Manu Mehra is Head of AMER Industries Strategic Deal Pricing at Databricks, with more than 12 years of experience across pricing, product, cloud, and AI, including Google Cloud and Thermo Fisher Scientific. He brings a practical perspective on how AI is changing the way companies think about outcomes, value, platforms, and pricing models.

In this episode, Manu explains why traditional pricing models don't neatly fit AI, why outcome-based pricing is compelling but difficult to standardize, and how companies can turn platforms into solutions around specific business problems.

Mark challenges him throughout the conversation, especially on the attribution problem: if AI creates the value, how do you know AI actually caused it?

Why You Have to Check Out Today's Podcast:

• Learn why AI is pushing pricing toward outcomes.
• Discover how platforms become solutions customers will pay more for.
• Understand the attribution and standardization challenges behind AI pricing.

"Pricing cannot be an afterthought. It has to be integrated within the product roadmap." — Manu Mehra

Topics Covered:

01:15 – How an accidental pricing analytics role led Manu to a career spanning product, cloud, AI, sales, finance, and strategic deal pricing.

03:30 – Why Pricing Has to Start With the Product. Why integrating pricing into the product roadmap can create value before launch instead of scrambling for cost-plus pricing afterward.

05:30 – Why AI Breaks Traditional Pricing Models. Why subscription, license, and consumption models don't fully fit AI when thousands of customers can pursue completely different outcomes

08:00 – The Hardest Problem With Outcome-Based Pricing. Why AI outcomes are difficult to standardize across billing, finance, legal, and revenue recognition—and why 10,000 customers could mean 10,000 different outcomes

11:00 – What Actually Counts as an AI Outcome? Manu uses a QBR example where AI can automate 95% of the SQL work, turning hours and effort saved into a measurable form of value.

13:30 – The Attribution Problem: Did AI Really Create the Value? Mark and Manu debate how to determine whether AI actually caused increased revenue, lower costs, or other gains—or simply helped the business get there faster.

16:00 – Platform vs. Solution: What Are You Really Selling? Why a broad platform can have wildly different value depending on the customer's use case—and how platforms can become solutions by solving specific business problems.

19:00 – How to Turn Products Into Business Solutions. Manu explains how compute, data, and AI layers can be combined into packaged solutions instead of being sold as isolated products.

21:30 – How Customer Segmentation Makes AI Pricing Scalable. Why identifying recurring customer patterns can help companies map different business problems to repeatable combinations of SKUs instead of creating a custom solution for every customer.

24:00 – Why AI Companies Use Credits. How credits can create cost predictability, manage backend costs, and give customers flexibility across different AI capabilities.

27:00 – When Credits Make Sense—and When They Don't. Why platform customers may value the flexibility of credits while digital-native customers who already know exactly what they want may have less need for them.

30:00 – The Pricing Advice Manu Wants Leaders to Hear. Why pricing should never be an afterthought and why the industry is moving from cost-plus toward value-based and outcome-based pricing.

Key Takeaways:

"The reason is, even though you might be a platform organization or you're selling a platform, but end of the day, you're still trying to solve a customer problem." — Manu Mehra

"The tricky thing with outcome is it's very hard to standardize it." — Manu Mehra

"Pricing needs to be integrated during the product roadmap." — Manu Mehra

Connect with Manu Mehra:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/manumehra1/

Connect with Mark Stiving:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/
• Email: [email protected]

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on June 8, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go.

Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/stop-measuring-wtp-start-shaping-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/

George Boretos is the founder and CEO of FutureUp, where he helps companies uncover hidden revenue and margin opportunities through AI, predictive analytics, and pricing science.

In this episode, he explains why AI can't simply tell you what to charge, how machine learning can uncover pricing opportunities, and why competitor pricing data can sometimes make your model worse.

Why You Have to Check Out Today's Podcast:

• Learn where AI actually helps pricing from price optimization and segmentation to uncovering underpriced customers.
• See why more data isn't always better.
• Discover what your sales data can reveal about willingness to pay, price variation, and hidden revenue opportunities.

"Don't use AI to actually get specific pricing directions and price point suggestions. Don't follow it blindly."

— George Boretos

Topics Covered:

00:00 – Why "What Price Should I Charge?" Is the Wrong AI Prompt. Why general-purpose AI lacks the context and pricing intelligence to set your price.

03:30 – Where AI Can Actually Improve Pricing. How AI can support optimization, segmentation, packaging, and tiering.

06:30 – Why There's No Single "Right" Price. Why pricing requires different methods for different businesses.

