11/01/2011
Now That The Economy Is Picking Up, What�s To Do?
With good news on the economic front (GNP growth of 2.5% last
quarter), plus learning that growth is actually present and
consumers are spending � many are asking, �Now what?� How will I
capitalize on this news, assuming it continues in 2012?
First, be sure your price is right. Because when the issue of
pricing arises, anticipation often follows that the topic will bring
bad news. Avoiding the subject until the last minute makes that
outcome even more likely for firms that are sitting on a pricing
bulls-eye, targeted by their competitors and their customers� supply
chain managers.
While it is a daunting topic, firms that proactively manage pricing
strategy with the right tools in place can produce significant top-
and bottom-line results. Even a point gain in realized prices can
yield a many-fold improvement in profits.
George Brown, and his team at Blue Canyon Partners, have seen four
lessons emerge from their work with national and international
clients:
Understand that not every price challenge is real.
We use a graphic of a bulls-eye with arrows missing the target to
illustrate the fact that many of your customers make their purchase
decisions because of superior products, services, or relationships
rather than price. Remembering � and, more importantly, reinforcing
� the non-price advantages that won your firm business in the first
place can allow you to avoid unnecessary participation in the
vicious cycle of price-based competition.
Build a strong analytics foundation to assess the business
environment.
Knowing where and when pricing pressures are likely to be intense
can enable you to make the correct decisions on price increases and
determine the right responses to competitive challenges. A �one size
fits all� pricing strategy is likely to be correct on average, but
wrong in every application.
Use best practice approaches to pricing strategy.
We recently heard a case study about a company that successfully
introduced a premium price product into a challenging market by
implementing a strategy that �gave customers an option that they
could refuse.� This, and other best practice initiatives, can yield
some major gains for your company.
Create value to capture value.
While this message applies more to 2013 and beyond than to 2012, it
underlies all successful pricing strategies. If you are delivering
value to your customers, you can be rewarded for it, through a price
premium or otherwise. If you aren�t, any success you can achieve is
likely to be short-lived. Asking the question, �How can I deliver
more value to my customers?� in 2012, and taking action consistent
with the answers, can make the discussion of pricing much more
pleasant in future years.
Blue Canyon Partners will be hosting a free webinar on pricing and
the competitive environment on Thursday, December 8, 2011. For more
information
click here.