Blogcast: Product-Market Fit Is Overrated for Pricing

Ton Dobbe is the founder of Value Inspiration, helping SaaS companies transform from commoditized to remarkable. He's the author of The Remarkable Effect, where he explores what makes products stand out and command premium prices. And he's a keynote speaker and podcast host himself. In this episode, Ton shares his insights on how SaaS companies can escape the commodity trap and command premium pricing by focusing on their unique approach to solving customer problems, rather than just features and functions.   Why you have to check out today's podcast: Learn how to identify and articulate the real problems your customers face that keep them awake at night. Discover why competing on your approach rather than features is the key to premium pricing. Understand how guarantees and risk reduction can justify higher prices and improve your entire business operation.   "Start thinking about what you do and why customers would pay a premium for that. And if you cannot answer that, there's work to do. It's a very simple question. What would it take for people to start paying a premium for it?" – Ton Dobbe   Topics Covered: 02:37 – Startup failure and value proposition: Why 75% of software scalers fail despite achieving product-market fit and how the inability to market at appropriate value becomes their downfall  04:07 – Value is a story: Ton's definition of value as "a story in the head of a customer" versus Mark's "result of solving problems" and how perception drives pricing acceptance  09:28 – Value pricing and guarantees: How adding guarantees reduces customer fear of making mistakes and enables premium pricing, plus the psychology behind buyer decision-making 12:33 – Guaranteeing results for customers: The insurance model approach to guarantees and how implementation success creates win-win scenarios for both vendor and customer 15:28 – Competing on approach, not features: Why software companies must differentiate based on their unique approach to solving problems rather than feature comparisons with competitors  19:09 – Secret sauce for ideal customers: Ton's 12-step "pressure cooker" process for identifying your value foundation and connecting company knowledge to customer segments  22:11 – Ideal customer segmentation benefits: How focusing on perfect-fit customers accelerates sales cycles, increases win rates, stops discounting, and improves every business function  27:59 – The value of AI solutions: Why companies fail when they position themselves as "AI-powered" instead of focusing on the specific problems their AI capabilities solve 30:39 – Premium pricing strategies: The fundamental question every company must answer - why would customers pay a premium for what you do, and what would it take to achieve that?   Key Takeaways: "Value is a story in the head of a customer. When I say to you, for example, this is 30,000 US dollars. Some people will say, that's expensive. And other people will say, that's a bargain. And the difference is how well you communicate the value in a way that clicks with them." – Ton Dobbe "The moment you can add something like a guarantee or like a reliable promise to that, you can even charge more on pricing because it takes a lot of objections away around the fear of messing up." – Ton Dobbe "If you compete on a feature function level, everybody will lose. So you have to make a choice, are we going to compete on the feature function level or are we going to compete on something else?" – Ton Dobbe "The moment you get that idea in their head, this is the choice and they're gonna solve my problem better than anyone else. They're gonna give me more value than anyone else. Well, why should I even start talking about discounts?" – Ton Dobbe   People / Resources Mentioned: The Jolt Effect (book on buyer indecision) Christian Owens, CEO of Paddle   Connect with Ton Dobbe: Website: https://valueinspiration.com Book: https://theremarkableeffect.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tondobbe/    Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: [email protected]  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on July 14, 2025, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/two-buyers-talked-and-nothing-bad-happened/ 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/  

Scott Kelly is the founder and CEO of Blackdog Venture Partners, and he has been for 25 years. He's the host of VC Fast Pitch and he has about a dozen companies with the name Blackdog in them. Scott has taken 3 companies public and raised $5 billion throughout his career. In this episode, Scott explains how important it is for entrepreneurs to listen to their customers when setting prices, as he shares his knowledge on maximizing profits through effective pricing strategies that investors love.   Why you have to check out today's podcast: Learn how crucial recurring revenue models are to attracting investors and why subscription-based pricing provides the consistency they seek.  Find out why selling on price alone is bad for both sides of the transaction and how to focus on value instead.  Understand the power of letting your customers help you determine pricing through relationship-building rather than transactions.   "Let your customers help you price." – Scott Kelly   Topics Covered: 02:00 – How Scott accidentally discovered pricing through helping hundreds of entrepreneurs raise capital and maximize profits  03:00 – Why competing on lowest price destroys value for both buyer and seller - and what to do instead  05:00 – AI's double impact on pricing: Using it for better decisions vs. pricing AI-enabled products  06:00 – The carpenter analogy: Why AI is just a tool and the real value comes from expertise in wielding it  07:00 – How AI will democratize business like the internet did - and what that means for pricing 09:00 – The art of determining "what the market will bear" through customer relationships and feedback  12:00 – Why Scott brings up pricing "almost immediately" with entrepreneurs (and why you should too)  14:00 – Finding the pricing "strike zone" - where customers won't jump for joy but won't run out the door  15:00 – The relationship vs. transaction mindset: How to get customers to help set your prices  17:00 – Scott's final wisdom: Let your customers help you price - the ultimate customer-centric approach   Key Takeaways: "At the end of the day, you want to provide enough value so they stick around at a price that can keep you sticking around." – Scott Kelly "AI is a tool. You need to make sure you have the right carpenter or the right instrument and the right professional playing that instrument. So I think how you price that is the value add that you bring to this tool that's AI." – Scott Kelly "You have to spend time getting to know them. I think it's a process of establishing a relationship versus a transaction." – Scott Kelly   People / Resources Mentioned: VC Fast Pitch: https://vcfastpitch.com/    Connect with Scott Kelly: Website: https://blackdogventurepartners.com/   LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blackdogceo/    Connect with Mark Stiving:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/  Email: mailto:[email protected]  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on June 30, 2025, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/everyones-talking-about-ai-almost-nobodys-using-it/ 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/

