If Prices Could Talk

In this episode, Tracy sits down with Scott Leick, SVP of Finance & Analytics at RhythmScience, and Patrick McCullough, Partner at Holden Advisors, to discuss pricing, analytics, negotiations, and new product launches. 

We discuss:

• ​How to use analytics to replace gut instinct in pricing decisions
• ​Lessons from the drug-eluting stent “race to the bottom” on price
• ​How to price new tech when the market is uncertain
• ​The impact of private equity ownership on purchasing power
• ​How to align commercial teams when sellers are under pressure to deliver

About Scott

Scott Leick is the SVP of Finance and Marketing at RhythmScience. He has almost 25 years of experience in pricing at companies from the Fortune 50 to Series A SaaS startups, including executive roles at Medtronic, C.H. Robinson, and Acutus Medical. 

Learn more about RhythmScience: https://www.rhythm360.io

Learn more about Holden Advisors: https://www.holdenadvisors.com

Connect with Scott: https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottwleick/

Connect with Patrick: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pmccullough-holdenadvisors/

Connect with Tracy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracyleighdent/

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introductions

04:01 How data builds sales confidence in B2B

17:26 Lessons from price wars

27:55 How to price new tech without undervaluing innovation

35:16 Pricing discipline when sales pushes for volume

37:36 How PE ownership is reshaping purchasing power

51:10 Advice for navigating pricing pressure and defending value

In this episode of If Prices Could Talk, Josh Read, COO of IDverse, and Brian Doyle, CEO of Holden Advisors, join Tracy Dent to unpack the realities of high-stakes B2B negotiations. From handling procurement pressure to identifying buyer types and navigating cultural dynamics in global deals, this episode brings stories from the front lines of enterprise selling, and how AI and analytics are changing the game and what stays timeless about value-based negotiation.

We discuss:

• What’s changed in complex B2B negotiations
• How to recognize and sell to different buyer types (including poker players)
• Real stories of sales teams holding their ground against pricing pressure
• How to use AI and data to give your sellers confidence

ABOUT JOSH

Josh is the Global Chief Operating Officer of IDVerse – A LexisNexis Risk Solutions Company. IDVerse enables businesses to verify identities globally with industry-leading AI-driven Identity Verification Platform. They innovate at the forefront of identity verification and fraud prevention, helping businesses create secure, seamless, and inclusive digital experiences. With over 30 years of leadership experience across Sales, Product, and Operations in Software, Data, and ICT B2B organizations, Josh has scaled global businesses, optimized operations, and driven commercial growth in highly complex and regulated industries.

In this episode, Jeet Mukherjee and Tracy Dent unpack how businesses can navigate today’s chaotic economy — from inflation and tariffs to supply chain risks and uncertainty. We explore how to manage volatility across your product portfolio and what leaders must do in the short term and over the next few years.

We discuss:

• How to build flexible pricing strategies in unpredictable environments
• The  impact of tariffs and how to prepare
• Systemic fixes vs. urgent tactical moves
• Levers for creating value during recessions and deflation

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introductions

01:01 Tariff strategy vs. tactics in volatile markets

08:45 How to navigate price changes during tariff volatility

14:01 Cost plus and value based pricing during tariffs

18:55 Outdated assumptions about pricing during volatility

24:10 Getting the sales force ready

28:14 Navigating consumer confidence in B2B

35:10 Big picture strategies for US manufacturing 

38:15 What to do if we reach stagflation

40:39 Advice for C-Level

In this episode, we sit down with Kelly Nagel, former President & GM of Jabra North America, to talk about building influence, securing buy-in for large-scale transformations, and aligning sales and pricing strategies with value.

Kelly shares hard-won lessons from her 30-year tech career, including insights from her time at Ingram Micro and Jabra, and takeaways from leading transformation while working to win hearts, minds, and margins.

