Impact Pricing

Todd Caponi is the author of The Transparency Sale, The Transparency Sales Leader, and The Four Levers of Negotiating. He advises revenue teams on decision science, transparency, and how buyers actually make decisions. In this episode, Todd challenges one of the biggest assumptions in business: that more information leads to better decisions. Drawing from buyer psychology and real-world sales research, he explains why buyers actively seek out negatives, why perfect pitches create skepticism, and why transparency accelerates trust. Why You Have to Check Out Today's Podcast: Discover why more information often makes buying decisions harder. Learn why buyers seek out negatives before positives and how transparency can increase trust, shorten sales cycles, and improve win rates. Master the shift from persuasion to prediction so buyers feel confident moving forward instead of getting stuck in analysis paralysis. "We don't buy when we're convinced. We buy when we can predict." — Todd Caponi Topics Covered: 01:03 – Why Negotiating Pricing Feels So Unnatural. Todd shares the negotiation breakthrough that led him to embrace transparency instead of traditional sales tactics. 05:18 – Why Buyers Trust Imperfect Solutions More Than Perfect Ones. The consumer research that changed Todd's thinking—and why buyers actively seek out negatives before making decisions. 08:50 – Transparency vs. Honesty: The Difference That Changes Sales Outcomes. What transparency really means and how proactively sharing weaknesses can accelerate trust. 12:15 – The Long Game Wins the Short Game. A debate on incentives, trust, and whether transparency actually benefits individual salespeople. 15:11 – Do Buyers Make Emotional or Logical Decisions? Todd explains why feelings often drive decisions before logic enters the picture. 20:24 – Why B2B Buyers Still Behave Like Consumers. Buying committees, RFPs, and the hidden emotional biases behind supposedly rational decisions. 25:14 – Buyers Don't Buy Products—They Buy Predicted Futures. Mark introduces a powerful framework for understanding how buying decisions really happen. 31:42 – More Information Doesn't Help Buyers—It Makes Decisions Harder. From mail-order catalogs to AI, Todd explains why information overload increases decision friction. 32:35 – The Case for Radical Pricing Transparency. Todd's practical framework for pricing conversations built around volume, commitment, cash flow, and predictability. Key Takeaways: "Transparency is without asking, I'm going to tell you the truth." — Todd Caponi "The long game wins the long game—but it wins the short game too." — Todd Caponi "More information has never made buying easier. It's always made it harder." — Todd Caponi "True salesmanship is the science of service." — Todd Caponi (quoting Arthur Sheldon) People & Resources Mentioned: Arthur Sheldon - Early sales philosopher and author of The Art of Selling (1911), whose principle that "true salesmanship is the science of service" remains relevant today. António Damásio - Neuroscientist and author of Descartes' Error, referenced during the discussion on emotion, logic, and decision-making. Northwestern University Research - Consumer behavior research that revealed buyers actively seek out negative reviews and trust products with balanced ratings more than perfect scores. The Transparency Sale - Todd's bestselling book exploring how openness and honesty accelerate buying decisions and improve sales outcomes. The Four Levers of Negotiating - Todd's latest book on transparent negotiation and value creation. Connect with Todd Caponi: Website: https://toddcaponi.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddcaponi/ Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com

Ajit Ghuman is the co-founder of Monetizely, former VP of Product at Segment, and author of Price to Scale. In this episode, Ajit breaks down one of the biggest pricing challenges AI companies are about to face: what happens when software no longer supports employees — but starts replacing them entirely? If your company is building, pricing, or monetizing AI products, this episode will change how you think about per-seat pricing, buyer psychology, and the future of SaaS monetization. Why you have to check out today's podcast: Understand why per-user pricing may stop working as AI agents increasingly replace human workflows inside software products. Learn Ajit Ghuman's 3-part "Agentic Pricing Spectrum" for evaluating AI products based on autonomy, operational scope, and output-to-cost dynamics. Discover why buyers are suddenly comfortable with tokens, credits, and bundled AI pricing — even when they don't fully understand what those units actually mean. "Unless you understand what your market is, who your buyers are, what do they want... it's the only thing that I start with when I do any project." – Ajit Ghuman Topics Covered: 02:02 – Why Pricing Became the Most Direct Link to Customer Value. How pricing became the clearest connection between products, value, and business strategy. 06:29 – The AI Pricing Problem Nobody Has Fully Solved Yet. Why AI is forcing SaaS companies to rethink seats, tokens, outcomes, and margins. 