Bryan Phelps is the founder and CEO of Big Leap, a digital marketing agency he's been running for 17 years. He's been working in digital marketing and SEO since college and recently served as a juror in a murder trial (though we don't discuss that). Bryan specializes in helping B2B tech companies and professional services firms navigate the evolving landscape of AI-powered search and discovery. In this episode, Bryan reveals how AI is fundamentally changing SEO and digital marketing, why traditional performance marketing tactics are becoming less effective, and how companies can build "brand-led performance marketing" strategies that work across Google, AI platforms, and future technologies.   Why you have to check out today's podcast:  Learn the key differences between B2B and B2C buyer behavior in the age of AI search.  Discover the three pillars of AI SEO and how they relate to traditional search optimization. Understand why building relationships with the 95% of non-shopping audiences creates pricing power.   "A lot of value is created before you ever start a pricing conversation. So that's how we're trying to help our clients shift a bit is, not just focus on that 5% of people that are in market and then compete on price."  – Bryan Phelps   Topics Covered: 01:40 – B2B vs B2C SEO differences: How buyer journeys vary from research-heavy B2B to purchase-ready B2C audiences  04:08 – AI SEO and discoverability strategies: Understanding where audiences search and optimizing for multiple platforms beyond Google  07:44 – AI recommendations and SEO strategy overlap: How AI's "query fan out" method connects Google rankings to AI search results  12:18 – Brand element and popularity component: Why being recognized as an industry authority matters more than broad household recognition  15:05 – Brand-led performance marketing shift: Moving from link-based to mention-based strategies in the post-tracking world  18:45 – Brand ideology and differentiation process: How to define unique viewpoints and align with genuine audience connections  20:22 – AI's impact on content creation: Why long-tail content is losing value and expertise-based content is gaining importance  25:56 – Pricing advice for businesses: Building value with non-shopping audiences to reduce price sensitivity and competition  27:02 – Staying informed in marketing: Bryan's LinkedIn newsletter for non-marketers navigating industry changes   Key Takeaways: "The exciting thing for us is I think it's kind of going back to almost like pre Google. So it really is more of a brand marketing function in a lot of ways." – Bryan Phelps "Being known to your audience is ultimately what matters. You don't have to be the household name, necessarily, but if your audience is just a little bit more niche and specific, you can be the brand in their world." – Bryan Phelps "Our goal isn't to take any company and just try to cover the broadest of brands... we're trying to ultimately create a brand that aligns with our ideal client." – Bryan Phelps "Our goal is to help brands be remembered, not just discovered." – Bryan Phelps   Resources and People Mentioned: Big Leap Digital Marketing Agency: https://bigleap.com  Kobe Bush: Team member who coined "people notice different" concept  Query Fan Out: AI method of breaking prompts into multiple searches  Brand Ideology Process: Big Leap's framework for unique positioning  Zero Click Marketing: New measurement paradigm for AI-driven discovery   Connect with Bryan Phelps: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanphelps/ Website: https://bigleap.com   Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/  Email: [email protected]  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on June 30, 2025, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/product-market-fit-is-overrated-for-pricing/ 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/  

