Worksheet: Stand up a monthly pricing forum

Pricing decisions made in meetings called for other purposes get made in a hurry and never written down. This sheet sets a monthly forum, its standing agenda and a table of who decides what. It builds the Competent step of the check:

A regular pricing forum decides list moves, big deals and exceptions, with decisions minuted.

Step 1. The standing agenda (60 minutes)

Item	Minutes	Paper from	Decision sought
Realisation and pocket price since last month	10	Pricing owner	Note, or act
List moves	15		Approve or reject
Big deals (above a set value)	20		Approve, change or reject
Exceptions requested or due to expire	10		Grant, renew or end
Actions from last month	5		Close

Step 2. Who decides what

One name in the "Decides" column per row. Everyone else is consulted or told.

Decision	Decides	Consulted	Told	Limit
e.g. A deal below the floor price	Sales director	Pricing owner	Finance	Up to $50,000 a year in value
List price move
Price for a new product
Deal below the floor price
New or renewed exception
Change to a rebate or term
Response to a competitor move

Step 3. The minutes

Date	Decision	Decided by	Reason	Action owner	Due

A business under 50 people: put pricing on the agenda of one monthly meeting you already hold, with list moves, big deals and exceptions as standing items. Write down who decides each and minute the decisions.

Done when: the forum has met on its calendar for three months running, and every decision is minuted with who made it.

Adapted from our own price increase diagnostic (Deloitte, 2014).