Mark Stiving has studied, led and coached businesses through the lens of pricing for 25 years. His company Impact Pricing is dedicated to educating B2B companies about pricing and value. He has driven company-wide pricing initiatives worth hundreds of millions of dollars in incremental profit. He started and sold three companies, improving his championship pricing skills in each one. His book, Impact Pricing: Your Blueprint for Driving Profits, is a highly readable and practical manual (4.9 stars on Amazon). Selected shownotes:

The makings of a world-renowned pricing and value expert - how Mark Stiving became an international pricing educator

Why pricing matters in business and why accountants especially should care about pricing

The different kinds of pricing, starting with the billable hour and ending with subscription pricing

The problems accountants (and others in professional services) have that doesn't always apply to other sectors

What exactly value is and how it figures into different pricing models

Why accountants have problems with value-based pricing and fail to understand the nuances of pricing

The two decisions buyers make in assessing a purchase and deciding value for money

How the rigid structure of the billable hour and timesheets has stopped accountants from embracing more effective and profitable methods of pricing their services

Why the 'value conversation' is so important for accountants when talking to their clients, and how to use it to price services better

Shout out to Ron Baker, the 'godfather of pricing', and where Mark Stiving takes issue with his stance on timesheets

The importance for accountants of involving the client in the determination of value, ROI and pricing metrics

Whether it's possible to value price for anything, such as accounting audits or basic commodities

Why there is no such thing as a commodity and how sellers can charge differently for what seems to be a basic, standardised product

What an accountant can do when they don't know how long a job, project or particular outcome will take

The biggest risk accountants face in moving from hourly to value based pricing

The single best pricing technique that accountants can use to put together compelling packages, products and services for clients

How lifetime value factors into value pricing, particularly with longer term projects

When it's okay for an accountant to discount their prices or even offer services or advice for free

When a lower price might overcome a buyer's inertia to make a purchase

How accountants can get started with value pricing, both in negotiation and mindset terms

Tips to drive a better pricing culture and a more positive attitude to pricing in your accounting firm.

Contact Mark here:

https://impactpricing.com/ (Website)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ (LinkedIn)