07:38 – "Zero Human Companies" and the End of Per-User Pricing. Ajit explores a future where AI agents replace entire job functions — and asks the terrifying question: what happens when there's no user left to charge for? 12:30 – Why Cursor Still Charges Per User (For Now). A fascinating breakdown of AI coding tools, human "anchors," and why most AI products still can't fully move to outcome-based pricing. 16:51 – The Coming AI Commoditization Wave. Why Ajit believes agentic AI companies could rise — and collapse — dramatically faster than traditional SaaS businesses. 23:07 – Why Buyers Suddenly Accept Tokens, Credits, and Weird AI Pricing. Ajit explains how ChatGPT normalized token-based pricing — even though most buyers still don't fully understand what they're paying for. 26:00 – The Real Reason AI Pricing Feels So Chaotic Right Now. Inference costs are dropping, users are disappearing, and pricing anchors keep shifting faster than companies can adapt. 29:35 – The One Pricing Principle That Still Matters in the AI Era. Despite all the chaos around AI monetization, Ajit says successful pricing still starts with deeply understanding your buyers and their problems. Key Takeaways: "The anchor is still the human… but the moment the human disappears, per-user pricing starts breaking." – Ajit Ghuman "Agentic AI may compress 20 years of SaaS evolution into just a few years." – Ajit Ghuman People / Resources Mentioned: Cursor — Used as a real-world example of current AI pricing models Harvey AI — Referenced as an example of high-value AI transformation inside the legal industry Anthropic — Mentioned in relation to inference models powering AI tools OpenAI — Referenced throughout the discussion on tokens and AI pricing behavior Salesforce — Discussed in relation to potential future shifts away from per-seat pricing Zoom — Used as an example of changing pricing priorities during growth stages Connect with Ajit Ghuman: Website: https://www.getmonetizely.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajitpalghuman/ Email: ajit@getmonetizely.com Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com

Dan Balcauski is the founder of Product Tranquility, where he helps B2B SaaS companies improve pricing, packaging, and monetization strategy. In this episode, Dan breaks down the uncomfortable reality behind today's AI gold rush: buyers are tired of "AI-powered" hype, SaaS companies are struggling to monetize features nobody uses, and pricing teams are rewriting their strategies in real time. If your company is trying to monetize AI without becoming another forgettable AI feature, this episode will change how you think about pricing, adoption, and customer value. Why You Have to Listen: Learn why AI features alone don't drive purchases — and how to position AI around customer outcomes people actually value. Discover the biggest AI pricing mistake SaaS companies are making — charging for features before customers build adoption habits. See how smart SaaS companies roll out AI strategically — using adoption-first pricing, early access models, and workflow-driven product design. "Prove value with your new AI features before you throw a paywall in front of it." — Dan Balcauski Topics Covered: 02:10 - "Freemium Is a Terrible Idea for Most SaaS Companies". Why most freemium models fail before companies fully understand the real costs behind them. 06:48 - Why AI Can't Automatically Set Your SaaS Prices. Dan explains where AI can help pricing teams and where human judgment still matters most. 09:53 - The Dangerous Truth About AI Pricing Advice. Most LLMs learned pricing strategy from bad SEO content and outdated thinking. 13:35 - The Adoption vs. Monetization Framework. The simple 2x2 model every SaaS company should use before pricing AI features. 17:34 - Margin Percentage vs. Margin Dollars. A smarter way for CFOs and SaaS leaders to think about AI profitability. 18:32 - "Buyers Don't Care That Your Product Uses AI". Why customers care more about outcomes and workflows than your AI technology. 24:31 - Why SaaS Companies Keep Changing AI Pricing. Most AI pricing models don't survive their first 18 months. 26:07 - The "Early Access" AI Pricing Strategy. How smart SaaS companies introduce AI features without hurting adoption. 29:24 - "Earn the Right to Monetize". Why proving customer value should happen before putting up a paywall. Key Takeaways: "We need to prove our value first before we can monetize it." – Dan Balcauski People / Resources Mentioned: Steven Forth — Mentioned as a trusted source of pricing expertise and strategic thinking. Anthropic Claude Code — Dan's primary AI workspace for research synthesis and pricing analysis. Readwise — Tool Dan uses to ground AI outputs using trusted expert highlights and notes. Salesforce — Referenced as an example of rapidly evolving AI pricing strategies. Pragmatic Institute — Mentioned during the discussion on product adoption and feature prioritization. Connect with Dan Balcauski: Website: https://www.producttranquility.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/balcauski/ X: https://x.com/dan_balcauski Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/saas-scaling-secrets/id1682338188 Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com

