Scott Davis

Scott Davis is the Principal and founder of Strategic Marketing Decisions, a consultancy that specializes in helping their clients improve market performance by optimizing the design and pricing of their products and services. Key areas of emphasis include 1) understanding the customer’s decision process, 2) estimating the value of product features to different market segments and how they influence preference and choice, 3) identifying cost drivers and measuring their impact on profitability, 4) assessing competitive offerings and forecasting likely competitive responses, and 5) developing strategies for effectively selling their offerings, whether directly or through resellers. When appropriate, cutting edge statistical analysis and market Read more

Scott Davis is the Principal and founder of Strategic Marketing Decisions, a consultancy that specializes in helping their clients improve market performance by optimizing the design and pricing of their products and services. Key areas of emphasis include 1) understanding the customer’s decision process, 2) estimating the value of product features to different market segments and how they influence preference and choice, 3) identifying cost drivers and measuring their impact on profitability, 4) assessing competitive offerings and forecasting likely competitive responses, and 5) developing strategies for effectively selling their offerings, whether directly or through resellers. When appropriate, cutting edge statistical analysis and market modeling techniques are used to develop decision support tools. Dr. Davis also provides on-site training to help clients develop skills in pricing, preference measurement and demand modeling, competitive pricing, and product design.

Before founding SMD, Dr. Davis served on the marketing faculties of the Olin School of Business at Washington University in Saint Louis and the Graduate School of Management at University of California, Davis. He has also taught MBA pricing classes at the Haas School of Management at the University of California Berkeley, the Anderson School of Management at UCLA, the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota and the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. He is currently serving as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Rochester's Simon School of Management where he is teaching a course in business to business pricing and overseeing a pricing practicum.

Dr. Davis has written a number of scholarly articles on topics including: pricing in dynamic competitive markets, signals of product quality, money-back guarantees, and price promotions. His articles have appeared in the Journal of Marketing Research, Journal of Retailing, and the Harvard Business Review, among others. One of the articles he co-authored, "How to Fight a Price War" is a Harvard Business School Publishing best-seller. He has received awards for both his teaching and his research and has been regularly invited as a speaker and instructor at conferences focusing on pricing.

He has consulted internationally on pricing and marketing issues in a variety of industries. His clients have ranged in size from new business start-ups to Fortune 500 companies in industries including medical products and services, telecommunications, financial services and entertainment. He was also the lead developer of the patented Revionics Market-Based Price Optimization System which provides optimal pricing for retailers.

Education:
• PhD in Economics (with a Marketing Minor) from Stanford University
• M.A. in Geography from the University of California, Santa Barbara
• B.A. with majors in Economics, Environmental Studies, and Geography from UCSB

A typical engagement includes the following: 1) and introductory call or e-mail exchange to identify the key issues and determine the appropriate scope, 2) proposal preparation that specifies project scope, responsibilities and deliverables, 3) phone or online meetings to provide us with the information needed to execute the study (which may include survey design input and feedback), 4) data collection and analysis including model or tool development (if specified as deliverables), and 5) a presentation findings and recommendations (either on-site or online) and deliverables. A typical engagement spans 2-4 months and fees typically are based on the project rather than a daily basis. Any survey costs are treated as a pass-through expense to the client.

Training engagements typically involve a few calls to determine the relevant content and to review relevant case examples to be followed by the training session. Fees are based on a daily rate (includes preparation, delivery and travel).

• Abbott
• AT&T
• Bristol-Myers Squibb
• Covidien
• General Electric
• Philips
• Siemens
• Universal Music Group
• Welch-Allyn

• Abbott
• AT&T
• Bristol-Myers Squibb
• Covidien
• General Electric
• Philips
• Siemens
• Universal Music Group
• Welch-Allyn