09:00 – The Pricing Data AI Needs. Why transaction volume isn't enough without price variation.

12:00 – What Win/Loss Data Reveals. How won and lost deals can reveal win probability and market exposure.

14:30 – Finding Customers You're Undercharging. How price differences can uncover segments and pricing patterns.

17:30 – When Competitor Data Hurts Your Model. Why adding competitor pricing data can actually make a model worse.

20:30 – Why Market Indicators Can Matter More. How market trends can sometimes explain pricing better than competitors.

23:00 – Why Companies Ignore Pricing. Why simply caring about pricing can unlock major margin opportunities.

25:00 – Pricing Strategy vs. Execution. Why the best pricing strategy still needs strong execution to work.

Key Takeaways:

"Use AI as a tool... Don't use it to actually get specific directions, specific price point suggestions." — George Boretos

"Pricing is a great differentiator. It can move mountains, it can increase margins, revenue, everything." — George Boretos

Connect with George Boretos:

• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgeboretos/

Connect with Mark Stiving:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/
• Email: [email protected]

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on June 1, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go.

Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/the-business-case-nobody-built/

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/

What happens when a former client returns for a live pricing coaching session?

Mark Richman, CEO of Skeleton Key, shares how applying Mark Stiving's value-selling principles helped increase his close rate from 35% to 70% by focusing on customer outcomes instead of pitching solutions.

Now, he returns to the hot seat to workshop his toughest pricing challenges in real time—from buyers who can't quantify value to outcome-based pricing and pricing for emotional outcomes.

This isn't another pricing interview; it's a front-row seat to a CEO getting his sales strategy challenged, refined, and rebuilt in real time.

Why You Have to Check Out Today's Podcast:

• Steal the framework that helped transform a 35% win rate into 70% — without changing his product.
• Find out why your prospects' "solution" is often the biggest obstacle to closing the deal.
• Watch Mark Stiving challenges Mark Richman's sales strategy and uncover the hidden pricing opportunities he almost missed.

"That willingness to not talk about what we do and that focus on why the client's there in the first place and how you can really help them achieve the outcome they want has transformed the way I sell. I went from about a 35% close rate to a 60 to 70% close rate."

— Mark Richman

Topics Covered:

01:30 – A Live Pricing Coaching Session Begins. Mark Richman returns to the hot seat as Mark Stiving coaches him through real pricing and sales challenges.

03:10 – Why Nobody Cares About Your Product. Mark Stiving explains why buyers purchase outcomes, while Richman shares how this mindset transformed his sales process.

05:15 – From 35% to 70% Win Rates. Mark Richman reveals the conversation shift that doubled his close rate, and Mark explains why it works.

08:45 – When Buyers Ask for the Wrong Solution. Mark Richman shares a real AI sales conversation, and Mark shows how to uncover the real problem instead.

16:20 – Pricing Emotional Outcomes. Can you charge for less stress and more time? Mark and Mark Richman debate when emotional value is enough.

19:15 – The Customers You Should Walk Away From. Mark explains why buyers who can't define success are often impossible to serve well.

27:40 – Finding the Right Pricing Metric. Mark shares alternatives to outcome pricing that let your revenue grow alongside your customers' success.

30:50 – The Pricing Opportunity Richman Almost Missed. A regulatory deadline becomes a lesson from Mark on willingness to pay and pricing confidence.

36:10 – The Biggest Lesson from the Coaching Session. Mark shares one pricing experiment every business should try, while Richman explains the sales lesson that changed everything.

Key Takeaways:

"You're not exploiting the customer by charging for value. The only question is whether the customer believes the price is fair." — Mark Stiving

"What matters isn't your hourly rate. What matters is whether it's a fair exchange for the value you're creating." — Mark Richman

"Raise your prices. Win fewer deals at higher prices and make more money." — Mark Stiving

"Helping clients uncover the value of solving the right problem changed everything about how I sell." — Mark Richman

Connect with Mark Richman:

• Website: https://skeletonkey.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrichman/

Connect with Mark Stiving:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/
• Email: [email protected]

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on May 25, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go.

Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/you-didnt-lose-the-deal-you-lost-the-commitment/

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/

Michael Barbarita is the founder of Next Step CFO, strategic CFO, and author of Powerful Business Strategy. After more than four decades of helping businesses grow through smarter financial and business strategies, he's learned that the biggest pricing challenge isn't price—it's trust.

In this episode, he reveals why buyers instinctively trust salespeople who aren't attached to the outcome, how transformational conversations outperform transactional ones, and the practical sales strategies that keep buyers focused on value instead of price.

