Power Pricing

Dolan and Simon combine their international expertise and know-how to reveal the latest breakthroughs in pricing tactics. Drawing on their firsthand experience with firms throughout the world, they make available for the first time the logic behind the actual practices of "power pricers" engaged in fierce global competition. Market segmentation, promotional pricing, competitive strategic pricing, international pricing, nonlinear pricing, interrelated product line pricing, and time-customized pricing are just a few of the crucial concepts which the authors explore and explain when and how to implement. The authors' approach to creating "power pricers" is twofold. They specify the practices of the strategic pricers among the world's most successful firms and then lay out a four-dimensional system to attain this level of pricing sophistication and resulting profit improvement. Dolan and Simon draw their portrait of the power pricer in four critical dimensions: viewpoint on pricing, fact file support pricing, tools and scope of analysis, and determination and implementation.

The authors argue that firms must view pricing as a key and highly manageable element in the profit equation, worthy of attention equal to that accorded to sales volume and costs. Companies must have data at their finger tips which are more accurate, timely, relevant, and dissaggregated than their competitors'. Using these data to create a systematic analysis of customers and competitors, companies will be able to create and assess pricing scenarios to achieve long-term profitability.

This targeted, quadrupled approach to transforming the bottom line by managing price leaves no strategy or option unturned. Power Pricing is a highly detailed yet practically focused book which will become required reading for business leaders; general managers; marketing, product, and brand managers; accountants, financial managers, and marketing students, world-wide.

Dolan's and Simon's book is therefore of some interest to me. These two management consultants have written an extremely practical and non-academic book which explores the actual practice of business pricing with greater sophistication than found in most standard applied micreconomics texts or many business marketing texts. The main markets for this book, I suspect, are students, having graduated but still disatisifed with the overly theoretical approach in their microeconomics classes, and business managers, especially in medium to large companies, for whom pricing is a very dynamic and strategic issue.

I doubt this book is used as a main teaching text, nor would I recommend it. Its basic concepts are hardly novel and are found in any microeconomics or marketing text.The presentation of the basic concept of price elasticity is somewhat long and tedious (it is usually done in less than a page in a standard microeconomics text). However, the application of this concept -and illustrations of how businesses can use it practically - makes for a very rich discussion.

What is useful in their book is the variety of examples of actual business settings where practical pricing decisions have to be made which can apply several different concepts. How globalization affects pricing decisions is given considerable attention in this book. I did not find the final section on implementation of priing strategy in organizations as insightful as the middle chapter which is more analytical.

For teaching and learning purposes, this could be a useful back-up resource, if used judiciously with a more standard text.


Generalista   March 18, 2001
Mario Barrundia Sanchez (Guatemala, Guatemala)
9 out of 35 found this review helpful

Me parece que este libro da ideas basicas de las estructuras de precio usadas actualmente, sin embargo toca cada tema muy superficialmente y al menos en mi caso tuve necesidad de comprar otro libro sobre el tema con la idea de profundizar mas en las estructuras de precio no lineales.


Very Relevant Material   February 23, 2001
Sheltonite (CT United States)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

I work in the small appliance business. Price is one of the largest issues facing our industry. Dolan combines textbook economic theory, practical applications and real world examples to spin an enticing web of price application. This is a must read for : former economics majors who wish they had pursued a graduate degree, marketing people who have pricing authority (or wish they did) and sales people. The underlying message is reinforced by example.. price on customer perceived value. A great "pass around" text for co-workers, its not terribly academic, but you must keep with it in the slow chapters.


too specific and at the same time too general   March 16, 2000
michael Ras (italy)
21 out of 26 found this review helpful

Needing literature for my thesis I found this book. Looks promising, but quotes like "global brands coupled with differentiated prices are not possible" immediately dismiss this book as a good source of reliable info. I just have to mention the differing prices of MC Donalds throughout the world, and you know this quote is really worthless. Of course the quote has some meaning for high priced goods, but for almost all fast moving consumer goods this quote is rubbish. I think it would be useful to add to a future version of this book that this remark is more valid for high priced goods.

Second point that I want to make is that the author thinks all producers have factory outlet stores or that distributors don't have a supplier. But this is probably my business administration background asking for a real perspective on prices, instead of just one isolated part. Mr. Dolan please read some distribution channel management literature! There are suppliers and there often is a retail channel that has some power in setting their own prices (especially in EUROPE)It is not clear from what perspective the author is looking.

And last of all, if you write a better version, please change the title, the best thing that I can say about the current title is that it fits the book.