Guest Author: Julia Brasher
If your company’s revenue growth has hit a plateau, it might be time to take a fresh look at your quoting process. While pricing strategies often live within the walls of finance or sales teams, unlocking real growth requires a broader approach—one that involves voices from across your organization.
The Hidden Power of Cross-Functional Collaboration
In many companies, pricing is treated like a “black box.” Sales teams enter opportunities, finance crunches the numbers, and somewhere in between, quotes are generated. But this closed-loop approach can lead to missed opportunities. When other departments—such as marketing, product development, operations, and customer service—are invited into the pricing conversation, a whole new world of potential opens up.
Each department offers unique insights:
Marketing can provide data on customer perceptions of value and competitive positioning.
Product Development can highlight cost structures and innovation roadmaps.
Operations can identify efficiencies (or inefficiencies) that impact pricing decisions.
Customer Service can share real-world feedback that might adjust the perceived value of your offering.
What Pricing Diplomacy Looks Like in Action
Imagine a scenario where a sales team is negotiating a complex deal. Instead of pushing through with generic pricing guidelines, they involve finance to analyze profitability, operations to assess delivery costs, and marketing to ensure the offer aligns with brand promises. This collaborative approach not only strengthens the quote but also increases the chances of closing a deal that is both profitable and strategically sound.
This approach isn’t without its challenges. It requires transparency, communication, and a willingness to break down silos. But when done right, it turns pricing into a strategic tool for growth rather than a reactive process.
Turning the “Black Box” into a Growth Engine
To move toward a more collaborative quoting process, start by:
Opening Lines of Communication: Create regular touchpoints between departments to discuss pricing strategies and challenges.
Setting Clear Objectives: Align teams around shared goals, such as revenue targets or profitability metrics.
Encouraging Transparency: Share the “why” behind pricing decisions to build trust and buy-in across teams.
The rewards of this approach can be transformative. When pricing becomes a shared responsibility, you’ll see stronger alignment across teams, a clearer understanding of value, and more opportunities to drive revenue growth.
About the Author
With 20 years of experience in strategic revenue management, Julia specializes in driving profitability and implementing innovative pricing solutions. Currently, as Director of Pricing at Highline Warren, Julia partners with the commercial team via an efficient deal desk system to facilitate $30+ million in weekly opportunities. Known for cross-functional collaboration, Julia excels at identifying process improvements to drive strategic growth. She holds an MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
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