to maximise your value perception, helping your business stay in the industry and in the minds of customers. 

 

If a company lacks research and analysis and fails to create its value map or identify customer value drivers, it will not last long. Rather, it will remain threatened by competition and new ideas as it continues to ignore value-based opportunities for its customers, employees, and suppliers.

 

Click To Download Your Free Executive Guide To Best-In-Class Pricing Strategy Now.

 

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Capability Building Programmes For Pricing & Sales Teams!

 

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Benefits Of Value Based Pricing For Pet Care Businesses Planning To Raise Prices 🐶

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Many pet care businesses struggle to price their services and products profitably, particularly when costs are rising and customers are increasingly price-conscious. One of the primary reasons is their reliance on cost-plus pricing. This approach makes it difficult to execute profitable price increases to sustain the business, particularly when operating costs and supplier prices are rising. A better approach is to use value-based pricing to align prices more closely with customer needs, perceived value, and willingness to pay. What are the benefits of value-based pricing in the pet care industry?

 

The problem is, though, many businesses struggle to recognise the value of their products and services, which is necessary to price according to how much customers are willing to pay. Consequently, they continue to use cost-plus pricing, believing that this is what keeps their customers. This is not true; it only limits the value propositions they can offer clients, preventing them from expanding into new markets. In effect, profit margin potential is being eroded even further. How can veterinary services start their transition?

 

In this article, we present the benefits of value-based pricing strategies for pet care services, particularly when raising prices. We argue that a cost-plus pricing approach is holding veterinary businesses back from realising their full potential. At Taylor Wells, we believe that value-based pricing is the right approach for pet care businesses, especially when it comes to raising prices. By the end, you will know how you can convince clients that they are receiving great value, leading to higher sales and maximum profitability.

 

Veterinary Business Plan To Effectively Increase Prices In Australia: Benefits Of Value Based Pricing

 

Many pet care and veterinary practices downplay the value of value-based pricing. Pricing research suggests that cost-based approaches remain common in veterinary practices. According to research cited by the Veterinary Hospital Managers Association, about 40% of veterinarians set prices based on the cost of providing a service. This is preventing them from maximising their profits, especially now that raising prices has become a necessity rather than an option for all types of businesses.

 

 

Cost-plus pricing often leads to pricing chaos during economic difficulties. Businesses that rely on mark-ups often struggle to remain profitable. Why? Cost-plus pricing based on simplistic mark-ups or margin targets can lead to overpricing or underpricing across large inventories. Costs are changing quickly and businesses often calculate costs at an aggregate level as opposed to site or product level. This, in turn, makes it difficult for businesses to offset and manage costs and prices, especially when pet care businesses can manage large and complex product ranges with many variations across products and services. Within no time, not only are pet care businesses losing margin, but they are also finding that inflation is eating away at hard-earned profit margins.

 

Value-based pricing, on the other hand, focuses on quantifying the value an offer provides to customers over time, using measures such as willingness to pay and value-driver analysis. You don’t want to offend your customers with a price increase, right? So, here are some tips on recreating your veterinary business plan with tried-and-true methods for raising your prices without losing customers through value-based pricing:

 

1. Recognise the value of your products/services.

 

Cost-Based Pricing vs. Value-Based Pricing: Cost-plus pricing fails to highlight the uniqueness of your offerings and will never help you maximise profits. A value-based pricing strategy, on the other hand, will help you raise your prices as efficiently as possible.

 

Furthermore, value-based pricing can assist you in selling your product or service in a manner that reflects your brand’s distinct style or expertise. This will cause your customers to favour your company over your competitors. As a result, you’ll be able to raise your prices accordingly.

 

Understanding what your customers need and value is the foundation of a value-based veterinary business plan. Determine which products/services your customers are willing to pay the most for. Then consider how you can outperform your competitors in these aspects.

 

Younger generations, for example, value businesses that provide value, authenticity, and quality. Besides that, they are the largest generation of pet owners. They will almost certainly continue to support your company after price increases because they know they are getting what they pay for.

 

Enhancing your customer experience and investing in your product innovation will help you attract new customers and retain existing ones.

 

2. Set your new target profit margins for your pet care and veterinary business plan.

 

You must understand how you generate your margins in order to set your new target margin, assess whether it is feasible, and determine how to achieve it.

 

To begin, specify your variable costs, which include the value of your time spent developing products or providing services. Second, look into your current profit margin. Gross profit is the difference between revenue and the cost of goods or services sold. Lastly, consider your fixed costs. These are the expenses that you simply cannot avoid, such as insurance and space rent.

 

Gross profit margin is the percentage of revenue remaining after deducting the cost of goods or services sold. It may be necessary to make some changes as you establish your final price, but once you fully comprehend your margins, you will be able to figure out the best way to raise your prices.

