Forces of progress: push, pull, anxiety, habit

Bobby Moesta is the President & CEO of The Re-Wired Group, where he helps companies understand why customers buy.He is the co-creator of Jobs to Be Done alongside Clayton Christensen, and has spent decades studying the demand side of innovation—what actually drives people to change, choose, and pay.

In this episode, Bobby joins Mark Stiving to challenge some of the most common assumptions behind pricing and decision-making—starting with how buyers really think (and why it's not what most companies expect).

They explore what's actually happening beneath the surface of a purchase decision—and why understanding that can completely shift how you approach pricing.

If you've ever felt like your pricing "should work" but doesn't—this conversation will make you rethink what's really going on.

Why You Have to Listen:

• Understand why context + outcome determines willingness to pay (not features).
• Learn why buyers don't "choose" instead they eliminate options and build confidence.
• Discover why most companies underprice by targeting the average instead of high-value contexts.

"Pricing is contextual. It's based on the context they're in and the outcome they want."

— Bobby Moesta

Topics Covered:

02:21 – Why buyers don't change (until something breaks). The hidden trigger that forces people out of the status quo

04:41 – What buyers actually expect when they pay. Why value isn't what you think—and where expectations really come from

06:30 – The invisible forces behind every purchase. Push, pull, anxiety, and habit—and how they quietly control decisions

12:13 – How buyers really decide (it's not what you think). Why people don't "choose"—and what they actually do instead

18:17 – Why confused buyers walk away. The simple reason deals stall (and how to fix it)

20:06 – What creates buyer confidence. How people convince themselves to finally say yes

23:20 – What "I need to think about it" really means. The hidden signals behind hesitation—and how to uncover them

27:41 – Why one price doesn't fit all. How context changes what customers are willing to pay

29:37 –Every decision is a purchase decision. Why pricing thinking applies far beyond products and sales

Key Takeaways:

"We can't convince them of anything. They have to convince themselves." — Bobby Moesta

"Most of the time we end up pricing at the bottom of the market… and we're giving away the high end." — Bobby Moesta

Resources Mentioned:

• Jobs to Be Done – Framework for understanding customer decisions
• The Re-Wired Group – Bobby's firm focused on demand-side insight
• Demand-Side Sales – Bobby's book on how customers actually buy

Connect with Bobby Moesta:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobmoesta/
• Website: https://therewiredgroup.com/

Connect with Mark Stiving:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stiving/
• Email: mark@impactpricing.com