Etinosa Agbonlahor, founder and CEO of Decision Alpha, joins the podcast to talk about applying behavioral economics to B2B pricing and financial wellbeing. Etinosa explains that pricing is “architecture,” shaped by reference points, anchors, packaging, and framing, and that even enterprise buying includes emotion and incentives across multiple stakeholders.
She outlines Decision Alpha’s four-step framework: map monetization zones and segments, research willingness to pay (including competitor context), frame and structure pricing (options, subscriptions, transparency, anchoring), then test and refine in market. She shares a case where prospect research revealed pricing ranges and led to targeting higher-revenue, more mature buyers first. Common mistakes include setting prices in a vacuum, sales discounting too quickly, and over-optimistic planning, while cost is only the floor and pricing should start from the ceiling.
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About Decision Alpha
Decision Alpha is a pricing strategy and consumer research firm that helps businesses solve complex challenges in pricing, product design, and customer experience.
Their team of expert researchers and behavioral economists brings decades of experience, including work with leading financial institutions. They combine behavioral economics, customer research, and commercial strategy to understand how people make decisions and design solutions that reduce friction, strengthen revenue, and build customer loyalty.
About Etinosa Agbonlahor
Etinosa Agbonlahor is a behavioral economist and CEO of Decision Alpha, a pricing strategy and consumer research firm. With over a decade of global experience across the U.S., Australia, Africa, and the U.K., she has shaped pricing, engagement, and customer-behavior strategy for major financial institutions and venture-backed startups.
Her work has been featured in MarketWatch, Morningstar, and other leading financial platforms for her insights on how behavior drives financial outcomes. She is also the author of How to Talk to Your Parents About Money, a guide to navigating complex financial conversations.
Time Stamps
00:00 Meet Decision Alpha
00:40 From Behavioral Economics to Pricing
02:32 Pricing Psychology Basics
03:50 Case Study Pricing a Niche Platform
06:34 Selling Intangibles and Value
07:42 Competition and Reference Points
09:26 Four Step Pricing Framework
11:02 How Decision Alpha Engagements Work
14:28 Common B2B Pricing Mistakes
16:25 Stop Cost Plus Pricing
17:57 Emotion in Enterprise Buying
20:00 Why Customers Hesitate
22:55 Final Advice and Resources
Quotes
“We have to expose the prices to oxygen to see if they’re gonna hold or not.” Etinosa Agbonlahor, founder and CEO of Decision Alpha.
“The biggest mistake is you set pricing in a vacuum.” Etinosa Agbonlahor, founder and CEO of Decision Alpha.
“Always start with voice of the customer, sit in the customer’s seat.” Etinosa Agbonlahor, founder and CEO of Decision Alpha.
“We think about pricing as architecture. The way you structure a price is gonna sway your customers one way or the other.” Etinosa Agbonlahor, founder and CEO of Decision Alpha.
Follow Etinosa:
Etinosa Agbonlahor on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/etinosasere/
Decision Alpha website: https://decisionalpha.co/
Decision Alpha LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/decisionalpha/
Behavioral Pricing Playbook: https://playbook.decisionalpha.co
Stress-Test Your Pricing Strategy with Fred: https://fred.decisionalpha.co
Follow Mike:
Mike Maynard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemaynard/
Napier website: https://www.napierb2b.com/
Napier LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/napier-partnership-limited/
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