 

Should it, for example, be done in stages or all at once? What will give you the most financial advantage in the short and long term?

 

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3. Communicate the benefits of your value-based pricing increase with your customers strategically.

 

You can leverage your existing customer loyalty. Your satisfied customers will not abandon you if you raise your prices. They initially chose you because they liked you. Finding a new business that is similar to yours in order to save a few dollars is not worth the time and effort. Of course, some will leave. But how do you keep customers who are happy with your services?

 

One of the most challenging aspects of raising prices is informing customers. The truth is that no matter how good your products/services are, if you don’t communicate them effectively with your customers, your price increase will be ineffective. You will continue to lose more and more customers.

 

Consequently, refrain from hiding your price increases from your customers. They deserve a heads-up before you set your new prices. Explain why you’re raising your prices as clearly as possible. This is where you should put your knowledge of your customers’ value drivers to good use. Here are a few topics you can discuss when notifying them of your price increase:

 

• Creation of a better environment and service delivery for your customers and their pets
• Introduction of higher-quality product lines
• Continual delivery of the best products/services in the face of supplier price increases
  

 

Whatever your reasoning, don’t hesitate to share the details with your customers. They’ll want to know what they’re paying for and why, and we’re confident that the majority of them will understand.

 

Discussion On Why A Veterinary Pet Care Business Benefits From Value Based Pricing

 

Australia has one of the highest rates of pet ownership in the world. Despite rising living costs and other economic pressures, many Australians continue to care for and spend on their pets. Animal Medicines Australia’s 2025 Pets in Australia report found that 73% of Australian households have at least one pet, with Australians spending more than $21 billion annually on their pets.

 

In contrast, the majority of pet care and veterinary practices lack the necessary capabilities to maximise their profit margins. Many are hesitant to deviate from cost-plus methods because they don’t know how to strategically position their services and products. Others are rejecting the implementation of price increases because they’re afraid they will lose customers.

 

All of these inefficiencies can only harm the pet care industry. They need to emphasise value and raise their prices sooner rather than later. Why are we saying this? Many businesses have thrived in recent decades, but they are now threatened by inflation.

 

Pet-related costs have increased, adding pressure to the margins of businesses operating across the pet care sector. Businesses that fail to adjust prices as costs rise can put significant pressure on their margins and long-term financial sustainability. Thanks to value-based pricing models, this does not always have to be the case. There are even more innovative ways to ensure that the benefits of value-based pricing are maximised.

 

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Reaping The Benefits Of Value Based Pricing In Veterinary And Pet Care Businesses

 

Pricing conversations with customers can be complicated, so having a communication strategy in place is essential. Efforts to improve your value-based pricing implementation across your products and services can help build a more fruitful and flourishing pet care and veterinary business plan. To realise these benefits, here are tips on how pet care businesses can successfully make value-based pricing profitable:

 

1. Keep giving your customers adequate price notices.

 

It is vital to give your customers time to process the information between announcing and implementing price increases.

 

For example, if you regularly email your customers or post on social media, simply include your price increase notification with your next batch of bills or advertising material. Another way is to display signs in your store. You can even tell customers personally when they come in for their appointments if you are confident doing so.

 

The primary objective is not to infuriate customers with a large price increase. A large jump can be jarring and is unlikely to go down well with customers. If possible, consider gradual but regular price increases. This will allow them to become accustomed to your new pricing and understand why you are doing so.

 

2. Organise discount promotions.

 

People are naturally attracted to bargains. Create occasional discount promotions to entice new customers and keep existing ones happy. Many Australians are conscious of their spending and may respond positively to well-targeted offers. They will feel incentivised by discounts.

 

Further, contemplate offering some of your services or products in packages. In doing so, you could indeed add a little more value for customers who need more of your service or want to try something new. Just remember that discounts should be carefully controlled to ensure they support profitability rather than simply reducing realised prices.

 

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Bottom Line

 

Whether you’re a pet caretaker, owner of a dog daycare, or run a pet grooming enterprise, you should never be afraid to charge what you’re worth. As your prices rise, devote more time and effort to developing loyalty programmes and price promotions within your pet care and veterinary business plan. These additions will be critical in reinforcing the value behind your price increases. You can train your team to specialise in value-based pricing.

 

Our experience suggests that organisations with the right pricing capability and team structure can begin identifying incremental earnings opportunities relatively quickly. Over time, stronger pricing processes can uncover additional margin opportunities across price setting, discounting, segmentation, product mix, and price realisation.

 

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For a comprehensive view and marketing research on integrating a high-performing capability team in your company, download a complimentary whitepaper on Future Proof Your Pricing Strategy.

 

Are you a business in need of help to align your pricing strategy, people and operations to deliver an immediate impact on profit?

If so, please call (+61) 2 9000 1115.

You can also email us at team@taylorwells.com.au if you have any further questions.

Make your pricing world-class!