A research briefing in the PricingBrew Journal entitled, “How Does Your Pricing Department Compare?” shares some findings about the composition and priorities of leading B2B pricing organizations.
There are a number of interesting takeaways in the briefing, but a couple of the stats have been bugging me all weekend…
Over 70% of the respondents report having worked for fewer than three companies in their entire career. And they also report that their go-to sources for pricing information and education are people within their own company.
Now, why does this bug me?
Because it seems to point to a self-referencing dynamic—where pricing people are destined to just repeat the practices of the past, or propagate the “standard” practices of their industry.
If you haven’t worked for many companies in your career, and you rely heavily on others in your company for education and information, how do you know if you’re doing what’s really best—or merely doing what’s always been done?
How do you innovate? How do you gain competitive advantage?
Ok, maybe I’m reading too much into it.
But then again, if pricing people really are insulated and operating in a self-referencing bubble, that could explain why it takes so long for new pricing practices and technologies to gain traction in B2B.
