When the driver of a business is social impact, talking about price and profit can feel uncomfortable. UK partner Dr Peter Colman is working with the School for Social Entrepreneurs (SSE) to challenge this preconception and help its students understand how to use pricing as a key lever to maximise social impact. 

The School for Social Entrepreneurs gives its students the tools and networks they need to change lives and transform communities for the better by working with charities, community groups and enterprises. Dr. Peter Colman has been delivering Pricing Strategy Workshops for the SSE in Yorkshire and the North East since 2015, drawing on Simon-Kucher's expertise to give students an understanding of the fundamentals of pricing and how to apply those techniques to their organisations.

Using these techniques, social entrepreneurs can increase their social engagement and continue providing important outreach as their businesses expand. As one attendee highlighted "Money and Profit are not ‘dirty' words. If you don't make a profit you can't reinvest and grow."

Whether it's a forest school, community café, food network, or furniture recycling shop, taking the lessons from Dr. Colman's workshop has helped students re-examine their offering, using price as a lens to understand their customer segments and the value of their service or product, as well as develop new pricing strategies overall.

Speaking of working with the SSE Yorkshire & North East, Dr. Peter Colman explains: "Pricing is the most important profit driver for any business.  Whilst my day job is advising Corporates and Private Equity backed business on these topics, it is very satisfying to focus our corporate social responsibility efforts on helping the SSE's social entrepreneurs make a very tangible difference to their enterprises and to the local communities that they serve."

Dena Dalton of the School for Social Entrepreneurs added "These workshops are invaluable for our students in developing their understanding of pricing strategies. Dr Peter Colman expertly demonstrates how social enterprises can maximise their profit through pricing levers, in order to enable them to maximise their social impact".

www.the-sse.org