Blair Enns is the founder of Win Without Pitching, author of The Four Conversations, and co-host of the 2Bobs podcast. He helps experts, agencies, and consultants move from being treated like vendors to becoming trusted advisors. In this episode, Blair joins Mark Stiving to unpack the hidden dynamics behind how buyers decide who they trust, who they listen to, and who they ultimately hire. They explore why selling expertise is fundamentally different from selling products, how authority is established long before proposals are presented, and why presenting multiple options changes the psychology of buyer decision-making. If you've ever wondered why some experts command confidence while others get stuck competing like commodities, this conversation will change how you think about selling, value, and buyer behavior. Why You Have to Listen: Learn how buyers decide who feels like the trusted expert — long before proposals, pricing, or deliverables are discussed. Discover why presenting multiple options changes buyer psychology and keeps you out of "convince mode" during sales conversations. Understand the Four Conversations framework that helps experts move from being treated like vendors to becoming trusted advisors. "Selling isn't talking people into things. It's helping somebody make a decision." — Blair Enns Topics Covered: 02:44 — Why Selling Expertise Changes Buyer Behavior. Blair explains why buyers evaluate experts differently from traditional salespeople and why trust starts forming before proposals are discussed. 06:20 — The Four Conversations Behind Every Buying Decision. A breakdown of the four conversations that quietly shape how buyers decide who they trust and hire. 07:41 — Expert vs. Vendor: The Positioning Buyers Feel Immediately. Why buyers instinctively place sellers into categories and how experts avoid becoming "just another option." 11:36 — The Question That Unlocks Better Buyer Conversations. How focusing on a buyer's desired future state changes the entire direction of a sales discussion. 15:51 — Why Multiple Options Change Buyer Psychology. Blair explains why presenting choices keeps you out of "convince mode" and makes buyers feel safer saying yes. 19:17 — Why Value Should Come Before Pricing. A conversation on why buyers think differently when outcomes are discussed before solutions or costs. 23:53 — The Hidden Power of Price Anchoring. How the first numbers buyers hear quietly reshape expectations, negotiations, and decision-making. Key Takeaways: "Selling isn't talking people into things. It's helping somebody make a decision." — Blair Enns "We rarely do the amount of thinking required to reason ourselves away from the starting point." — Blair Enns on how anchors shape buyer decisions People and Resources Mentioned: Mahan Khalsa — Referenced for the idea that "the sale is the sample of the engagement to follow" from his book Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play. Thinking, Fast and Slow — Referenced during the discussion on anchoring, heuristics, and buyer decision-making psychology. Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky — Mentioned for their work on Prospect Theory and anchoring effects that shape how buyers evaluate pricing and options. 2Bobs — Blair's podcast co-hosted with David Baker, known for conversations on positioning, expertise, and agency growth. The Four Conversations — Blair's book introducing a framework for selling expertise through authority, value conversations, and buyer trust. Connect with Blair Enns: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blairenns/ Website: https://www.winwithoutpitching.com/ Books: https://www.winwithoutpitching.com/books Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com

Bobby Moesta is the President & CEO of The Re-Wired Group, where he helps companies understand why customers buy.He is the co-creator of Jobs to Be Done alongside Clayton Christensen, and has spent decades studying the demand side of innovation—what actually drives people to change, choose, and pay. In this episode, Bobby joins Mark Stiving to challenge some of the most common assumptions behind pricing and decision-making—starting with how buyers really think (and why it's not what most companies expect). They explore what's actually happening beneath the surface of a purchase decision—and why understanding that can completely shift how you approach pricing. If you've ever felt like your pricing "should work" but doesn't—this conversation will make you rethink what's really going on. Why You Have to Listen: Understand why context + outcome determines willingness to pay (not features). Learn why buyers don't "choose" instead they eliminate options and build confidence. Discover why most companies underprice by targeting the average instead of high-value contexts. "Pricing is contextual. It's based on the context they're in and the outcome they want." — Bobby Moesta Topics Covered: 