About Kelly

With over 30 years of experience as a purpose-driven technology leader, Kelly specializes in empowering professionals to unlock their full potential and achieve exceptional results. As the Founder and CEO of Explore Beyond Coaching, she's focused on mentoring women in tech, guiding them to break through barriers and thrive in leadership roles.

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introductions

03:00 Building specialized sales teams with data and analytics; creating trust in relationships

14:29 Gaining buy-in on ambitious goals

20:02 Understanding motivations to influence across teams

27:25 Learnings from large scale contract negotiations

35:14 Changing trajectory in your career

In this episode, Adam Howatson, CEO of LogiSense and author of The Usage Economy, joins Pete Morelli and Tracy Dent to explore how usage-based pricing is helping companies future-proof their business models and win in markets where expectations are shifting fast.

We discuss:

• Why flat-rate subscriptions are losing their edge
• How to align pricing with real customer usage and value
• Common pitfalls in transitioning to usage-based pricing and how to avoid them
• How usage-based pricing is giving CEOs a smarter path to monetization and deeper,  more profitable customer relationships

Adam Howatson is the CEO of LogiSense, a leading provider of subscription-based billing and real-time usage rating solutions. He is a champion of the usage economy, a mix of subscription-based and usage-based billing models that provide businesses the agility they need to charge for any triggered event in the connected world. 

Learn more at www.logisense.com

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introductions

03:31 Why old models are failing

06:22 How usage-based pricing aligns with customer value

08:46 How to work your way up to adopting usage-based models

17:18 Company and consumer benefits of innovating with usage pricing 

25:31 Building customer lifetime value through usage pricing

28:23 Leveraging for upselling and expanding revenue streams

30:36 Positive impact on sales cycles and pricing power 

34:15 The 5 pricing archetypes to build from

39:33 Advice for CEOs exploring usage pricing

Welcome to the new age of demand creation - where authenticity, AI, and generational buying habits are rewriting the rules of pricing and selling. In this episode of If Prices Could Talk, Tracy Dent is joined by Jeet Mukherjee and Greg James to unpack why and how consumer demand is impacting enterprise buying behavior.

We discuss:

• The fall of brand loyalty and rise of authenticity and influencer marketing
• What Gen Z’s buying habits mean for B2B models
• How go to market strategies are converging across B2B/B2C
• The impact of personalization, AI, and data signals on selling

ABOUT GREG

Granted with 14 patents, Greg is a 30-year industry veteran who has led engineering teams at companies like Intel, Verizon, and Google. Throughout his career, he has led mechanical design teams, enabled customers to manufacture with Intel's advanced SMT and socketed chips, and developed and delivered thermal and mechanical solutions for mobile PCs.  

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introductions

02:16 When B2B buying decisions feel like B2C

08:23 Enterprise influence through data vs. emotion and brand differentiation

13:32 Understanding demand creation and B2B2C, B2P

20:03 How buying habits are changing and the impact on pricing and sales

31:25 How changing consumerism is changing the economy

45:11 How capitalism and B2B will continue to evolve; Economy 2.0

In this episode, Jeet Mukherjee and Pete Morelli join Tracy Dent to break down headlines surrounding Southwest Airlines new strategy, Poppi’s sale to Pepsi, and Sycamore Partners’ acquisition of Walgreens.

We discuss:

• Southwest Airlines’ revamp of their loyalty strategy, the surrounding controversy, and how the company can win back customers while strengthening their competitive position

• Pepsi’s acquisition of Poppi, its signal as a shift in beverage trends, and what it means for future growth 

• Walgreens’ move to go private after 100 years, and how the sale to private equity firm Sycamore Partners raises questions about the industry and ongoing pharmacy disruption from companies like Goodrx and Cost Plus Drugs

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introductions

00:46 Southwest Airlines change in strategy to compete with Big 3

What Happened to Southwest Airlines? A Deep Dive Into Its Decline

How much Southwest, major airlines make on checked bags

15:45 Walgreens gets purchased by Sycamore Partners after an 83% drop in value from peak

⁠Where Did the Retail Giant Go Wrong?⁠

⁠Walgreens is heading down a risky path⁠

24:41 Poppi gets purchased by Pepsi for $2B

Pepsi Co Buys Prebiotic Soda Brand Poppi For Nearly $2 Billion

Can Pepsi’s poppi purchase help it go younger as Americans drink less soda?

