Pricing: The Most Powerful Profit Lever—Yet the Least Understood

Unlike finance, operations, or marketing, pricing is rarely taught in formal education. Instead, it's learned on the job, shaped by company culture, and often guided by outdated habits. In many organisations, pricing defaults to cost-plus formulas or reactive discounting, instead of being treated as a strategic driver of sustainable earnings growth.

The consequences are significant. Without structured pricing capability, businesses often: Underestimate their pricing power, Lose margin through undisciplined discounting, and Struggle to pass on cost increases effectively

This is especially damaging in complex industrial and B2B markets where the absence of formal pricing training leads to systematic margin erosion and missed profit opportunities.

The Pricing Masterclass solves this by embedding pricing as a core business discipline. It’s not a theoretical course—it’s a 12-week structured program that gives teams the skills, tools, and governance they need to drive margin expansion and ensure long-term pricing success.

For every $100M in revenue, an effective pricing strategy can unlock $2M–$3M in additional EBIT. The real question isn’t whether your company has pricing power — but whether your team has the knowledge and confidence to use it.

The Business Case for Pricing Masterclass

A disciplined approach to pricing is a boardroom issue.

Weak pricing governance often hides in plain sight—rarely shown on financial statements but deeply damaging to margins. Here are 8 key drivers of systematic margin erosion:

1. Undefined Value Drivers – Without value clarity, teams compete on price alone.
2. Cost-Plus Pricing Mentality – Overreliance on cost-plus formulas weakens strategy.
3. Commoditisation of Products & Services – Leads to price-only negotiations.
4. Excessive Discounting & Overrides – Shrinks margins and damages profitability.
5. Procurement-Driven Negotiations – Sales teams lack the training to counter.
6. Inability to Implement Price Increases – Fear of pushback stalls growth.
7. Complex & Inconsistent Pricing Structures – Internal chaos creates pricing errors.
8. Misalignment on Pricing Strategy – Conflicting incentives derail pricing outcomes.

These risks can be mitigated and reversed by embedding pricing education, strategic frameworks, and cross-functional alignment into daily operations.

How Pricing Masterclass Works

A structured, self-paced program with direct commercial impact.

The Pricing Masterclass is a 12-lesson program that equips teams with the tools and frameworks needed to make more profitable pricing decisions.

Key program components:

• Self-paced online learning – Designed for executives and frontline teams with busy schedules.
• 12 structured lessons – Covering pricing strategy, negotiation, and risk management.
• Frameworks for execution – Practical pricing models ready for immediate application.
• A data-driven approach to pricing improvements – Includes pricing analytics, scenario modelling, and benchmarking.
• Cross-functional alignment – Builds a shared pricing language across sales, finance, and marketing.
• Margin Ideas Marketplace – Participants contribute pricing improvement opportunities, which are evaluated, refined, and implemented.

By embedding these capabilities, businesses can reduce pricing inefficiencies, enhance margin control, and create a sustainable competitive advantage.

What Your Team Will Learn

Lesson 1: Value-Based Pricing

• Move from cost-plus to value-driven pricing.
• Identify and leverage customer value and willingness to pay.

Lesson 2: Managing Margin Erosion

• Understand the 8 key drivers of margin erosion.
• Develop controls to mitigate revenue leakage.

Lesson 3: Pricing Capability Maturity Model

• Assess current pricing maturity.
• Create a roadmap for pricing improvement.

Lesson 4: Pricing Decision Frameworks

• Structure data-driven pricing decisions.
• Understand your sources of pricing power for setting and negotiation.

Lesson 5: List Price & Discount Architecture

• Establish structured price lists and discount frameworks.
• Prevent unnecessary price compression.

Lesson 6: Rebate & Incentive Strategies

• Optimising rebate structures to drive profitable customer behaviour.
• Avoiding common rebate pitfalls.

Lesson 7: Cost Recovery & Price Increases

• Strategies for passing cost increases through to customers.
• Avoiding common pricing mistakes that lead to margin compression.