02:21 – Why buyers don't change (until something breaks). The hidden trigger that forces people out of the status quo 04:41 – What buyers actually expect when they pay. Why value isn't what you think—and where expectations really come from 06:30 – The invisible forces behind every purchase. Push, pull, anxiety, and habit—and how they quietly control decisions 12:13 – How buyers really decide (it's not what you think). Why people don't "choose"—and what they actually do instead 18:17 – Why confused buyers walk away. The simple reason deals stall (and how to fix it) 20:06 – What creates buyer confidence. How people convince themselves to finally say yes 23:20 – What "I need to think about it" really means. The hidden signals behind hesitation—and how to uncover them 27:41 – Why one price doesn't fit all. How context changes what customers are willing to pay 29:37 –Every decision is a purchase decision. Why pricing thinking applies far beyond products and sales Key Takeaways: "We can't convince them of anything. They have to convince themselves." — Bobby Moesta "Most of the time we end up pricing at the bottom of the market… and we're giving away the high end." — Bobby Moesta Resources Mentioned: Jobs to Be Done – Framework for understanding customer decisions The Re-Wired Group – Bobby's firm focused on demand-side insight Demand-Side Sales – Bobby's book on how customers actually buy Connect with Bobby Moesta: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobmoesta/ Website: https://therewiredgroup.com/ Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com

Felix Hoffmann is the co-founder of 7Learnings, where he helps companies move from intuition-based pricing to predictive, data-driven pricing systems. He previously led pricing optimization at Zalando, managing pricing across millions of products and markets—giving him a front-row seat to how pricing actually behaves in the real world. In this episode, instead of relying on gut feel or delayed results, Felix introduces predictive pricing—a system that forecasts the impact of price changes before you make them. They break down why most pricing decisions today are still reactive, how companies are leaving profit on the table by not simulating outcomes, and why testing alone isn't enough anymore. If you've ever changed prices and hoped for the best—this episode will challenge that approach. Why You Have to Listen: If you're changing prices without knowing what will happen—this episode shows you a better way. Understand why testing pricing isn't enough—and what comes after testing. Discover how companies are using simulations to make faster, smarter pricing decisions. "You shouldn't decide based on gut feeling—you should decide based on what you predict will happen." — Felix Hoffmann Topics Covered: 01:30 – What Is Predictive Pricing? How to forecast the impact of price changes before making them 04:00 – Why "Should We Change Price?" Is the Wrong Question The real question: what happens if you change it 07:00 – What You Need to Predict (Beyond Sales) Profit, costs, returns, and long-term effects of pricing decisions 13:30 – Why Testing Alone Isn't Enough You can't test everything—so you need simulations 17:00 – Competitor Pricing: Guessing vs Predicting Why most companies match competitors blindly—and how to avoid it 20:30 – The Role of External Signals (Weather, Seasonality, Trends) How real-world factors shape pricing decisions 23:30 – B2B vs B2C Pricing Reality Why predictive pricing is easier in high-volume environments 29:00 – Final Advice: Predict First, Decide Second Why simulation is the missing layer in pricing strategy Key Takeaways: "The question is not: should I change my price? The question is: what happens if I change it?" — Felix Hoffmann "Nobody is doing perfect decisions today… perfect decisions would require mathematical optimization." — Felix Hoffmann Resources Mentioned: 7Learnings – Platform for predictive pricing and revenue optimization Zalando – Example of large-scale pricing optimization Connect with Felix Hoffmann: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/felix-hoffmann-7learnings/ Website: https://7learnings.com/ Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com

Mark Walker, CEO at Nue.io, helps companies design pricing models that align with how customers actually experience value—across usage, subscriptions, and hybrid approaches. In this episode, he joins Mark Stiving to unpack a growing tension: companies are pushing more flexible pricing models—but customers don't always want them. At the center is a simple question that changes everything: "How would you like to buy?" They explore why pricing isn't about finding one perfect model, but about giving customers the right options—while avoiding the complexity that slows decisions. If you're trying to evolve your pricing so customers can decide faster (without overwhelm), this is a conversation you'll want to hear. Why You Have to Check Out Today's Podcast: Understand why the future of pricing isn't choosing the "right" model—but giving customers the right options. See why customers don't want to decode your