Better data, better pricing: building the foundation for AI with Donna Burbank

Better pricing starts with better data—but that doesn't mean your data has to be perfect. In this episode of If Prices Could Talk, Holden Advisors' Richard Klein and Patrick McCullough sit down with Donna Burbank, Founder and Managing Director of Global Data Strategy, to explore the connection between data quality, pricing strategy, profitability, business valuation, and AI. Donna has spent more than 25 years helping organizations turn data into business value. Her message for leaders is straightforward: before you build a sophisticated pricing model, analytics platform, or AI strategy, you need to understand the data underneath it. But waiting for perfect data isn't the answer either. The conversation explores: • Why pricing and margin depend on a strong data foundation • How data quality can impact company valuation and M&A readiness • Why your data may tell a different story than your organization expects • How customer data can challenge long-held assumptions about who buys from you • Why companies shouldn't wait for perfect data before taking action • How better supplier data can create negotiating leverage • The connection between data strategy and business strategy • Why shared definitions of customers, products, and segments matter • What global leaders at Davos are saying about AI governance and data quality • Why AI initiatives struggle when the underlying data isn't ready • The difference between analytical, agentic, and generative AI • Why finance and pricing often require deterministic, auditable answers • How too much data—and too many variables—can actually make pricing worse • How a pocket margin analysis can uncover hidden profitability leakage • What customer and usage data businesses should start collecting today One theme comes through clearly: AI can make businesses more sophisticated, but sophistication doesn't replace fundamentals. Start with the data that matters. Understand what you trust. Connect it to the decisions you're trying to make. Then build from there. Chapters: 00:00 Introducing Donna Burbank: Data, Pricing & AI 01:48 Why Better Pricing Starts With Better Data 03:28 What "Data Quality" Actually Means 05:40 Master Data: The Information That Runs Your Business 07:10 How Data Impacts Company Valuation 08:46 Why Bad Data Creates Expensive Surprises 10:25 What Your Pricing Data Can—and Can't—Tell You 12:16 When Data Challenges What You Think You Know About Customers 13:37 Why Companies Struggle to Fix Their Data 15:13 Start With the Data You Already Trust 16:13 How Better Supplier Data Creates Negotiating Power 18:00 Why You Don't Need Perfect Data to Get Started 20:30 Connecting Data Strategy to Business Strategy 25:00 Customer Data, Segmentation & Commercial Strategy 32:20 Why Shared Data Definitions Matter 34:08 What Davos Revealed About AI and Data Quality 35:22 "AI Is Just Math on Top of Data" 36:30 Why AI Pilots Struggle to Scale 37:05 Choosing the Right AI for Pricing and Finance 38:15 Analytical vs. Agentic vs. Generative AI 40:28 Why Pricing Decisions Still Need an Audit Trail 41:51 Practical Ways to Use AI Today 43:37 Too Much Data Can Hurt Your Pricing 45:32 Start With the Data That Drives the Business 46:39 Why More Pricing Variables Aren't Always Better 48:34 When AI Makes a Pricing Model Too Complicated 51:05 Pocket Margin: Finding Hidden Profit Leakage 53:50 What Data Should You Start Collecting Today? 56:50 Build Customer Usage Data Before You Need It 57:32 The Best Time to Start Collecting Data 59:46 Are You Behind on Data Quality? 01:00:25 Why Nobody Has Perfect Data Connect with Donna:   / donnaburbank   Connect with Richard:   / richardfgklein   Connect with Patrick:   / pmccullough-holdenadvisors   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/