Lesson 8: Price Analytics for Profit Optimisation

• Using price band analysis and elasticity models.
• Identifying underpriced and overpriced products.

Lesson 9: Price Negotiation & Commercial Strategy

• Pricing tactics for sales and procurement negotiations.
• Psychological pricing strategies.

Lesson 10: Pricing Strategy & Market Positioning

• Defining a pricing strategy that aligns with long-term business goals.
• Addressing competitive pricing pressures.

Lesson 11: Pricing Operations & Process Efficiency

• Streamlining internal pricing workflows.
• Reducing pricing errors and inefficiencies.

Lesson 12: Sustaining Pricing Excellence

• Embedding a pricing governance framework.
• Developing internal pricing champions to drive long-term results.

Case Studies – Pricing Transformation in Practice

Case Study: Building Materials Manufacturer
A leading industrial supplier was experiencing significant margin compression due to uncontrolled discounting and weak price negotiation. After implementing the Pricing Masterclass program:

• Margins increased by 3.2% within six months.
• Discount override requests fell by 70%.
• Average deal size improved by 18% due to stronger negotiation discipline.

✧ CEO’s Perspective:
"This program enabled our teams to approach pricing with structure and confidence. It created alignment across sales, finance, and operations, ensuring we weren’t leaving profit on the table."

Case Study: Industrial Equipment Supplier
A business servicing B2B industrial markets was facing procurement-led price pressure, leading to reactive discounting. After completing Pricing Masterclass:

• Close rates improved by 12% while maintaining margin integrity.
• New pricing frameworks led to a 2.4% increase in average gross margin.
• Pricing approval processes were streamlined, reducing internal delays.

✧ Board Chair’s Perspective:
"Pricing is often treated as a sales issue when it should be a strategic priority. This program shifted our mindset and delivered measurable financial results."

Implementation & Next Steps

A Pricing-Centric Culture Requires Leadership Commitment
Embedding pricing excellence requires continuous learning, cross-functional coordination, and a commitment from leadership.

Three-Phase Implementation Approach

1. Enrolment & Baseline Assessment
   ○ Identify business units and teams to participate.
   ○ Establish program sponsor and program lead.
   ○ Briefing of team leader on program objectives.
2. Training & Idea Generation
   ○ Teams complete the Pricing Masterclass lessons.
   ○ Margin improvement ideas are captured and reviewed.
3. Implementation & Margin Expansion
   ○ Selected pricing initiatives are implemented.
   ○ Pricing governance structures are embedded to ensure sustainability.

Testimonials

• Laminex
  “Clear, concise, action-oriented course that is a good reference point and provides a reset.”
  – Alastair Wilson
• Stramit
  “An excellent course and plenty for everyone in terms of learning and reminders… the timing could not be better.”
  – Tim Broxham, General Manager, Stramit
• Fletcher Insulation
  “Hands down the most relevant, insightful training I have done to date… I highly recommend this course to any business wanting to improve their profitability.”
  – Scott McFarlane, Branch Manager
• Tradelink
  “I would highly recommend this course to my ASM’s and BM’s… understanding how their customers think when purchasing and the levers they could pull.”
  – Nathan Bihun
• Big River Timber
  “This is a level of price training that has not been offered in this business before… gives a great understanding as to why this business has implemented pricing tools and strategies.”
  – Luke Newcombe
• Oliveri
  “Very insightful… I enjoyed the psychological area of why people buy… The course is very detailed, has a lot of information and is very beneficial.”
  – Jamelle Moussa
• Super Retail Group
  “I would describe it as a comprehensive, strategic and practical approach that has valuable concepts for all levels. The program highlights the importance of reviewing and challenging the way we do things.”
  – D. McGee

Strategic Review & Executive Briefing

For CEOs, CFOs, and Board Members looking to improve pricing capability,
we invite you to an executive briefing to discover how Pricing Masterclass will accelerate margin expansion in your business.