pricing—and how simplifying it builds trust faster. Learn how to experiment with pricing without breaking your business—or your customer relationships. "You need to introduce your customers to what you're going to be changing about your product set and ask them to tell you how they would relate that to value." — Mark Walker Topics Covered: 02:26 – What is a revenue architecture system? Why pricing, billing, and quoting can't live in silos anymore—and how unifying them enables pricing flexibility 05:11 – Aligning pricing models to customer value Why the same product needs different pricing models depending on how customers experience value 08:11 – What "hybrid pricing" really means Breaking down how companies combine subscription and usage to better reflect real-world value 19:29 – Why changing pricing is so hard The hidden risk: once a pricing model is live, you're locked into it longer than you think 21:39 – Optionality as a pricing strategy Why giving customers multiple ways to buy may outperform forcing a single pricing model 25:42 – Outcome-based pricing: what it actually means Why outcome-based pricing isn't new—and really comes down to who takes the risk 29:36 – Don't guess pricing—ask your customers Why involving customers early can prevent costly pricing mistakes 30:44 – How to talk to customers about pricing changes The role of communication in introducing new pricing without creating resistance Platforms & Pricing Model Examples: Amazon Web Services – Example of committed spend and consumption-based pricing at scale Snowflake – Known for credit-based pricing, highlighting the tradeoff between flexibility and pricing clarity DocuSign – Example of outcome-based pricing where customers pay per completed transaction ZoomInfo – Combines seat-based pricing with credits, illustrating hybrid pricing in practice Key Takeaways: "The more abstract you make the relationship between what the person is doing and what that costs, the harder it is to get the customer to budget for it." — Mark Walker "Outcome-based pricing is not a real thing. It is just a subset of usage-based pricing." — Mark Walker "You need to introduce your customers to what you're going to be changing… and ask them to tell you how they would relate that to value." — Mark Walker "Align your pricing to how your customer measures value." — Mark Walker People Mentioned: Steven Forth – Pricing thought leader referenced in discussions about credit-based pricing and abstraction Ray Tetlow – Mark Walker's mentor; known for simplifying business models and influencing his perspective on pricing structures Connect with Mark Walker: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markwalker/ Website: https://www.nue.io/ Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com

Keenan is the founder and CEO of A Sales Growth Company, where he helps organizations move beyond product-driven selling and into problem-centric sales strategies. He's also the author of Gap Selling, a framework built around one powerful idea: understanding the gap between where a buyer is today and where they need to be. In this episode, Keenan and Mark Stiving unpack a truth most teams say they believe—but rarely execute: buyers don't pay for products, they pay based on the size of the problem and the cost of not solving it. If you've ever wondered why deals stall, why buyers default to "no decision," or why price suddenly becomes the issue—this conversation will challenge how you think about selling, pricing, and what actually drives someone to act. Why You Have to Check Out Today's Podcast: Understand why buyers don't change unless the problem feels urgent enough and how to surface the real cost of inaction. Learn how gap selling uncovers the true drivers behind buying decisions by connecting root causes, problems, and impact. Discover why pricing power comes from problem size not product features and how that changes the way you sell and price. "Value is delivered by the size of the problem—and the cost of not solving it." — Keenan Topics Covered: 01:07 – What Gap Selling Really Means. How shifting from product pitching to problem diagnosis changes win rates, deal size, and sales outcomes 05:05 – Why Everything Starts with a Problem. The hidden truth: every buying decision is driven by a problem—whether the buyer realizes it or not 09:47 – The Different Levels of Problems in Sales. How surface-level needs hide deeper drivers—and why most salespeople stop too early 10:37 – Root Cause vs. Problem vs. Impact. A powerful framework to uncover what's really driving the need to change 13:56 – What Actually Motivates Buyers to Act. Why root causes don't trigger action—but impact does 19:30 – How Deep Should You Go in Problem Discovery? Knowing when to keep digging—and when you've found what truly matters 20:26 – A Real Example: Breaking Down Root Causes (Obesity Case). How complex problems reveal multiple layers—and why that matters in selling 25:04 – How Trust Is Built Through Problem Clarity. Why buyers trust you more when you understand their problem better than they do 27:33 – Pricing Based on the Cost of Inaction. Why price