Scott Kelly is the founder and CEO of Blackdog Venture Partners, and he has been for 25 years. He's the host of VC Fast Pitch and he has about a dozen companies with the name Blackdog in them. Scott has taken 3 companies public and raised $5 billion throughout his career.

In this episode, Scott explains how important it is for entrepreneurs to listen to their customers when setting prices, as he shares his knowledge on maximizing profits through effective pricing strategies that investors love.

Why you have to check out today's podcast:

• Learn how crucial recurring revenue models are to attracting investors and why subscription-based pricing provides the consistency they seek.
• Find out why selling on price alone is bad for both sides of the transaction and how to focus on value instead.
• Understand the power of letting your customers help you determine pricing through relationship-building rather than transactions.

"Let your customers help you price."

– Scott Kelly

Topics Covered:

02:00 – How Scott accidentally discovered pricing through helping hundreds of entrepreneurs raise capital and maximize profits

03:00 – Why competing on lowest price destroys value for both buyer and seller - and what to do instead

05:00 – AI's double impact on pricing: Using it for better decisions vs. pricing AI-enabled products

06:00 – The carpenter analogy: Why AI is just a tool and the real value comes from expertise in wielding it

07:00 – How AI will democratize business like the internet did - and what that means for pricing

09:00 – The art of determining "what the market will bear" through customer relationships and feedback

12:00 – Why Scott brings up pricing "almost immediately" with entrepreneurs (and why you should too)

14:00 – Finding the pricing "strike zone" - where customers won't jump for joy but won't run out the door

15:00 – The relationship vs. transaction mindset: How to get customers to help set your prices

17:00 – Scott's final wisdom: Let your customers help you price - the ultimate customer-centric approach

Key Takeaways:

"At the end of the day, you want to provide enough value so they stick around at a price that can keep you sticking around." – Scott Kelly

"AI is a tool. You need to make sure you have the right carpenter or the right instrument and the right professional playing that instrument. So I think how you price that is the value add that you bring to this tool that's AI." – Scott Kelly

"You have to spend time getting to know them. I think it's a process of establishing a relationship versus a transaction." – Scott Kelly

People / Resources Mentioned:

• VC Fast Pitch: https://vcfastpitch.com/

Connect with Scott Kelly:

• Website: https://blackdogventurepartners.com/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blackdogceo/

Connect with Mark Stiving:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/
• Email: mailto:mark@impactpricing.com

This is an Impact Pricing Blog published on June 30, 2025, turned into an audio podcast so you can listen on the go.

Read Full Article Here: https://impactpricing.com/blog/everyones-talking-about-ai-almost-nobodys-using-it/

If you have any feedback, definitely send it. You can reach us at mark@impactpricing.com.

Now, go make an impact.

Connect with Mark Stiving:

• Email: mark@impactpricing.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/

Bryan Phelps is the founder and CEO of Big Leap, a digital marketing agency he's been running for 17 years. He's been working in digital marketing and SEO since college and recently served as a juror in a murder trial (though we don't discuss that). Bryan specializes in helping B2B tech companies and professional services firms navigate the evolving landscape of AI-powered search and discovery.

In this episode, Bryan reveals how AI is fundamentally changing SEO and digital marketing, why traditional performance marketing tactics are becoming less effective, and how companies can build "brand-led performance marketing" strategies that work across Google, AI platforms, and future technologies.

Why you have to check out today's podcast:

• Learn the key differences between B2B and B2C buyer behavior in the age of AI search.
• Discover the three pillars of AI SEO and how they relate to traditional search optimization.
• Understand why building relationships with the 95% of non-shopping audiences creates pricing power.

"A lot of value is created before you ever start a pricing conversation. So that's how we're trying to help our clients shift a bit is, not just focus on that 5% of people that are in market and then compete on price."

– Bryan Phelps

Topics Covered:

01:40 – B2B vs B2C SEO differences: How buyer journeys vary from research-heavy B2B to purchase-ready B2C audiences

04:08 – AI SEO and discoverability strategies: Understanding where audiences search and optimizing for multiple platforms beyond Google

07:44 – AI recommendations and SEO strategy overlap: How AI's "query fan out" method connects Google rankings to AI search results

12:18 – Brand element and popularity component: Why being recognized as an industry authority matters more than broad household recognition

15:05 – Brand-led performance marketing shift: Moving from link-based to mention-based strategies in the post-tracking world

18:45 – Brand ideology and differentiation process: How to define unique viewpoints and align with genuine audience connections

20:22 – AI's impact on content creation: Why long-tail content is losing value and expertise-based content is gaining importance

25:56 – Pricing advice for businesses: Building value with non-shopping audiences to reduce price sensitivity and competition

27:02 – Staying informed in marketing: Bryan's LinkedIn newsletter for non-marketers navigating industry changes

Key Takeaways:

"The exciting thing for us is I think it's kind of going back to almost like pre Google. So it really is more of a brand marketing function in a lot of ways." – Bryan Phelps

"Being known to your audience is ultimately what matters. You don't have to be the household name, necessarily, but if your audience is just a little bit more niche and specific, you can be the brand in their world." – Bryan Phelps

"Our goal isn't to take any company and just try to cover the broadest of brands... we're trying to ultimately create a brand that aligns with our ideal client." – Bryan Phelps

"Our goal is to help brands be remembered, not just discovered." – Bryan Phelps

Resources and People Mentioned:

• Big Leap Digital Marketing Agency: https://bigleap.com
• Kobe Bush: Team member who coined "people notice different" concept
• Query Fan Out: AI method of breaking prompts into multiple searches
• Brand Ideology Process: Big Leap's framework for unique positioning
• Zero Click Marketing: New measurement paradigm for AI-driven discovery

Connect with Bryan Phelps:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryanphelps/
• Website: https://bigleap.com

Connect with Mark Stiving:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/
• Email: mark@impactpricing.com