Book Review: Smarter Pricing, by Tony Cram

I’ve just finished reading this book: “Smarter Pricing” by Tony Cram. Refreshingly for the author of a pricing book, Tony is a Brit, “…based at Ashridge Business School where he researches, teaches, consults and writes on customer value and the dynamics of long-term business relationships".

This book is an enjoyable read and there are many interesting little case studies and vignettes in its 206 pages. It is divided into 4 parts and contains 10 chapters.

I do get the sense however that, perhaps Tony has been let down by his proof-readers and editors. The content is certainly refreshing (something old, something new), but there is also a bit of room for improvement. In some places, such as on page 41, I felt like I was actually in a lecture being given by Tony:

Action: how to gain from price indifference brands

I was also particularly concerned with the following sentence on p176:

“Manufacturers that have been able to demonstrate to retailers that they have worked hard to cut costs out of their system will be reaping the rewards as retailers will be more open to considering price increases.”

Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but if that was me, I’d be asking for a price decrease if the manufacturer had lowered their costs ???

Don’t get me wrong however. This is an enjoyable read for anyone taking a first look at pricing. Definitely worth a look.