Banking on Value: Pricing Strategies for Competitive Edge with Sundar Ramanathan

Sundar Ramanathan is a Banking Product and Pricing Executive with experience in exceeding/meeting growth, capital, liquidity, and profitability objectives through product and pricing levers.

In this episode, Sundar emphasizes the importance of moving beyond product commoditization, instead, focusing on creating value through customer experiences, and pricing as the outcome of value creation.

Why you have to check out today’s podcast:

• Discover the fascinating concept of the indifference curve in the context of pricing banking products
• Learn the art of developing a customer-centric approach to pricing banking products, taking into account essential factors for success
• Find out how you can implement value pricing strategies, even with commoditized banking products

"On the retail banking side, we hear commoditization a lot. But I think there is an opportunity to go beyond that. I think products disappear and experiences emerge, and experience is what creates value. And value can be priced."

- Sundar Ramanathan

Topics Covered:

01:36 - How he found himself in pricing

02:47 - Talking about examples of banking products

04:39 - Is bank's pricing based on value or cost

09:15 - The importance of balancing cost and value and highlighting the indifference curve in pricing 

11:55 - Determining the area of indifference in banking pricing

16:06 - How to let borrowers decide in your favor over your competitors

19:37 - Where you create value pricing in banking products

22:06 - Sundar's best pricing advice

Key Takeaways:

"The product structure and pricing might be commoditized, but where you create the value and enhance your pricing margin is the experience." - Sundar Ramanathan

"You will never know the right pricing unless you are bold enough to make those decisions to test that elasticity and have a plan B." - Sundar Ramanathan

"You can only create value by removing the friction as much as possible compared to competition.” - Sundar Ramanathan

"You can never win by pricing." - Sundar Ramanathan

Connect with Sundar Ramanathan:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sundar

Connect with Mark Stiving:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/
• Email: [email protected]