Olympic Opportunity; Pricing Strategies; Elliott Jacques; Whining Children

HEADLINES: (ALERT – main Growth Summit hotel sold out – options below)

Olympic Opportunity — 2012 London – Gazelles has arranged for a limited number of highly discounted Week 1 packages with 5 star accommodations – more below, but first, speaking of pricing…

Pricing Strategies — many companies spend considerable effort monitoring the precise amounts they pay their suppliers; yet when it comes to setting prices it's more of an educated guess – lifting a finger to the winds of the market and deciding price in a somewhat random fashion – and leaving significant money on the table. Robert F. Sherlock, author of Daring Caution: The Executive's Guide to Pricing Improvement, will help refocus you back on price.

Experienced Executive — Robert Sherlock, a former corporate staff member of GE who held increasingly responsible marketing and sales management positions in four GE operating businesses; Sherlock also founded and ran a venture-funded logistics company and was VP Marketing for Wickes Inc., an $850 million distributor of building materials. This depth of experience is reflected in his book (book club members will be receiving a copy).

Online Seminar — on the heels of X-Prize founder Peter Diamandis' online seminar posted last week, yesterday we posted Sherlock's 51 minute presentation. Specifically, the seminar will help you:

• Define your pricing goals and strategy
• Improve how your company makes pricing decisions
• Raise prices without driving down your sales volume
• Increase buyers' willingness to pay

This is the perfect topic for a broader monthly management meeting or marketing meeting. As always, there's a money back guarantee if you don't find the online seminar valuable.

Elliott Jaques Part 2 — from last week's insight, several people asked where they might get more detailed information on Dr. Elliott Jaques approach to organizational design – making sure they have the right people at the right levels in the company. Go to the Requisite Organization International Institute. Thanks to insight reader Kevin Earnest, a mentor of Jaques research partner and widow Kathryn Cason and her daughter, Rebecca Cason, who is President of the Institute. Kevin has applied Jaques ideas to dozens of organizations. Note's Kevin, "Everyone always talks about the Jim Collins phrase "getting the right people on the bus"; Elliott Jaques provided a more science-based approach to judging a person's current and future potential capability to ensure CEOs can, in fact, do that."

Children Driving You Nuts This Summer? — one of my favorite parenting blogs is Kirk Martin's "Celebrate Calm". His latest provides practical approaches and phrases to use if your children are whining, fighting, or exclaiming "I'm bored" (with four children, we're not immune to these situations, especially during the summer break!). My favorite hint:

1. Your kids are whining in the car as you head on vacation. "I'm bored." Smile, look back through the rear view mirror and say, "Wow, that must be awful. Boredom is a choice. So what are YOU going to do about it?" Yes, let them own their boredom. Don't fix it. Otherwise, they become dependent on you to fix all of their problems…and they never learn how to. (Many of you married someone who never grew up. Don't perpetuate the cycle.)

Scan Martin's blog for more.

Olympic opportunity — 2012 London Olympics — Adam Dailey of Ludus Tours (EO member and one of the MIT-EMP grads) is the Official Hospitality Provider for USA Track & Field and 19 other sports federations. Adam attened my class a couple weeks ago and followed up with an offer to provide my readers with some travel packages during the first week of the London Olympic Games at his direct cost. He has the top 5 star hotel in all of London (as per tripadvisor.com) with tickets for less than $3000 per person. If you want to take advantage of this, please contact Adam directly at [email protected]. For more info.

Alternative Hotel for Fortune Growth Summit — the main hotel has sold out, but right next door (complimentary shuttle service provided) is the sister property. If you plan to attend, at least book your rooms – and remember, best seats go to the largest teams and earliest to put down a deposit ($250/exec). Here's info on the hotel next door (same conference rate):

See you in Phoenix.