Hybrid Pricing and Pricing with AI with Steven Forth
Impact Pricing17 Apr 2023

Hybrid Pricing and Pricing with AI with Steven Forth

Steven Forth is Ibbaka's Co-Founder, CEO, and Partner. Ibbaka is a strategic pricing advisory firm. He was CEO of LeveragePoint Innovations Inc., a SaaS business designed to help companies create and capture value. Steven is what I consider one of the great pricing thinkers in our industry.

In this episode, Steven enlightens us about hybrid pricing models and explains why we should adopt it. He also shares why pricing people need to change the way they see AI along with the work they do in pricing.

Why you have to check out today's podcast:

  • Understand one of the unstated rules of pricing that talks about pricing power along with insights into future risk
  • Find out how artificial intelligence (AI) can help address concerns regarding the connection between pricing and predictability, and why pricing people should change how they see AI in line with pricing
  • Discover the reason on why most of us need to adopt hybrid pricing models and why the two pricing metrics in that should be independent of each other

"Most of us need to adopt hybrid pricing models, and the two pricing metrics should be independent of each other. If the two pricing metrics track each other closely, why bother having a hybrid pricing model? You need two metrics that are relatively independent of each other, and that will give you the flexibility you need to respond in a difficult economic environment."

– Steven Forth

Topics Covered:

00:42 – Steven's insights on what a hybrid pricing model looks like

02:30 – Issues on pricing model that applies credits/tokens to usage

04:44 – Predictability; whoever has the best insight into future risk has the greatest pricing power

09:37 – Pricing people vs. the recent trend: AI and how it sets prices

12:02 – The Achilles heel of value-based pricing, and the hybrid pricing practice in companies

18:09 – What real value-based pricing is about

20:52 – An optimal pricing model if you want to combine two metrics

24:31 – Confused buyers don't buy and renew

27:18 – Three reasons why calculators don't expose their logic

28:42 – Steven's pricing advice

29:42 – Connect with Steven

Key Takeaways:

"If you have enough data, you can actually get pretty good at predicting future usage." – Steven Forth

"One of the unstated rules of pricing is that whoever has the best insight into future risk has the greatest pricing power. The better we get at prediction, the more accurate we can get at pricing, and the question then becomes, who has the data to make those predictions? And I think in many cases, it's actually the vendor who has better access to data." – Steven Forth

"This whole question of predictability and pricing is going to be a key question for pricing over the next three to five years, and the artificial intelligences are going to help us to answer that question much better than we've ever been able to answer it before." – Steven Forth

"If you're optimizing value for the customer, you're optimizing the amount that they're willing to pay you, so if you just do it to optimize revenue, you'll end up shooting yourself in the foot because you'll trigger that negative feedback loop." – Steven Forth

Connect with Steven Forth:

Connect with Mark Stiving:

Episoder(500)

Blogcast: Willingness to Pay Is Not Rational

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This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on April 14, 2025, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/willingness-to-pay-is-not-rational/ 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/

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Understanding Context-Driven Pricing: The Key to Maximizing Willingness to Pay with Mark Stiving

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Mark Stiving is a pricing expert and the host of the Impact Pricing podcast, where he explores the intricate relationship between pricing, value, and context. With a wealth of experience in pricing strategies, Mark is passionate about helping companies maximize their revenue through effective pricing techniques. Steven Forth is the co-founder and Managing Partner at Ibbaka, a leading pricing strategy consultancy. With deep expertise in B2B SaaS pricing and value-based pricing models, Steven has been at the forefront of pricing innovation for over two decades. He's passionate about the intersection of pricing strategy, customer value, and emerging technologies like AI agents. In this episode, Steven turns the tables on Mark to explore context-driven pricing – Mark's revolutionary framework that's changing how pricing professionals think about willingness to pay. Together, they dive deep into the four contexts that drive every pricing decision, the three-layer business framework that organizes pricing strategy, and why perfection is the enemy of progress in pricing. Why you have to check out today's podcast: Discover the concept of context-driven pricing and its significance in today's market. Learn how different contexts, such as environmental and customer factors, influence pricing decisions. Understand the importance of defining the problem to effectively implement pricing strategies. "Willingness to pay is contextual." – Mark Stiving Topics Covered: 01:37 – What motivated Mark to think about Context-driven Pricing? 03:15 – The four categories of context: problem, customer, behavioral, and environmental. 04:52 – How environmental factors influence willingness to pay? 06:01 – The role of competitors in shaping pricing strategies. 08:13 – Understanding the foundational problem and its impact on pricing decisions. 14:01 – The intersection of context-driven pricing and AI. 24:58 – Key takeaways on implementing context-driven pricing effectively. Key Takeaways: "Pricing is about understanding the context in which a buyer operates." – Mark Stiving "Defining the problem is crucial to determining willingness to pay." – Mark Stiving "Perfection is impossible; focus on being better every day." – Mark Stiving Resources and People Mentioned: Steven Forth: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenforth/ Ibbaka: https://www.ibbaka.com/ Craig Zawada: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-zawada-a0a39029/ Pros: https://pros.com/ Stephan Liozu: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanliozu/ Zilliant: https://zilliant.com/ Gabe Smith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabesmith/ PriceFX: https://www.pricefx.com/ Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com

