What does great pricing look like when weather, tariffs, geopolitics, commodity markets, and supply chains can change the equation overnight?

In this episode of If Prices Could Talk, Holden Advisors President and CEO Brian Doyle and Emily Macaulay sit down with Bhadra Menon, Senior Director of Global Strategic Pricing at Cargill, to explore how one of the world's largest privately held companies approaches pricing in an environment defined by complexity and change.

Bhadra challenges a common assumption right from the start: there may be no such thing as ”just a commodity.” If customers choose to buy from you instead of the open market, there's probably value you're providing beyond the product itself.

The conversation explores:

• How pricing teams prepare for tariffs, geopolitical disruption, commodity swings, and other external shocks
• Why scenario planning and pricing playbooks matter before a crisis happens
• When changing costs should – and shouldn't – be passed through to customers
• How Cargill thinks about cost-plus versus value-based pricing
• The often-overlooked value of supply assurance and risk mitigation
• Why value conversations should happen long before a negotiation begins
• What one memorable negotiation taught Bhadra about asking better questions
• How AI can move pricing professionals from analytics towards commercial strategy
• The potential downside of automating the work that historically developed pricing talent
• Why critical thinking, storytelling, and commercial problem-solving are becoming essential skills for pricing leaders

The conversation ultimately comes back to a theme that extends far beyond pricing: the goal isn't simply to build the right strategy. It's to create impact.

For pricing, sales, and commercial leaders navigating increasingly unpredictable markets, this episode offers a practical look at what it takes to turn pricing strategy into action.

Chapters

00:00 Pricing Beyond the Commodity Mindset
02:44 Inside Cargill: Pricing at Global Scale
06:27 Pricing Through Tariffs, Volatility & Market Chaos
13:06 Building a Cross-Functional Pricing Organization
17:16 Cost-Plus vs. Value-Based Pricing
20:25 Turning Supply Chain Risk Into Customer Value
27:23 A Pricing Negotiation That Went Completely Wrong
32:35 AI, Critical Thinking & the Future of Pricing
42:24 The Skills Tomorrow’s Pricing Leaders Need Today
47:26 Pricing Implementation & the Fear of Losing Customers
48:44 Preparing for What You Can’t Predict

Connect with Bhadra: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhadramenon/

 Connect with Brian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianadoyle/

Connect with Emily: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-l-932636175/

About Holden Advisors
Holden Advisors is a boutique consulting firm specializing in B2B pricing and sales performance. We help companies understand their value through the eyes of their customers and use these insights to develop, price, and sell solutions that meet evolving market demands.

Our tailored strategies are designed to improve differential value and go-to-market execution. With decades of expertise in value-based pricing, sales implementation, and negotiation, we partner with companies to build and protect their pricing power.

 https://holdenadvisors.com/