Jon Jennings is the Founder and Managing Partner of Jennings Executive Search, LLC. Jon is an official sponsor of this podcast. He began his career with a boutique recruiting firm, building relationships with C-Level accounting and finance professionals utilizing a research-based approach of study and analysis to best serve his clients.

In 2012, Jon took this approach to a larger firm where he worked with several CFOs to build entire accounting and finance departments and gain a large firm perspective in how to build a successful practice. This experience led to the creation of Jennings Executive Search, LLC.

In this episode, Jon discusses the current situation of the pricing market, specifically focusing on how things have developed since the pandemic began.

 

Why you have to check out today’s podcast:

• Discover how the market has been like since the beginning of this pandemic;
• Learn about the difference of hybrid, in office, and at home settings, as well as how this difference influence today’s job search; and
• Find out why those people who are willing to learn the soft skills of pricing are the ones who are more likely to be promoted in a company

 

“The people who get to move up are people who are adamant. They're persistent. They're not afraid to be uncomfortable in an uncomfortable conversation.”

– Jon Jennings

 

Topics Covered:

01:28 – The market’s situation since the pandemic began

04:17 – Talking about the expansion of pricing

06:01 – Everyone trying to figure out how to raise prices and putting hyper focus on it

08:49 – Are pricing people getting paid a lot more now than they were a year ago?

12:18 – Companies still not investing in pricing

14:48 – Are the requirements changing for pricing people?

18:35 – Those who are willing to learn make the biggest impact in a company

20:27 – How the difference between hybrid, in office, and at home settings influence today’s jobs

24:29 – Jon’s piece of pricing advice for today’s listeners

 

Key Takeaways:

“What's really happening in pricing has been happening for a long time, which is it's expanding; there's more jobs in pricing, and kind of separate to the current economic phenomena that we've seen over the last few years, it's been a space that's grown.” – Jon Jennings

“There's a lot of openings in pricing and it's hard to find qualified people for them at the moment.” – Jon Jennings

“I call it fittest athletes search. We just find the person that's most capable and learn the fastest and can just solve problems, solve business problems; they'd like to get in the business and figure things out and communicate cross functionally. Those are the traits I like to look for.” – Jon Jennings

“The really good ones have a creative type of mind; not just they're good at analytics, but they have that creative side turned on and they can communicate very well. It's like yet to be everything at the same time. Those people are really impactful.” – Jon Jennings

“You have to articulate the right way, that's digestible and understandable, and you got to win that meeting; and that's where you have to sell yourself, your abilities, all the time. That's really what makes you promotable.” – Jon Jennings

“The way to have a big impact on your career is always selling. There's never a perfect solution; there's better and best. When you have something, be confident and don't back down. The squeaky wheel gets grease.” – Jon Jennings

 

People / Resources Mentioned:

• McKinsey: https://www.mckinsey.com/
• Bain: https://www.bain.com/
• BCG: https://www.bcg.com/
• KPMG: https://home.kpmg/
• Simon Kucher: https://www.simon-kucher.com/

 

Connect with Jon Jennings:

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

 

Connect with Mark Stiving:

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