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Alastair Dryburgh is the Chief Pricing Architect at Intelligent Pricing Architecture and the author of the book "Pricing Genius." With a background in commercial direction for a marketing consultancy in the pharmaceutical industry, Alastair has spent years honing his expertise in pricing strategies, particularly for creative agencies and consultancies. He believes in the power of value capture and the importance of differentiation in a competitive market. In this episode, Alastair shares his insights on the significance of value over pricing, the necessity of focusing on unique offerings, and how consultants can effectively communicate their value to clients. Together, they discuss the challenges of pricing in a crowded marketplace and the impact of AI on consulting practices. Why you have to check out today's podcast: Discover how to capture value effectively in your pricing strategies. Learn the importance of differentiation in a competitive consulting market. Explore the relationship between pricing, value, and client outcomes. "Consider seriously the possibility that you are ten times as good as your competitors in at least part of what you do, and you should not rest until you have found a way of getting paid in accordance with that." – Alastair Dryburgh Topics Covered: 01:16 – Meet Alastair Dryburgh, a pricing expert with a unique background in the pharmaceutical industry. 01:55 – Discover the pivotal moment in the pharmaceutical sector that reshaped Alastair's career. 05:22 – Learn why successful pricing hinges on value capture rather than value creation. 05:52 – Understand the oxygen vs. coffee analogy that clarifies the pricing dilemma. 07:37 – Explore the consultant's dilemma of "Will I" vs. "Which one" decisions. 09:33 – Find out why many consultants appear the same and how to differentiate yourself. 11:04 – Uncover the proprietary process strategy inspired by McKinsey that can set you apart. 13:45 – Understand why specialization simplifies your business and enhances your appeal. 16:43 – Learn how to position yourself as the only choice for potential clients. 24:17 – Examine the impact of the AI revolution on consulting pricing models. 28:18 – Get final advice on recognizing and leveraging your 10x advantage in the market. Key Takeaways: "It's about value capture, not value creation - you may be creating vast amounts of value but capturing only a tiny fraction of it." – Alastair Dryburgh "Every time I got more specialist, things got easier - your marketing becomes clearer and clients know immediately if they're your target." – Alastair Dryburgh "If you're using AI to reduce costs with a cost-plus pricing model, it will kill you - you're just saving your way out of business." – Alastair Dryburgh Resources and People Mentioned: Intelligent Pricing Architecture: https://www.linkedin.com/company/intelligent-pricing-architecture/ Pricing Genius (book): https://www.amazon.com/Pricing-Genius-Getting-Properly-Advice/dp/1908770783 McKinsey & Co.: https://www.mckinsey.com/ Connect with Alastair Dryburgh: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alastairdryburgh/ Free resource: http://alastairdryburgh.com/guide/ Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com

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Adoption Over Retention: The New AI Pricing Game with Marcos Rivera

