Pricing Gurus and 5 Circles Research Blog Posts

Van Westendorp pricing (the Price Sensitivity Meter)

Practitioner’s guide for those conducting their own pricing research, focusing on the Van Westendorp Price Sensitivity Meter. [Read More]

Are you pricing based on cost rather than value? Why?

At Pricing Gurus, we believe that value-based pricing allows companies to achieve higher profitability and a better competitive position. Some companies disagree with that perspective, or feel they are stuck with cost-based pricing. Let’s explore a few reasons why value-based pricing is generally superior. I like this definition from Wikipedia – “Value-based price is a [Read More]

Dutch ovens: paying a lot more means better value

An article on Dutch ovens in the September/October 2018 of Cook’s Illustrated gives food for thought (pun intended) about the relationship of between price and value. Sometimes higher value for a buyer means paying a lot more money – good news for the seller too. Dutch ovens (also known as casseroles or cocottes) are multipurpose, [Read More]

Methow Valley Ski Trails gets pricing right

The Methow Valley is a remote area in Eastern Washington State. It’s a destination recreation area year-round, and even more so in the winter when the North Cascades Highway is closed making a circular drive impossible. I’ve enjoyed skiing the trails in the Methow Valley on a number of occasions, and on a recent visit [Read More]

This survey Hertz: lack of thought

I recently took a survey sponsored by the Hertz Corporation, intended to assess the appeal of several new approaches to services. This post discusses some of the problems I found, and why you should avoid creating your surveys like this one. [Read More]

Valentine’s Day: think about seasonality and annual trends

Whether or not you have a retail product or service, there are lessons to be learned from Valentine’s Day. What are the annual seasonal variations in your business and what are the trends over longer periods? How do trends affect your research? [Read More]

When More is More: taking advantage of purchaser (mis)understanding of discounts.

Should you offer a discount to kick start sales of a new product? Or to revive sales of a forgotten product or service? Pricing Gurus recommends you hold the line and treat discounts as temporary, lest you simply lower the prices. [Read More]

Since becoming our contracted consultant for market research services in 2010, 5 Circles Research has revolutionized our annual survey of consumer opinion in Washington. Through the restructuring of survey methodology and the application of new analytical tools, they have provided insights that are both wider in their scope and deeper in their relevance for understanding consumer values and behavior. As a result, the survey has increased its significance as a planning and evaluation tool for our entire state agency. 5 Circles does great work!

Blair ThompsonDirector of Consumer CommunicationsWashington Dairy Products Commission

I hired Mike to develop, execute and report on a market research project involving a potential business opportunity. I was impressed with his ability to learn the industry and subsequently develop a framework for the market research project. He was able to execute the research and collect data efficiently and effectively. Throughout the project, he kept me abreast of the progress to allow for any adjustments as needed. The quality and quantitative output of the results exceeded my expectations and provided me with more confidence in the direction of the business opportunity.

Mike ClaudioVice President Marketing and Business DevelopmentWizard InternationalSeattle

I have come to know both Mike and Stefan as creative, thoughtful, and very diligent research consultants. They were always willing to go further to make sure respondents remained engaged and any research results were applicable and of immediate use to us here at Bellevue CE. They were partners and thought leaders on the project. I am happy to recommend them to any public sector client.

Radhika Seshan, Ph.DRadhika Seshan, Ph.D, Executive Director of Programs Continuing Education Bellevue College

Are you pricing based on cost rather than value? Why?

At Pricing Gurus, we believe that value-based pricing allows companies to achieve higher profitability and a better competitive position. Some companies disagree with that perspective, or feel they are stuck with cost-based pricing. Let’s explore a few reasons why value-based pricing is generally superior. I like this definition from Wikipedia – “Value-based price is a [Read More]

Van Westendorp pricing (the Price Sensitivity Meter)

Practitioner’s guide for those conducting their own pricing research, focusing on the Van Westendorp Price Sensitivity Meter. [Read More]

Profiting from customer satisfaction and loyalty research

Business people generally know that satisfying customers is a good thing, but they don’t necessarily understand the link between satisfaction and profits. This is partly because much of the original work was done so long ago that contradictory cases and nuances have allowed confusion to build up. Additionally, some companies have appeared successful for a [Read More]

Dutch ovens: paying a lot more means better value

An article on Dutch ovens in the September/October 2018 of Cook’s Illustrated gives food for thought (pun intended) about the relationship of between price and value. Sometimes higher value for a buyer means paying a lot more money – good news for the seller too. Dutch ovens (also known as casseroles or cocottes) are multipurpose, [Read More]