Why You Have to Check Out Today's Podcast:

• Learn why buyers trust salespeople who don't appear desperate for the sale and how perceived indifference creates credibility instead of resistance.
• Discover how to shift price objections back to the buyer's transformation.
• Build stronger offers with upsells, cross-sells, and downsells that protect your value.

"The key is to be perceived as indifferent and transformational."

— Michael Barbarita

Topics Covered:

01:40 – Why Business Owners Underprice. Why pricing based on your customer's wallet hurts your business.

04:05 – Sell Transformation, Not Transactions. Keep buyers focused on outcomes instead of products and price.

07:35 – Why Buyers Always Return to Price. The psychology behind price objections and buying decisions.

10:40 – Why Buyers Trust Indifferent Salespeople. How focusing on the buyer—not the sale—builds trust.

13:45 – Buyers Buy Futures, Not Features. Mark explains why customers pay for a better future, not product specs.

16:30 – Can CFOs Really Understand Value? Mark and Michael debate strategy, value, and finance.

19:50 – Finding What Customers Really Value.The questions that uncover why customers actually buy.

22:15 – Michael breaks down his sales framework: Captivate → Fascinate → Educate → Close.

25:30 – The Power of Upsells, Cross-Sells & Downsells. Capture more buyers without lowering your prices.

Key Takeaways:

"You have to get on the same side of the table as your prospect." — Michael Barbarita

"Packaging and bundling products and services together lets you add more value while increasing the price." — Michael Barbarita

"No matter what you do, there's always going to be the price-sensitive people. Instead of losing them, have a downsell." — Michael Barbarita

Connect with Michael Barbarita:

• Website: https://nextstepcfo.net
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelbarbarita/
• Book: Powerful Business Strategy (Free Download)

Connect with Mark Stiving:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/
• Email: [email protected]

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on May 18, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go.

Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/how-buyers-actually-buy-and-why-aida-isnt-the-answer/

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/

Claire Wang is a pricing strategist, speaker, and author of The Price of Influence. With a background spanning insurance, consulting, and commercial strategy, she helps organizations shape willingness to pay by understanding how people perceive value.

In this episode, she shares why pricing professionals need to think beyond numbers, how empathy shapes influence, and why your next great pricing skill may have nothing to do with pricing at all.

Why You Have to Check Out This Episode:

• Learn why great ideas often fail—not because they're wrong, but because people don't see their value.
• Discover how pricing principles can help you gain buy-in, influence stakeholders, and communicate more effectively.
• See why empathy and perspective-taking may be the most underrated skills in pricing leadership.

"Your idea is like the product, and the person you need a yes from is your customer."

– Claire Wang

Topics Covered:

02:10 – Why Claire Wrote The Price of Influence. Learn why Claire believes pricing professionals need to become better at communicating ideas—not just analyzing data.

05:00 – Your Idea Is a Product. Discover how pricing frameworks can help you persuade stakeholders and gain buy-in across your organization.

08:20 – How Buyers Build Willingness to Pay. Why willingness to pay isn't created at the moment of purchase—it grows through every customer interaction.

10:15 – The Real Meaning of Value. Claire explains why understanding another person's problems is the foundation of communicating value effectively.

13:00 – Shaping Willingness to Pay Starts Earlier Than You Think See why pricing should influence product design, sales conversations, and marketing—not just the final price.

16:40 – Why Pricing Teams Need More Perspective, Not More Certainty. Learn how collaborating with sales, marketing, and product teams leads to better pricing decisions.

19:15 – Do You Want to Be Right or Effective? Mark and Claire discuss why letting go of ego is essential for influencing others and getting ideas adopted.

21:00 – Using AI as a Thinking Partner. Hear how Claire uses AI to challenge her thinking, uncover blind spots, and improve decision-making.

24:00 – The One Pricing Skill Everyone Should Develop. Claire shares the advice she believes can have the biggest impact on every pricing professional's career.

Key Takeaways:

"When you truly understand your audience, you understand their needs, you understand their hesitation, then getting a yes is almost inevitable." - Claire Wang

"A good product design process should always be having pricing people involved early on." - Claire Wang

"I would intentionally ask AI to be my sparring partner, challenge me, point out my blind spots." - Claire Wang

Connect with Claire Wang:

• Website: https://www.claire-wang.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claire-wang/

Connect with Mark Stiving:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/
• Email: [email protected]

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on May 11, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go.

Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/what-is-a-pig-worth/

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/