In this Fireside Chat from Vendavo’s Growth + Profitability Summit 2023 in Chicago, Morgan Short, Director of Content & Web Strategy at Vendavo, talks with Frederick Waithe, Director of Strategic Pricing at Dentsply Sirona, about his advice for tearing down silos within an organization, the importance of not waiting for perfection to begin a transformation, and how to ensure pricing projects get prioritized within an ever-growing list of daily to-do items.
Morgan Short: I’m Morgan Short, Director of Content and Web Strategy here at Vendavo. This is Frederick Waithe from Dentsply Sirona.
Frederick Waithe: Hello.
Short: We’re here at the Growth + Profitability Summit. Frederick, thank you so much for taking the minute.
Waithe: Thank you.
Short: So you were just on the panel, “Pricing Without Walls: Tearing Down Silos.” What advice would you have for other people in similar roles about tearing down silos in your organization?
Waithe: Yeah, I think it was said pretty well on the panel. Definitely don’t wait for perfection. Take the opportunity, seize the opportunity, and I like to say “be the lightning rod.” Be the one that channels the energy of the organization and takes advantage of the opportunity.
Short: So, Frederick, tell me a little bit about how you’re enjoying GPS so far.
Waithe: Oh, I love it. Any time I get to sit with other people that are into the same things, it’s good meeting other minds and it really reenergizes me to take the things that I can take back to the organization when I get home. So it’s great.
Short: Absolutely. So, you’d recommend that other customers come?
Waithe: Absolutely. I think it should be a requirement. If you’re implementing, you should be around other customers that have gone through what you’ve gone through and can kind of share best practices and insights.
Short: Which is great! Tell me one challenge that you are facing in your role today.
Waithe: I think one of the biggest things is understanding all the competing priorities around the organization and really being a champion for pricing and the types of projects that pricing needs to do. That’s always a challenge in getting the day job done at the same time. It can be hectic at times, but if you can kind of center yourself and understand how are you contributing to the goals of the organization, I think that helps a lot.
Short: Great. And one last question for you, Frederick. Looking ahead, lots of trends going on in pricing. What’s something that you’re thinking about going forward?
Waithe: Absolutely. We’re thinking about how do we take advantage of our organization’s momentum in the AI space, and leverage that for new pricing initiatives.
Short: That’s great. AI Is huge right now, so I’m thinking about it, too, in my own role.
Waithe: Good, good, good.
Short: Appreciate the time. Frederick. Thanks again for sitting down for a quick Fireside Chat here.
Waithe: Yes. Thank you very much.