Posts by: Tim J. Smith, PhD

Improve Price Discipline and Value Capture at Our Company

By Tim J. Smith, PhD September 3, 2025

Challenge Our pricing is challenged by discipline and predictability in capturing our fair share of the value we deliver to customers. Recommendation…

Benchmarks and Recommended Size for the Pricing Function

By Tim J. Smith, PhD September 3, 2025

How large should a company’s pricing team be? How should executives and consultants even benchmark the size of a pricing team across…

Economics of Tariffs

By Tim J. Smith, PhD September 3, 2025

Tariffs are a macroeconomic shock to the global economy. Polls of economists reveal that 93% of economists believe tariffs leave the economy…

Why Pricing Professions Fail to Rise Above the Manager Level

By Tim J. Smith, PhD September 3, 2025

According to research by George Boretos, there are roughly 10 pricing managers per 1 pricing decision maker. Four major issues have been…

C.H. Robinson Pricing Spineometer: 3 of 5 Vertebrae

By Tim J. Smith, PhD August 1, 2025

C.H. Robinson Worldwide, a global logistics provider, had a positive FY 2024. Revenue rose 0.7% to $17.7 billion, and operating profit rose…

United Rentals Pricing Spineometer: 2 of 5 Vertebrae

By Tim J. Smith, PhD August 1, 2025

United Rentals, an equipment rental company, had a positive FY 2024. Revenue rose 7.1% to $15.3 billion, and earnings before interest and…

Pentair Pricing Spineometer: 4 of 5 Vertebrae

By Tim J. Smith, PhD July 11, 2025

Pentair, a sustainable water company, had a mostly positive FY 2024. Revenue fell slightly by 0.5% to $4.1 billion while operating income…

Thermo Fisher Pricing Spineometer: 5 of 5 Vertebrae

By Tim J. Smith, PhD July 8, 2025

Thermo Fisher, a global life sciences company specializing in instruments, consumables, and services, had a positive 2024. Revenue rose 0.1% to $42.9…

Rollins Pricing Spineometer: 2 of 5 Vertebrae

By Tim J. Smith, PhD July 8, 2025

Rollins, a pest control company and owner of the Orkin brand, had a positive FY 2024. Revenue rose 10% to $3.4 billion,…

A. O. Smith Pricing Spineometer: 2 of 5 Vertebrae

By Tim J. Smith, PhD July 8, 2025

A. O. Smith, a water heater, boiler, and treatment company, had a negative FY 2024. Revenue fell 1% to $3.8 billion, and…

About The Author

timjsmith
Tim J. Smith, PhD, is the founder and CEO of Wiglaf Pricing, an Adjunct Professor of Marketing and Economics at DePaul University, and the author of Pricing Done Right (Wiley 2016) and Pricing Strategy (Cengage 2012). At Wiglaf Pricing, Tim leads client engagements. Smith’s popular business book, Pricing Done Right: The Pricing Framework Proven Successful by the World’s Most Profitable Companies, was noted by Dennis Stone, CEO of Overhead Door Corp, as "Essential reading… While many books cover the concepts of pricing, Pricing Done Right goes the additional step of applying the concepts in the real world." Tim’s textbook, Pricing Strategy: Setting Price Levels, Managing Price Discounts, & Establishing Price Structures, has been described by independent reviewers as “the most comprehensive pricing strategy book” on the market. As well as serving as the Academic Advisor to the Professional Pricing Society’s Certified Pricing Professional program, Tim is a member of the American Marketing Association and American Physical Society. He holds a BS in Physics and Chemistry from Southern Methodist University, a BA in Mathematics from Southern Methodist University, a PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of Chicago, and an MBA with high honors in Strategy and Marketing from the University of Chicago GSB.