Posts by: Tim J. Smith, PhD

Is Pricing a CEO Level Issue?

By Tim J. Smith, PhD February 7, 2017

CEO’s are responsible for organizing productive operations, and ultimately generating revenue. When it comes to their pricing responsibility, CEO’s manage pricing decisions by defining the culture, structure, and routines necessary for producing sound decisions that align with their strategy.

Strategic Movements: February 2017

By Tim J. Smith, PhD February 7, 2017

Dismal earnings have been reported at Macy’s, JC Penney, Kohl’s, Barnes & Noble, Sears, and many other retailers—countered by increase sales at Amazon.com. Even Walmart is investing in online capabilities, begging the question will all physical retail fail? No.

Price is a Verb

By Tim J. Smith, PhD January 3, 2017

So what do executives get wrong about pricing? They treat it as a noun not as a verb. Treating price as a verb drives executives to define the culture, organizational structure, and process for making pricing decisions. Leading firms do this. Failing firms don’t. Executives, you have a choice.

Strategic Movements: January 2017

By Tim J. Smith, PhD January 3, 2017

“Discounting becomes a drug that is hard to get off, and creates this basis for consumer to not trust regular prices,” Uri Minkoff.

Nicholas Woodman: Learning in Business is the Ultimate Action Sport

By Tim J. Smith, PhD December 10, 2016

I suspect Mr. Woodman believed that the GoPro could become the hot item for the holiday season. But $400 seemed a bit high for the average consumer. Why not drop it? If the price was lower, then more people may buy it, and GoPro may become a consumer product giant. Perhaps it could join the leagues of Apple, Cannon, and Sony?

Will PlayStation VR Succeed?

By Tim J. Smith, PhD November 1, 2016

Not that I can or am stating that everything Sony did was perfect. And I am definitely not stating that everyone will find Sony’s design tradeoffs to result in a good offering. But they did define their target market and product design requirements in such a manner broadly appearing to be compatible with a highly successful product, launch.

Pricing Done Right – Events and Press Roundup

By Tim J. Smith, PhD October 5, 2016

September was an important month with the success of Pricing Done Right: The Pricing Framework Proven Successful by the World’s Most Profitable Companies. Check out some of the celebration and press below, and don’t forget to pick up your own copy!

What Exactly Is Target Transaction Pricing?

By Tim J. Smith, PhD September 1, 2016

Notice the deal specificity. Target prices are deal dependent. That means it can vary between customers and between selling opportunities with the same customer. Target prices may be customer dependent, product mix dependent, quantity dependent, promotional timing dependent, competitive situation dependent, or even cost dependent.

Pricing Done Right

By Tim J. Smith, PhD August 3, 2016

Pricing Done Right provides a roadmap for improving pricing practices within any market-oriented firm. It provides a framework for managing pricing decisions in any organization. It clarifies the best practices for defining the organizational culture, architectural hierarchy, and routines for getting pricing done right.

Will Culling Low Margin Items Actually Destroy Profits? An Exploration into Economies of Scope

By Tim J. Smith, PhD July 3, 2016

Firms often sell low margin items because customers seek the low margin items and, when buying, buy higher margin items as well. These low margin items can make sense through their enablement of the firm to profit from economies of scope. Killing low margin items can make sense in some cases, but other cases doing so will kill the firm.

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.