Stage 3 · Price

Cascade

Apply pricing, programs and margin, with assumptions and approvals kept visible.

Status: Internal review. This page describes the general process.

The problem

Pricing a deal means combining list prices, programs, discounts and margin targets, often from several sources that change on their own schedules.

When a price is assembled by hand, it is hard to show afterwards which inputs were used, which were assumed, and who approved an exception.

Inputs and outputs

Goes in

  • A reviewed configuration from Design
  • Commercial inputs the seller is authorized to use: price lists, programs and margin rules
  • Deal-specific terms such as length and quantities

Comes out

  • A price that can be checked line by line
  • Assumptions listed next to the numbers they affect
  • Any item that needs approval, flagged before it goes out
  • Approved terms ready to present

How the work moves

  1. Load

    Start from the configuration and the commercial inputs in force for this deal.

  2. Apply

    Apply pricing, programs and margin in a consistent, repeatable order.

  3. Expose

    Show which inputs were assumed or manually overridden, and why.

  4. Review

    Identify exceptions for review by an authorized decision-maker before the price is shared.

An example

Fictional example. The company, people and details are invented to show the shape of the work.

Harbor Line Studio's configuration is priced on a fictional three-year term. Cascade shows that one accessory's price was entered by hand because it was missing from the current price list, and that the margin on the second-floor device falls below the target and needs a manager's approval.

The seller sees both points before the customer sees a number.

Where a person decides

Pricing decisions belong to people with the authority to make them. Cascade calculates and flags; people decide exceptions.

The intent is that only authorized commercial inputs are used, and that each one can be traced to its source.

What it hands on

The intended next step is approved terms, with the assumptions behind them, ready to present. The four programs are at different stages; this describes the intended workflow, not a live integration.

Discuss your workflow

Tell us where the work slows down between the first conversation and the customer's decision.

Email [email protected]