isn't about your product—it's about how painful it is not to solve the problem Key Takeaways: "People don't change unless their current state is untenable." – Keenan "Gap Selling is a selling methodology that helps salespeople improve their win rate, shorten sales cycles, improve their average contract value and close more deals faster." – Keenan "Understanding the size of the problem of not solving it is crucial for pricing." – Keenan People / Resources Mentioned: A Sales Growth Company – Keenan's company; focused on modern sales strategy Gap Selling – Framework for understanding buyer problems and driving sales Gap Prospecting – Keenan's extension of gap selling into outbound and pipeline generation Status Quo Bias – Why buyers avoid change unless impact is high Connect with Keenan: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimkeenan/ Website: https://salesgrowth.com/ Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com

AI pricing is changing fast—and suddenly, everyone is selling credits. But here's the uncomfortable question: Are credits actually helping you scale… or quietly pulling you back into cost-plus pricing? Steven Forth, co-founder of ValueIQ, joins Mark Stiving to unpack what's really going on behind the rise of credit-based pricing—and why so many companies are adopting it despite its obvious flaws. This isn't a polite discussion. Mark challenges the very foundation of credits, arguing they break the connection between price and value. Steven pushes back, revealing why credits may be the only viable system in a world where AI usage is unpredictable, costs are real, and value is still being discovered in real time. What emerges is a deeper truth most companies are missing about credit-based pricing. If you're navigating AI pricing—or even just rethinking your current model—this episode will force you to rethink not just how you price… but what you're really charging for. Why You Have to Check Out Today's Podcast: Discover when credit-based pricing actually works—and when it quietly pulls you back into cost-plus thinking, weakening your ability to communicate real value. Learn how AI companies balance cost, value, and scale using the "two dials" of pricing—credit price vs. credit consumption—and why this changes how you design pricing systems. Avoid the hidden design traps that break credit models—including overages, rollovers, and pooling decisions that frustrate buyers and limit growth. "AI is still early. Value is not preordained. Credits give you flexibility while you figure it out." – Steven Forth Topics Covered: 01:43 – Why Credits Break Value-Based Pricing (And Create Buyer Confusion). Mark explains why credits add a layer of abstraction between price and value—making it harder for buyers to connect what they pay to the outcomes they get. 05:47 – The Hidden Shift to Cost-Plus Pricing in AI. Why tokens = cost-plus pricing, and how rising compute costs are quietly pushing SaaS companies away from value-based pricing without realizing it. 10:11 – The "Two Dials" Strategy: How Credits Unlock Pricing Flexibility. Discover how adjusting price per credit vs. credits per action creates a more adaptable system—without constantly changing your pricing model. 12:05 – The Hardest Problem Nobody Solves: Mapping Credits to Value. Why most companies fail at credit pricing—not because of the model itself, but because they skip the deep work of aligning credits with real customer value. 15:22 – The 3 Critical Design Decisions That Make or Break Credits. A breakdown of pooling, rollovers, and overages—and how each one impacts buyer trust, revenue predictability, and product usage. 21:57 – Overage Mistakes That Kill Adoption (And What to Do Instead). Why hard stops frustrate users and reduce usage, plus smarter alternatives like soft limits, borrowing, and on-demand credit purchases. 25:34 – The Emerging Best Practice: Hybrid Credit + Subscription Models. How leading companies combine base subscriptions with flexible credit top-ups to balance predictability with scalability. 27:00 – The Only Rule That Matters: Understand How You Create Value. Steven's closing insight: pricing models don't matter if you don't deeply understand how your value is created—and how it's changing over time. Key Takeaways: "Credits add a layer of abstraction between price and value—and that's what makes them dangerous." – Mark Stiving "Tokens are cost-plus pricing. Credits give you a way to reconnect pricing back to value." – Steven Forth "Buyers are much more flexible with credits than with price increases." – Steven Forth "Credits feel easier to allocate internally—because they've already been 'spent." – Mark Stiving "Hard stops on usage are bad design—they hurt both the buyer and the seller." – Steven Forth "Well-designed credit systems are actually buyer-centric—they give flexibility across different use cases." – Steven Forth Resources and People Mentioned: Lovable (AI platform) – Referenced for its approach to on-demand credit purchasing and overage design, including A/B testing credit top-ups to improve revenue and user experience Box (company) – Example of a