Premium Pricing in the Age of AI and Procurement

Why attend

The professional services market is changing rapidly.

Clients have access to more information than ever before. AI is making it easier for firms to produce proposals, insights and thought leadership. Procurement functions are becoming more sophisticated and are under increasing pressure to drive value and reduce costs.

Yet despite this, many firms are finding it harder to differentiate, harder to win strategically important opportunities and harder to maintain pricing power. This workshop explores how leading firms are responding.

Drawing on practical experience from both business development and pricing strategy, Wayne Stewart and Colin Jasper will examine how firms can create preference earlier in the buying journey, navigate increasingly complex buying groups and protect value when commercial pressure inevitably arrives.

Topics covered

• How AI is changing client buying behaviour and accelerating commoditisation
• Why traditional thought leadership is becoming less effective as a source of differentiation
• How to engage clients before needs are fully formed
• Understanding the roles played by business leaders, legal teams, procurement and executive decision-makers
• Creating preference before procurement takes control of the process
• Deciding when to pursue the whole opportunity versus targeting the highest-value work
• Responding to procurement tactics without sacrificing strategic positioning
• Managing scope uncertainty, fixed fee requests and commercial risk
• Handling price objections and discount pressure while preserving value
• Alternative fee approaches that help clients buy while protecting profitability

The afternoon includes The Mystery of the Winning Move, an interactive simulation where participants work through a major pursuit involving competing stakeholders, procurement pressure, pricing decisions and evolving client expectations.

Key learning outcomes

Participants will:

• Better understand how clients make decisions on large, complex engagements
• Learn where business development investment generates the greatest return
• Improve their ability to influence opportunities before formal buying processes begin
• Develop more effective strategies for working with procurement and sourcing teams
• Explore approaches to fixed fees, scope uncertainty and commercial risk allocation
• Increase confidence in responding to pricing pressure and discount requests
• Learn how differentiation, stakeholder engagement and commercial strategy combine to support premium pricing

Investment: $3,150 + GST (includes two participant places)
Attendance is limited to 30 participants to ensure a highly interactive experience.