Pricing and Human Capital A Guide to Developing a Pricing Career, Managing Pricing Teams, and Developing Pricing Skills

The pricing profession has come a long way: from having a pure clerical function back in the 1970s to a more strategic one today, pricing professionals are increasingly accepted as fully fledged members of marketing and finance teams. However, in many of these organizations, pricing professionals are often misunderstood and neglected from a career and talent perspective. Furthermore, the literature is still silent on how to manage and develop pricing teams.

Pricing and Human Capital explores the specific nature of pricing human resources and focuses on how to manage pricing teams, pricing talent, pricing careers and how to organize the pricing function for success. It is dedicated to the pricing function and is aimed at helping pricing professionals manage their career within marketing, finance, sales or IT departments.

By focusing on specific practical tips, tools and recommendations that pricing and HR teams can adopt to improve their relationships, and including extensive interviews with senior pricing executives, it is the perfect toolkit for both HR and pricing professionals. This valuable textbook with its collection of cases in pricing will also be essential for students and tutors of marketing and sales.

Part I: Talent Management in Pricing 1. New to or Interested in Pricing Leadership? Get Started with Talent Management 2. Interview with a Pricing Expert: Holly Krafft, VP of Strategic Pricing, Reed Elsevier 3. Interview with a Pricing Expert: Scott Letts, Director of Pricing, The Crosby Group 4. Interview with a Pricing Expert: Ian Tidswell, Head of Global Pricing, Syngenta 5. Lightning Strike: Pricing Developments in Asia (Jesper Hansson) Part II: Pricing Skills 6. Learning and Getting Training in Pricing (Julie Martin) 7. Eight Essential Pricing Skills (Rick Cardot) 8. Interview with a Pricing Expert: Diana Zuzek, Global Chief Pricing Officer, 3M 9. Interview with a Pricing Expert: Kevin Lemke, VP of Pricing, Black & Decker 10. Interview with a Pricing Expert: Vishay Jayaswal, VP of Pricing, Cox Automotive 11. Lightning Strike: Why You Should Consider Formal Pricing Certifications 12. Lightning Strike: Ten Soft Pricing Skills to Pay Attention to and Develop Part III: Organizing the Pricing Function 13. Pricing Councils Are Very Valuable for Businesses and a Pricing Career 14. Where Should Pricing Report In To? 15. Interview with a Pricing Expert: Raymond Almedia Jr., VP of Strategic Pricing Support and Analytics, Boston Scientific 16. Interview with a Pricing Expert: Gernot Dambacher, Head of Pricing & Management Systems, Evonik Industries AG 17. Interview with a Pricing Expert: Joe Siino, VP of Pricing, Avis Group 18. Interview with a Pricing Expert: Robert Smith, Global Director of Pricing, Eastman Chemical Co. Part IV: Managing a Pricing Career 19. How to Leverage Business Conferences to Develop a Network and Help Your Career (Goran Cvetanovski) 20. PPS 2013 Survey 21. Is There a Career in Pricing? Deloitte White Paper 22. Interview with a Pricing Expert: Harold Peck, Corporate Vice President of Strategic Pricing, H. D. Smith 23. Interview with Pricing Experts: Bill McGill and Mary McGill, Partners, William Richard Associates 24. Lightning Strike: Ten Tips for Managing Your Pricing Career (Vernon Lennon) 25. Lightning Strike: Twelve Questions to Ask Before Accepting That Big Pricing Job Part V: Careers in Pricing Consulting and Software 26. The Required Skills of Pricing Consultants (Frederico Zornig) 27. Interview with a Pricing Expert: Ryan White, Managing Partner, Insight for Profit 28. Interview with a Pricing Expert: Andres Reiner, President & CEO, Pros Holdings 29. Interview with a Pricing Expert: Michael Hart, Director of Pricing and Decision Support, Pittsburgh Glass Works 30. Conclusion: Putting It All Together!

Stephan M. Liozu is Assistant Professor of Management and Strategy at Chatham University, USA. He is part of the faculty of and on the board for the Professional Pricing Society, the world’s largest organization dedicated to pricing. He is also Founder of Value Innoruption Advisors, USA.