company implementing restricted credit pooling rules (e.g., limited sharing of AI credits), highlighting tension between buyer flexibility and revenue protection AI Token Pricing Models – Discussed as a contrast to credits; tokens represent cost-plus pricing tied to compute usage, while credits can be designed to reflect value instead of just cost Cell Phone Industry (Rollover & Subscription Models) – Referenced as the origin of many modern SaaS pricing mechanics like rollovers, ARR, and customer lifetime value thinking, influencing today's credit-based systems Connect with Steven Forth: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenforth/ Email: steven@valueiq.ai Subscribe to Steven's Substack: Synthetic data in pricing: https://pricinginnovation.substack.com/p/synthetic-data-in-pricing Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com

Jim Kalbach is the Chief Evangelist at Mural, where he helps teams uncover what customers actually need—not just what they say they want. Known for his work in Jobs to Be Done, experience mapping, and innovation, Jim has spent years helping organizations see beyond their products and into how buyers really think, decide, and act. In this episode, we unpack a simple but often overlooked truth: buyers don't start with problems—they start with solutions. Jim walks us through what's really happening beneath the surface—from how buyers recognize (or miss) their own problems, to how they search, evaluate, and eventually decide when to stop looking. Along the way, you'll learn how identifying unmet needs doesn't just improve your product—it sharpens your messaging, builds trust faster, and gives you a clearer path to pricing around real value. Why you have to check out today's podcast: Understand why buyers struggle to explain their own problems and how removing the solution from the conversation reveals what they actually need. Learn how Jobs to Be Done helps you predict buyer behavior by uncovering the unmet needs driving their decisions. Understand the moment buyers stop searching and how aligning with their real problem builds trust and increases conversion. "Understand the problems first—and then price around that." – Jim Kalbach Topics Covered: 02:08 – Why Buyers Struggle to Express Their Problems. Learn why buyers default to solutions instead of articulating real needs—and how that limits insight. 05:57 – The Jobs to Be Done Mindset Explained. Discover how removing the solution from the conversation helps uncover true customer problems. 10:06 – The Layers of Problems in Sales. Understand how to navigate from surface-level needs to deeper value-driving problems. 12:43 – Why Buyers Are Predicting the Future. Explore how every purchase is a bet on future outcomes—and what builds buyer confidence. 14:37 – Identifying Unmet Needs in the Market. Learn how uncovering unmet needs improves product-market fit, messaging, and adoption. 18:45 – Building Trust by Understanding Problems First. See how recognizing a buyer's problem before they articulate it creates instant credibility. 21:22 – Shifting from Product Thinking to Human Problems. Why focusing on the human problem—not the product—makes selling and pricing easier. 25:47 – Core Principles of the Jobs to Be Done Framework. Break down the key idea: temporarily remove the solution to better understand the job. 27:29 – Pricing Around Value Creation. Why pricing should be anchored in the problems you solve—not the product you sell. Key Takeaways: "Try to understand the value that you can create by shifting your attention to the problems that you solve." – Jim Kalbach "The power of jobs to be done is let's not see things only through the lens of our own solution." – Jim Kalbach "Jobs to be done is trying to predict the future by creating a solution that fills an unmet need." – Jim Kalbach Resources and People Mentioned: Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) – Framework for understanding customer behavior by focusing. Henry Ford – Referenced for the "faster horse" analogy, illustrating how customers describe needs based on existing solutions. Theodore Levitt – Known for the classic insight: people don't want a drill, they want a hole—used here to illustrate layers of customer problems. Connect with Jim Kalbach: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalbach Website: www.jtbdtoolkit.com Jobs to be Done Playbook: https://experiencinginformation.com/jtbd-playbook/ Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on January 12, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/ai-didnt-kill-per-user-pricing-it-exposed-it/ If you have any feedback, definitely send it. You can reach us at mark@impactpricing.com. Now, go make an impact. Connect with Mark Stiving: Email: mark@impactpricing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on January 5, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/price-is-the-tradeoff/ If you have any feedback, definitely send it. You can reach us at mark@impactpricing.com. Now, go make an impact. Connect with Mark Stiving: Email: mark@impactpricing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/