Jeet’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeet-mukherjee-58462a1/Pete’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petermorelli/Tracy’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracyleighdent/

www.holdenadvisors.com 

How does a global distributor with 6,000 stores and 850,000 SKUs scale a pricing strategy that works across independent and corporate-owned locations?

In this episode, we go behind the scenes with Josh Lowe, Senior Director of Price Setting & Analytics at Genuine Parts Company, to break down:

- How independent vs. company-owned stores affect pricing strategy

- Lessons from implementing Pricefx and partnering with systems integrator Experis

- The role of pricing maturity in B2B and how to move up the curve

- Aligning pricing with business goals without causing internal pushback

In this episode, Jeet Mukherjee and Pete Morelli join Tracy Dent to break down Ferrari’s differentiation and quality of revenue strategy, Honda & Nissan’s $60B deal collapse, and Nike's possible path to a comeback.

We discuss:  

- How Ferrari became the most valuable carmaker in Europe at a $90B valuation

- What the Honda-Nissan failed merger tells us about the auto market

- How Nike’s new partnership is a comparison to their Michael Jordan era - and what it tells us about today's consumer markets

CHAPTERS

00:00 Introductions

00:31 WSJ:The Wild Economics Behind Ferrari’s Domination of the Luxury Car Market https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-wild-economics-behind-ferraris-domination-of-the-luxury-car-market-8427dff0

18:21 Forbes: Honda CEO Plays Hardball By Demanding That Nissan CEO Resign https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterlyon/2025/02/22/honda-ceo-insists-nissan-ceo-must-resign-for-merger-to-go-ahead/

21:56 Predictions for the auto manufacturer market

26:26 The New York Times: Nike Bets Big on Kim Kardashian https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/18/style/nike-skims-kim-kardashian.html 

Jeet’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeet-mukherjee-58462a1/ 

Pete’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petermorelli/ 

Tracy’s LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracyleighdent/ 

In this episode, host Tracy Dent is joined by Per Ohstrom, CMO and Partner at Chief Outsiders, and Pete Morelli, Partner at Holden Advisors, for a deep dive into private equity, pricing strategies, and industrial market trends.

We explore key challenges and opportunities for 2025, from the impact of tariffs on supply chains to the pitfalls of traditional cost-cutting strategies. We also discuss how private equity firms can unlock hidden value in their portfolio companies by focusing on pricing power, commercial excellence, and aligning stakeholders.

If you’re a private equity leader, industrial CEO, or commercial strategist, this episode will equip you with insights on navigating uncertainty, driving value, and creating sustainable growth.

ABOUT PER

Per is a CMO and Partner at Chief Outsiders, with 20+ years of international marketing and P&L leadership in $1-2 billion blue chip and private industrial companies. He supports CEOs that want to make their companies more market focused, building cross-functional teams that consistently perform. With a track record in manufacturing, construction equipment, equipment rental, MRO supplies, supply chain, specialty chemicals and other industries, he brings advanced marketing experience to industrials. 

Per’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/perohstrom/

Pete’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/petermorelli/

Tracy’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracyleighdent/

AGENDA TOPICS

00:00 Introductions

03:09 The current private equity landscape

07:50 Driving growth in industrials

15:13 Transitioning from cost-plus to value-based pricing

21:08 Aligning PE firms, portfolio company CEOs, and commercial strategy

28:41 Winning with sales and implementing price changes

34:00 Advice for PE and industrial leaders