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Marcos Rivera is the founder of Pricing I/O and author of "Street Pricing." He brings 25 years of pricing experience, including a three-year tenure as an operating executive at Vista Equity Partners where he worked on pricing strategies across multiple portfolio companies. He's been running Pricing.io since 2019 and is passionate about the intersection of pricing and AI. In this episode, Marcos shares his insights on the evolving landscape of pricing in the age of AI, the importance of capturing value, and how companies can differentiate themselves in a competitive market. Together, they discuss the shift from traditional pricing models to outcome-based pricing and the role of AI in enhancing pricing strategies. Why you have to check out today's podcast: Discover how AI is changing the pricing landscape and what it means for businesses. Explore the relationship between pricing, value, and customer outcomes. Learn about the importance of low-friction entry points in pricing strategies. "AI forces you to walk the walk versus talk the talk." – Marcos Rivera Topics Covered: 02:48 – The evolution of pricing in SaaS where the system gets credit for capturing more value using AI. 05:36 – The significance of capturing value quickly and efficiently. 08:09 – Differentiation in a competitive market and the role of pricing power. 12:16 – The importance of entry points and reducing friction for customers. 14:44 – How product design and pricing design are interconnected. 17:07 – The challenges of pricing in the AI landscape. 18:59 – Marcos's approach to using AI in pricing strategies. 28:56 – Pricing advice from Marcos. Key Takeaways: "Pricing is about capturing value, and AI opens up new opportunities for that." – Marcos Rivera "Entry points matter; make them as low friction as possible." – Marcos Rivera "Understanding how to differentiate your offering is crucial in a crowded market." – Marcos Rivera People and Resources Mentioned: Steven Forth: https://impactpricing.com/podcast/691-pricing-in-the-agent-economy-the-future-beyond-subscriptions-with-steven-forth/ Vista Equity Partners: https://www.vistaequitypartners.com/ Pricing.io: https://www.pricingio.com/ Finn AI: https://www.glia.com/ Zendesk: https://www.zendesk.com/ Cursor: https://www.cursor.com/ HubSpot: https://www.hubspot.com/ Salesforce: https://www.salesforce.com/ Snowflake: https://www.snowflake.com/en/ Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/ Slack: https://slack.com/ 99designs: https://99designs.com/ DeepSeek: https://www.deepseek.com/en ChatGPT: https://openai.com/ Claude: https://claude.ai/ Grok: https://grok.com/ Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai/ Connect with Marcos Rivera: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcoslrivera/ Website: https://www.pricingio.com/ Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com

26 Mai 31min

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This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on March 24, 2025, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/reasons-why-b2b-salespeople-discount/ 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/

23 Mai 3min

Pricing in the Agent Economy: The Future Beyond Subscriptions with Steven Forth

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Steven Forth is the Co-founder & CEO of Ibbaka and a recognized expert in generative AI in pricing. With extensive experience in the intersection of artificial intelligence and pricing strategies, provides valuable insights into how agents are transforming the pricing landscape. In this episode, Steven discusses the concept of AI agents, their role in pricing, and how they can deliver value in various contexts. Together, they explore the implications of AI-driven agents on user interfaces, pricing strategies, and the future of business interactions. Why you have to check out today's podcast: Understand what agents are and how they differ from general-purpose AI. Discover how pricing strategies for agents can be structured around value delivery. Learn about the future of agent-to-agent interactions and their impact on pricing. "Understanding what job your agent is going to do is critical for pricing." – Steven Forth Topics Covered: 02:07 – Definition of agents and their functionality. 03:17 – Differences between agents and general-purpose AI like ChatGPT. 05:11 – User interface simplicity and complexity in agent design. 08:16 – The AI agent layer cake and its implications for pricing. 11:12 – Access and usage-based pricing for agents. 14:03 – Outcomes-based pricing and its challenges. 16:16 – Tokenization. 20:27 – The importance of understanding the job an agent performs for pricing. 24:31 – Steven's insights on the evolving landscape of pricing strategies. 31:28 – Steven's pricing advice around agents. 31:53 – How to connect with Steven. Key Takeaways: "Agents make it easier to do things, and if those things are valuable, we're going to do them a lot more." – Steven Forth "Pricing agents will require a shift in how we think about value delivery." – Steven Forth Resources and People Mentioned: Jakob Nielsen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jakob_Nielsen_(usability_consultant) OpenAI: https://openai.com/ Zilliant: https://zilliant.com/ Perplexity: https://www.perplexity.ai/ Salesforce's Agent Force: https://www.salesforce.com/ap/agentforce/ Marc Benioff: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Benioff AI Agent Layer Cake: https://www.ibbaka.com/ibbaka-market-blog/how-to-price-ai-agents Connect with Steven Forth: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenforth/ Email: steven@ibakka.com Connect with Mark Stiving: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ Email: mark@impactpricing.com

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