Impact Pricing

Gap Selling: Why Price Depends on the Problem You Solve with Keenan

Keenan is the founder and CEO of A Sales Growth Company, where he helps organizations move beyond product-driven selling and into problem-centric sales strategies. He's also the author of Gap Selling, a framework built around one powerful idea: understanding the gap between where a buyer is today and where they need to be. In this episode, Keenan and Mark Stiving unpack a truth most teams say they believe—but rarely execute: buyers don't pay for products, they pay based on the size of the problem and the cost of not solving it. If you've ever wondered why deals stall, why buyers default to "no decision," or why price suddenly becomes the issue—this conversation will challenge how you think about selling, pricing, and what actually drives someone to act. Why You Have to Check Out Today's Podcast: * Understand why buyers don't change unless the problem feels urgent enough and how to surface the real cost of inaction. * Learn how gap selling uncovers the true drivers behind buying decisions by connecting root causes, problems, and impact. * Discover why pricing power comes from problem size not product features and how that changes the way you sell and price. "Value is delivered by the size of the problem—and the cost of not solving it." — Keenan Topics Covered: 01:07 – What Gap Selling Really Means. How shifting from product pitching to problem diagnosis changes win rates, deal size, and sales outcomes 05:05 – Why Everything Starts with a Problem. The hidden truth: every buying decision is driven by a problem—whether the buyer realizes it or not 09:47 – The Different Levels of Problems in Sales. How surface-level needs hide deeper drivers—and why most salespeople stop too early 10:37 – Root Cause vs. Problem vs. Impact. A powerful framework to uncover what's really driving the need to change 13:56 – What Actually Motivates Buyers to Act. Why root causes don't trigger action—but impact does 19:30 – How Deep Should You Go in Problem Discovery? Knowing when to keep digging—and when you've found what truly matters 20:26 – A Real Example: Breaking Down Root Causes (Obesity Case). How complex problems reveal multiple layers—and why that matters in selling 25:04 – How Trust Is Built Through Problem Clarity. Why buyers trust you more when you understand their problem better than they do 27:33 – Pricing Based on the Cost of Inaction. Why price isn't about your product—it's about how painful it is not to solve the problem Key Takeaways: "People don't change unless their current state is untenable." – Keenan "Gap Selling is a selling methodology that helps salespeople improve their win rate, shorten sales cycles, improve their average contract value and close more deals faster." – Keenan "Understanding the size of the problem of not solving it is crucial for pricing." – Keenan People / Resources Mentioned: * A Sales Growth Company – Keenan's company; focused on modern sales strategy * Gap Selling – Framework for understanding buyer problems and driving sales * Gap Prospecting – Keenan's extension of gap selling into outbound and pipeline generation * Status Quo Bias – Why buyers avoid change unless impact is high Connect with Keenan: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimkeenan/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimkeenan/] * Website: https://salesgrowth.com/ [https://salesgrowth.com/] Connect with Mark Stiving: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/] * Email: mark@impactpricing.com

Buyer Insight: Free AI Is a Strategy, Not a Pricing Model

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on January 26, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/free-ai-is-a-strategy-not-a-pricing-model/ [https://impactpricing.com/blog/free-ai-is-a-strategy-not-a-pricing-model/] 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 [mark@impactpricing.com] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/]

Credit-Based Pricing Explained: How AI Companies Balance Cost, Value, and Scale with Steven Forth

AI pricing is changing fast—and suddenly, everyone is selling credits. But here's the uncomfortable question: Are credits actually helping you scale… or quietly pulling you back into cost-plus pricing? Steven Forth, co-founder of ValueIQ, joins Mark Stiving to unpack what's really going on behind the rise of credit-based pricing—and why so many companies are adopting it despite its obvious flaws. This isn't a polite discussion. Mark challenges the very foundation of credits, arguing they break the connection between price and value. Steven pushes back, revealing why credits may be the only viable system in a world where AI usage is unpredictable, costs are real, and value is still being discovered in real time. What emerges is a deeper truth most companies are missing about credit-based pricing. If you're navigating AI pricing—or even just rethinking your current model—this episode will force you to rethink not just how you price… but what you're really charging for. Why You Have to Check Out Today's Podcast: * Discover when credit-based pricing actually works—and when it quietly pulls you back into cost-plus thinking, weakening your ability to communicate real value. * Learn how AI companies balance cost, value, and scale using the "two dials" of pricing—credit price vs. credit consumption—and why this changes how you design pricing systems. * Avoid the hidden design traps that break credit models—including overages, rollovers, and pooling decisions that frustrate buyers and limit growth. "AI is still early. Value is not preordained. Credits give you flexibility while you figure it out." – Steven Forth Topics Covered: 01:43 – Why Credits Break Value-Based Pricing (And Create Buyer Confusion). Mark explains why credits add a layer of abstraction between price and value—making it harder for buyers to connect what they pay to the outcomes they get. 05:47 – The Hidden Shift to Cost-Plus Pricing in AI. Why tokens = cost-plus pricing, and how rising compute costs are quietly pushing SaaS companies away from value-based pricing without realizing it. 10:11 – The "Two Dials" Strategy: How Credits Unlock Pricing Flexibility. Discover how adjusting price per credit vs. credits per action creates a more adaptable system—without constantly changing your pricing model. 12:05 – The Hardest Problem Nobody Solves: Mapping Credits to Value. Why most companies fail at credit pricing—not because of the model itself, but because they skip the deep work of aligning credits with real customer value. 15:22 – The 3 Critical Design Decisions That Make or Break Credits. A breakdown of pooling, rollovers, and overages—and how each one impacts buyer trust, revenue predictability, and product usage. 21:57 – Overage Mistakes That Kill Adoption (And What to Do Instead). Why hard stops frustrate users and reduce usage, plus smarter alternatives like soft limits, borrowing, and on-demand credit purchases. 25:34 – The Emerging Best Practice: Hybrid Credit + Subscription Models. How leading companies combine base subscriptions with flexible credit top-ups to balance predictability with scalability. 27:00 – The Only Rule That Matters: Understand How You Create Value. Steven's closing insight: pricing models don't matter if you don't deeply understand how your value is created—and how it's changing over time. Key Takeaways: "Credits add a layer of abstraction between price and value—and that's what makes them dangerous." – Mark Stiving "Tokens are cost-plus pricing. Credits give you a way to reconnect pricing back to value." – Steven Forth "Buyers are much more flexible with credits than with price increases." – Steven Forth "Credits feel easier to allocate internally—because they've already been 'spent." – Mark Stiving "Hard stops on usage are bad design—they hurt both the buyer and the seller." – Steven Forth "Well-designed credit systems are actually buyer-centric—they give flexibility across different use cases." – Steven Forth Resources and People Mentioned: * Lovable (AI platform) – Referenced for its approach to on-demand credit purchasing and overage design, including A/B testing credit top-ups to improve revenue and user experience * Box (company) – Example of a company implementing restricted credit pooling rules (e.g., limited sharing of AI credits), highlighting tension between buyer flexibility and revenue protection * AI Token Pricing Models – Discussed as a contrast to credits; tokens represent cost-plus pricing tied to compute usage, while credits can be designed to reflect value instead of just cost * Cell Phone Industry (Rollover & Subscription Models) – Referenced as the origin of many modern SaaS pricing mechanics like rollovers, ARR, and customer lifetime value thinking, influencing today's credit-based systems Connect with Steven Forth: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenforth/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenforth/] * Email: steven@valueiq.ai * Subscribe to Steven's Substack: Synthetic data in pricing: https://pricinginnovation.substack.com/p/synthetic-data-in-pricing [https://pricinginnovation.substack.com/p/synthetic-data-in-pricing] Connect with Mark Stiving: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/] * Email: mark@impactpricing.com

