PRICING in AI deflation era — one price adjustment = one year of effort

🎯 Why it matters

AI drops cost to near zero. Cost-plus businesses transfer AI deflation directly to clients (your cost drops → your quote drops). Outcome pricing → you capture the AI deflation gain. Simon-Kucher (2024) and BCG (2025) pricing reports both flag "value-based pricing in the AI era" as a top trend — aligning price with outcomes rather than input costs. One 5-10% raise = direct hit to bottom line.

📊 ROI highlights

• 10% raise every 6 months = direct +10% revenue
• Outcome pricing: greater client benefit, greater your fee
• 5-year cost-plus: margin slowly eaten by AI

⚠️ Common mistakes

• Cost-plus for 5+ years, no adjustment
• Afraid to raise — clients might leave
• Want outcome pricing but no way to quantify outcome

✅ Action checklist

• Every 6 months: full pricing audit (quote vs delivered value per service)
• Quarterly: try raising 5-10% (lose 5-10% clients, filter mismatches)
• Gradually shift cost-plus → outcome (start with hybrid)
• Quantify outcome: how much client saves / earns