John Norkus is the founder of chiefpricingofficer.com and has led pricing transformation teams at several large consulting companies including Deloitte and KPMG. He started his career as an aircraft engineer before transitioning into business, bringing his analytical mindset to understanding the behavioral economics of pricing decisions. In this episode, John makes a compelling case for why pricing professionals deserve a seat at the executive table, exploring the disconnect between pricing's impact on enterprise value and its typical organizational placement. He discusses his new platform designed to unite senior pricing professionals and elevate the discipline to C-suite recognition.   Why you have to check out today's podcast:  Discover why pricing professionals are typically buried 2-3 levels below the CEO despite controlling one of four key profit drivers. Learn the difference between traditional pricing roles and true chief pricing officer responsibilities. Understand how to position pricing as enterprise value creation rather than just cost management.   "Pricing may be part marketing, part analytics, part behavioral, part external, part internal, but it is the piece that aligns us on how we're actually squaring off against the market."  – John Norkus   Topics Covered:  01:43 – John's journey to pricing transformation: From aircraft engineer to behavioral economics and CRM to pricing strategy  05:18 – Positioning pricing as organizational connective tissue: Why pricing deserves equal footing with volume, cost, and mix initiatives 08:01 – The pricing control dilemma among departments: How sales, marketing, finance, and operations all claim ownership of pricing decisions  12:24 – Defining the Chief Pricing Officer's role: Executive alignment versus operational pricing work and transformation implementation  15:45 – Pricing strategies in business: Inside-out versus outside-in approaches and competitive intelligence versus customer willingness to pay  16:32 – Critical senior alignment in pricing projects: Why CEO buy-in as a top-3 initiative determines transformation success or failure  19:39 – Pricing and enterprise value analysis: Demonstrating 2-7% bottom-line impact within 12-18 months to justify executive investment  23:35 – The activist CFO and enterprise value: Finding CFOs who understand value creation beyond cost reduction and margin improvement  29:29 – Pricing as organizational alignment: How pricing serves as the ultimate test of market positioning and competitive strategy   Key Takeaways: "If the pricing transformation of the pricing program isn't number one on the CEO's list of one, two, or three most important thing they can do this year... then quite frankly, it's not as important and it doesn't have the kind of alignment that you thought it did." – John Norkus "Organizations who get it are the ones that we should be engaging with... change comes from within. And if somebody believes that this is the right thing to do and they just need somebody to help them do it and somebody who has done it before, that's where people like you and I actually succeed." – John Norkus "I consider 20% of everything we do in pricing to be analytics or data and objective based, and the other 80% to be about behaviors, either internal behaviors or external behaviors that need to be captured and understood." – John Norkus   People / Resources Mentioned:  Professional Pricing Society (PPS): Established organization for pricing professionals and education  Simon Sinek Four Drivers of Enterprise Profit: Volume, Cost, Mix, and Price - and their typical organizational reporting structures   Connect with John Norkus:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnmnorkus/ Email: [email protected]  Website: https://www.chiefpricingofficer.com/    Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/  Email: [email protected]  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on June 23, 2025, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/when-pricing-becomes-sleazy-manipulation/ 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/

Steven Forth is the founder and CEO of Ibbaka and by far Impact Pricing's most frequent guest. He's currently developing ValueIQ, a set of agents for pricing and value advisory work that will soon be available for broader use. In this episode, Steven discusses his recent research comparing agent strategies across four major pricing software companies, explores the fundamental question of how many agents is optimal, and reveals how AI is transforming both the buying and selling process in ways most companies aren't prepared for.   Why you have to check out today's podcast: Learn how the four major pricing software companies (Pros, Vendavo, Zilliant, PriceFX) approach agent development differently. Discover the key difference between role-based and task-based agent design strategies. Understand how AI will fundamentally change B2B buying processes and what that means for pricing.   "Start using AI to get a deeper understanding of how your customers are buying. Because if you don't understand how your customers are buying and buying using AI, you're not going to be able to price properly." – Steven Forth   Topics Covered:  02:07 – ValueIQ introduction: Steven's new agent platform for pricing and value advisory work  06:34 – Defining agents: The difference between true agentic AI and wrapped LLM functionality  10:49 – Sales agent complexity: Breaking down the many tasks salespeople perform and agent granularity 12:35 – Pricing agents vs. features: How to decide between individual pricing and bundling strategies  15:55 – The future of pricing models: Why "good, better, best" packaging may disappear in 2-3 years  21:05 – AI's role in B2B buying: How AI intermediaries will transform RFP processes and vendor selection  25:06 – Understanding AI-powered customers: Why companies must learn how their buyers use AI in purchasing decisions   Key Takeaways: "When I saw that PriceFX announced that it had more than 125 agents... I thought, huh, that's kind of a jaw-dropping number. I don't think I could generate 125 agents for pricing software." – Steven Forth "The role of AI in the buying process is more important than the role of AI in the sales process." – Steven Forth "You're going to be creating more content, not less. But that content is primarily going to be consumed by AIs." – Steven Forth "I think that many of the common packaging assumptions such as good, better, best are going to dissolve away over the next two or three years." – Steven Forth   Resources Mentioned: Michael Mansard's 14-factor model: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelmansard/    Connect with Steven Forth: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenforth/  Email: [email protected]   Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: [email protected]  

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on June 16, 2025, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/the-secret-link-between-market-segments-and-the-will-i-decision/ 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/