Simon-Kucher is a pricing and growth specialist. The case is almost never “should we enter Canada.” It is who pays, what they buy, how the fence works, and what happens to mix and margin when list, pocket, and perceived price move. If you import a generic profitability tree, you will miss the only sport this firm plays.
This CoachNed guide is independent and not affiliated with Simon-Kucher. Confirm office process (some add a numerical test). Pay must be confirmed with recruiting. For fit, including “what interests you about pricing,” see Simon-Kucher behavioral questions.
Last full pass: 24 August 2026.
What “pricing architecture” means in the interview
Pricing here is a system:
- List versus pocket. Discounts, rebates, channels, giveaways.
- Fences. What stops a high-WTP segment from buying the cheap SKU.
- Structure. Good-better-best, add-ons, usage, two-part tariffs.
- Willingness to pay (WTP). Measured, not guessed as “brand.”
- Competitive reaction. Matching is not the same as a 5% list cut.
IQVIA and ZS also touch price, usually as pharma net price and access. Simon-Kucher will still drag you into monetization design even in healthcare. Do not recycle an IQVIA launch funnel as your SK structure.
Interview shape
Two rounds are commonly described: consultant interviews pairing a candidate-led pricing case with fit, then a manager/partner Super Day. Some offices use an online numerical screen. Cases run short; you must drive.
Fit is scored. A case-brilliant candidate who cannot talk about pricing curiosity still fails. That is not PEI.
Worked example: B2B SaaS good-better-best (not a grocery 5% cut)
Prompt. A workflow SaaS product is $79 per user per month, unlimited. Win rates are slipping against a cheaper tool. Product wants a $49 “Lite” SKU. Sales wants a 15% list cut. You are Simon-Kucher. What do you do?
Clarify. Objective is profit and mix, not logos. You may add usage fences. Horizon 12 months.
Structure (monetization, not 3C).
- Value metric: seats vs workflows vs GMV
- Segments and WTP: admin vs power user vs executive sponsor
- Fences: feature, usage, support SLAs, who can buy Lite
- Pocket price: discounting today is already 22% on paper
- Competitive: the cheap rival is missing audit logs, not “all features”
Math (illustrative). 40,000 paid seats. List $79, average pocket $61.6 (22% off). Contribution after hosting and support $48 per seat-month. Annual contribution: 40,000 × $48 × 12 = $23.04m.
A 15% list cut with sales still discounting 22% off the new list: new list $67.15, pocket ≈ $52.4, contribution ≈ $38.8. Even with 8% more seats (43,200): 43,200 × $38.8 × 12 ≈ $20.1m. You destroyed ~$2.9m of contribution. The so-what is architecture, not “volume might go up.”
Lite at $49 with a fence (no API, no SSO, cap 500 workflows): assume 18% of seats down-cannibalize from Pro, and 10% new seats that would not have bought. Cannibals: 7,200 seats drop contribution from $48 to $28 (Lite contribution). Loss: 7,200 × $20 × 12 = $1.73m. New seats: 4,000 × $28 × 12 = $1.34m. Lite is slightly negative unless you raise Pro (add SSO as a paid fence, +$8 pocket on remaining 32,800 Pro seats = $3.15m) and tighten discount authority.
Recommendation. No blanket list cut. Introduce Lite only with hard fences and a Pro price increase on SSO/API, plus a discount desk. Risk: sales sells Lite to enterprises. Next step: van Westendorp or conjoint on 30 customers is better than another TAM; if you lack time in the case, say you would measure WTP on the fence features.
What a McKinsey-trained candidate does wrong here
They open market-entry. They cut list to “gain share.” They never mention pocket price. They treat all users as one WTP. They recommend a 5% promo. They cannot explain a fence. They close on “brand.”
Simon-Kucher interviewers have written pricing letters for a living. They hear cost-plus from a mile away.
How to prepare
- Practice candidate-led cases, but every branch must be a pricing lever.
- Drill elasticity, mix, and contribution. Math drills help; then force a packaging so-what.
- Run a full case and rewrite the rec as a price architecture: metric, fences, discount rules.
- Rehearse the pricing curiosity question on the behavioral guide.
Frequently asked questions
Official Simon-Kucher material?
No. Independent. Confirm format and pay with recruiting.
Is every case pricing?
Most are monetization, growth, or sales-effectiveness with a price spine. If you get a weird prompt, still look for WTP and pocket price.
Healthcare offices?
Still SK, not IQVIA. Net price and access show up, but architecture remains the instinct.
Next step
Take any old profitability case and ban list-price cuts. Solve it with fences, mix, and discount governance. That constraint is the firm.
CoachNed is independent and unaffiliated with Simon-Kucher, McKinsey, BCG, Bain, or other firms named for interview-style practice. Cases on CoachNed are AI-simulated.