THE PRICE OVERRIDE PARADOX (1/3): The Problem with "Control"

If you're in B2B distribution or manufacturing, you've heard this before:

• "Structure your matrix better"
• "Train your sellers to hold firm"
• "Limit overrides with guardrails"
• "Incentivize compliance with price attainment metrics"

These tactics sound reasonable. But they are based on the wrong assumption. They assume that overrides are a failure of discipline.

That assumption is wrong.

The companies with the highest margins aren't tightening override controls. They are replacing them with something smarter.

Overrides aren't failures. They are intelligence.

Overrides happen when your pricing model doesn't match what sellers see in the market.

Most pricing systems fail to account for five things:

• Competitive pressure that changes daily
• Switching costs that aren't in your CRM
• Value perception that varies by buyer
• Relationship stage (new vs long-term)
• Local context your model can't capture

When sellers override, they are giving you feedback. If you punish that, you aren't fixing pricing. You are blinding yourself to what the market is telling you.

Control slows you down

Traditional pricing playbooks focus on control:

• Set guardrails
• Restrict authority
• Require manager approval
• Enforce compliance

That sounds safe. But it slows decisions.

In fast-moving markets, speed matters. By the time a seller gets approval, the opportunity is gone.

While your competitors respond in real time, your team is stuck waiting or bypassing the system.

You're measuring the wrong thing

Most pricing teams track override volume like it's a KPI. It's not.

The real cost isn't how often reps override. The real cost is how often your model gets ignored. The more you enforce bad logic, the more your team checks out.

Overrides don't mean the rep is wrong. They mean the system isn't working.

This is Part 1 of a 3-part series on the Price Override Paradox.

In Part 2, I'll break down two things that need to be rethought:

• Why price attainment is a misleading metric
• Why "data-driven" pricing is often just outdated math in disguise

If your team is still fighting override volume, you're solving the wrong problem.

Let's fix that.