Buyer Insight: "We Lost on Price" – Truthful and Useless

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on January 19, 2026, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go. Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/we-lost-on-price-truthful-and-useless/ [https://impactpricing.com/blog/we-lost-on-price-truthful-and-useless/] 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 [mark@impactpricing.com] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/]

How Jobs to Be Done Shapes Buyer Decisions (And What They Really Want) with Jim Kalbach

Jim Kalbach is the Chief Evangelist at Mural, where he helps teams uncover what customers actually need—not just what they say they want. Known for his work in Jobs to Be Done, experience mapping, and innovation, Jim has spent years helping organizations see beyond their products and into how buyers really think, decide, and act. In this episode, we unpack a simple but often overlooked truth: buyers don't start with problems—they start with solutions. Jim walks us through what's really happening beneath the surface—from how buyers recognize (or miss) their own problems, to how they search, evaluate, and eventually decide when to stop looking. Along the way, you'll learn how identifying unmet needs doesn't just improve your product—it sharpens your messaging, builds trust faster, and gives you a clearer path to pricing around real value. Why you have to check out today's podcast: * Understand why buyers struggle to explain their own problems and how removing the solution from the conversation reveals what they actually need. * Learn how Jobs to Be Done helps you predict buyer behavior by uncovering the unmet needs driving their decisions. * Understand the moment buyers stop searching and how aligning with their real problem builds trust and increases conversion. "Understand the problems first—and then price around that." – Jim Kalbach Topics Covered: 02:08 – Why Buyers Struggle to Express Their Problems. Learn why buyers default to solutions instead of articulating real needs—and how that limits insight. 05:57 – The Jobs to Be Done Mindset Explained. Discover how removing the solution from the conversation helps uncover true customer problems. 10:06 – The Layers of Problems in Sales. Understand how to navigate from surface-level needs to deeper value-driving problems. 12:43 – Why Buyers Are Predicting the Future. Explore how every purchase is a bet on future outcomes—and what builds buyer confidence. 14:37 – Identifying Unmet Needs in the Market. Learn how uncovering unmet needs improves product-market fit, messaging, and adoption. 18:45 – Building Trust by Understanding Problems First. See how recognizing a buyer's problem before they articulate it creates instant credibility. 21:22 – Shifting from Product Thinking to Human Problems. Why focusing on the human problem—not the product—makes selling and pricing easier. 25:47 – Core Principles of the Jobs to Be Done Framework. Break down the key idea: temporarily remove the solution to better understand the job. 27:29 – Pricing Around Value Creation. Why pricing should be anchored in the problems you solve—not the product you sell. Key Takeaways: "Try to understand the value that you can create by shifting your attention to the problems that you solve." – Jim Kalbach "The power of jobs to be done is let's not see things only through the lens of our own solution." – Jim Kalbach "Jobs to be done is trying to predict the future by creating a solution that fills an unmet need." – Jim Kalbach Resources and People Mentioned: * Jobs to Be Done (JTBD) – Framework for understanding customer behavior by focusing. * Henry Ford – Referenced for the "faster horse" analogy, illustrating how customers describe needs based on existing solutions. * Theodore Levitt – Known for the classic insight: people don't want a drill, they want a hole—used here to illustrate layers of customer problems. Connect with Jim Kalbach: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalbach [https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalbach] * Website: https://skyp.ai/www.jtbdtoolkit.com [http://www.jtbdtoolkit.com/] * Jobs to be Done Playbook: https://experiencinginformation.com/jtbd-playbook/ [https://experiencinginformation.com/jtbd-playbook/] Connect with Mark Stiving: * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/ [https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/] * Email: mark@impactpricing.com