―Reed Holden, founder, Holden Advisors Corp., www.holdenadvisors.com coauthor, The Strategy and Tactics of A Guide to Profitable Decision Making , Third Edition
"With Pricing on Purpose, Ron Baker had made an enormous contribution to the better understanding of pricing that will be accessible to anyone who wants to learn. People are intrigued by instances of what they see as idiosyncratic pricing. Sometimes it is idiosyncratic, but oft-times it is fiendishly clever and well researched. So is this book. There are examples that at first sight seem to have nothing to do with the subject at hand, but the learning points are all made and explained in any number of interesting and memorable ways. Pricing on Purpose is a welcome and valuable addition to the learning on pricing and I recommend it to professional pricers, marketers, and anyone interested in capturing the value their business creates." ―Eric G. Mitchell, President, Professional Pricing Society, www.pricingsociety.com
"Ron Baker is what I'd call a 'thought giant.' In his first two books he literally began a revolution in the accounting and legal professions. Thousands of professionals in public practice now lead far better, more rewarding lives thanks to him. Now he's broadened his impact in a huge way. Read this book, implement the ideas and you'll never look at your prices or your pricing policies in the same way again. You'll be richer in many ways because of it." ―Paul Dunn, founder and CEO, ResultsNet Australia, coauthor, The Firm of the A Guide for Accountants, Lawyers, and Other Professional Services, www.resultsnetaustralia.com
"As a reader of hundreds of business books, I am thrilled when I come across one that has something new to say. Pricing on Purpose does just that. Instead of presenting a set of feel-good items to check off a list, Ron Baker encourages us 'to think with him, not like him.' He methodically builds his argument leading us through the labyrinth of pricing theory and encourages us to look at pricing as the strategic tool that it is rather than taking the lazy cost-based tactical approach of most businesses. To paraphrase Karl Marx in terms of Baker's book, 'Cost-based pricing is the opium of business.'" ―Ed Kless, Director, Partner Development and Recruitment, Sage Software
"Baker has done it again! Building on the core principles that he advanced in Professional's Guide to Value Pricing and The Firm of the Future, Ron Baker has again evolved thought leadership on the critical dynamics of value and pricing. Baker's latest work, Pricing on Creating and Capturing Value, provides real-world examples and practical strategies that provide a framework for pricing optimization. His clarity of purpose and passionate call to action resonates in today's intellectual capital economy." ―Thomas Finneran, Executive Vice President, American Association of Advertising Agencies
"We love this book! With detailed research, thorough references, and recommendations for further reading, this could be considered a textbook. That it is so readable and engaging is a triumph. The chapter providing the epitaph for cost-plus pricing is worth many times the price of this book. 'Got price-sensitive customers? Wonder why? Read and stop weeping. Who's in charge of value in your company?' Baker asks. If you can't immediately answer, you'd better read this book. Bravo, Baker!" ―Paul O'Byrne and Paul Kennedy, partners, O'Byrne and Kennedy LLP, Chartered Accountants, United Kingdom, www.obk.co.uk
"Ron Baker is nothing short of brilliant, and his enthusiasm for pricing is contagious. Pricing on Purpose will add more value to your firm than anything else you could do. As usual in Ron's books, he presents cutting-edge ideas. There is no greater value to your company than to read Pricing on Purpose and implement its ideas." ―Scott Abbott, entrepreneur, former regional business development, manager, BDO Dunwoody, LLP, Manitoba, Canada
The book isn’t a how to. Rather it is a why you must. Covering economic pricing theory, you’ll walk away with a better understanding of pricing differentiation and consumer/market behavior. Definitely not a riveting read, but an important one to understand and for most pricing professionals and economic and business students to read.
Ron Baker has written a fascinating book on pricing. Rarely is pricing done for the purpose of creating value for the customer. The strategy for pricing put forward in this book is to create and capture value for the customer. In just about any given business, prices are a result of cost, tracking the margins and other methods that don't take the customer in consideration. It is looking in to the past and not the future. Ron proposes a different strategy for pricing, a strategy to price on propose, as the title of the book suggests. It is value, not cost, that determines price. What I found the most inspiring in the book is the introduction of a CVO (Chief Value Officer) in to an organization. Ron profiles the world's first CVO in the book. Ron states that the characteristics of a CVO are to "understand that there is nobility in getting paid what the company is worth. Nothing is more satisfying than customers who believe_and act on the premise_that they get what they pay for. Perhaps the first important characteristic of a successful CVO is high self-esteem; they believe that their company's product and services are worth every penny they charge. They are more concerned with developing a value proposition based on value, not price." I highly recommend this book. It has already become a reference book for me as I learn more about running a successful business.