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02-2024_Pricing-News – The Organization of Sales: Key to Implementing the Pricing Strategy
/in News / Insights, Unkategorisiert/by Prof. Dr. Hans-Christian RiekhofPRICING NEWS
The Organization of Sales: Key to Implementing the Pricing Strategy
by Prof. Dr. Hans-Christian Riekhof
Pricing strategies are of little use if they are not implemented in the market and with the customer. I have written about this in my Pricing Newsletters No. 65, No. 59, No. 56 and No. 46, and I have also repeatedly emphasized elsewhere that the implementation of strategies requires its own management tools. You can find more about this in my book published by Schäffer Poeschel “The 6 Levers of Strategy Implementation”.
As for the approach to implementing pricing strategies, Britta Seeger, the sales manager of Mercedes-Benz, currently provides a nice example. The Handelsblatt reported on this on 19.02.24. What is Mercedes-Benz planning?
– Mercedes has converted the sales to an agency model. This means that the price sovereignty no longer lies in the branches or with the dealers, but that the headquarters sets the strategic price course.
– The IT systems are standardized in this context, and this also means that the headquarters has sovereignty over the customer and transaction data.
– This largely prevents “discount battles”.
– The Mercedes-owned branches are to be sold to external dealers. According to Mercedes, 80 businesses and 8,000 employees are affected.
– The total sales area is to be reduced by 20%.
This is a big task that needs to be tackled. But in order to actually enforce prices in the market and towards customers, appropriate processes, systems and enforcement options are needed.
Initial successes are already becoming apparent: according to information from the Handelsblatt, the average sales price for Mercedes cars has risen from €51,000 in 2019 to almost €75,000. This is of course also due to the vehicle mix. But the consequences for profitability are obvious. We are curious to see how the implementation will continue.
Best regards from Hamburg
Yours
Prof. Dr. Hans-Christian Riekhof
Photo:
Where are the prices finally decided when buying a car?
Source: © iStockphoto
Pricing-Newsletter No. 59 (2022): When incentive systems prevent the implementation of the pricing strategy
/in Pricing Newsletter/by Prof. Dr. Hans-Christian RiekhofIn vielen Unternehmen sind die Anreizsysteme auf die Erreichung von Umsatzzielen ausgerichtet. Die Durchsetzung von Preiserhöhungen oder allgemeiner: die Durchsetzung der Preisstrategie hat dann zwangsläufig nur begrenzte Chancen. Wo liegen die größten Chancen, preisstrategische Ziele in der Vertriebsmannschaft zu verankern?
Jetzt kostenlosen Zugang erhalten zu allen unseren Pricing Studien, zu unseren Pricing News und zu unseren mehr als 70 Pricing-Newslettern, mit denen Sie zum Pricing Experten werden können.
Pricing-Newsletter No. 44 (2021): Urgency in Pricing – Making Implementation a Top Priority!
/in Pricing Newsletter, Pricing Newsletter/by Prof. Dr. Hans-Christian RiekhofSelbst gute Pricing-Strategien geraten bei der Umsetzung in vielen Unternehmen ins Stottern. Um eine Preisstrategie im Markt wie auch in der eigenen Organisation tatsächlich durchzusetzen, bedarf es einer Führung, die dem Thema Dringlichkeit verleiht und es zur Chefsache erklärt. Der Newsletter zeigt Wege, wie die Strategie-Umsetzung besser gelingt.
Jetzt kostenlosen Zugang erhalten zu allen unseren Pricing Studien, zu unseren Pricing News und zu unseren mehr als 70 Pricing-Newslettern, mit denen Sie zum Pricing Experten werden können.
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