Pricing should be one of the most reliable levers for driving profit. Yet for many companies running Microsoft Dynamics 365, it’s also one of the biggest headaches. Instead of being handled consistently through the ERP, pricing often lives in disconnected spreadsheets, ad hoc discounts, and even personal judgment.
The result? Lost margins, broken ERP pricing rules, and a system that never delivers the full return on investment.
At DAX Software Solutions, we’ve seen this pattern across industries from manufacturing and distribution to retail and professional services. The good news is the Dynamics 365 ERP pricing strategy already has the tools to fix these gaps. With the right governance and setup, pricing can shift from a liability to a competitive advantage.
The Spreadsheet Trap
Relying on spreadsheets for ERP pricing is like buying a high-performance car and pushing it by hand.
- Errors spread easily. A single mis-typed formula can ripple through hundreds of SKUs.
- Knowledge is locked away. Pricing logic often lives with one “Excel hero,” leaving the business exposed if they move on.
- No integration. Prices set in Excel rarely sync with purchasing, inventory, or customer contracts in real time.
If you’ve invested in Dynamics 365 ERP, pricing belongs inside the system—not trapped in spreadsheets. By embedding ERP pricing models in Dynamics 365, businesses gain consistency, control, and scalability.
When Discounts Become the Exception, Not the Rule
Another common issue is discounting without discipline. To win deals, sales reps drop prices. Managers approve exceptions to keep customers happy. Over time, those exceptions become the norm, and no one knows what the “real” price is anymore.
This creates two problems: margin erosion and credibility loss. Customers talk, and if they discover inconsistent pricing, your reputation takes a hit.
With Dynamics 365 discount workflows, businesses can enforce structured approvals, customer-specific agreements, and visibility across deals. Exceptions don’t vanish—but they’re managed, auditable, and tied back to profitability.
Smarter Pricing Models Inside ERP
Too many companies stick to cost-plus pricing alone, but Dynamics 365 pricing strategy can deliver more:
- Create contract pricing for key accounts.
- Run time-based promotions without affecting your base price list.
- Use Copilot and AI to recommend prices based on customer history and demand patterns.
The real value comes when these models live inside your ERP instead of scattered across spreadsheets. That’s how pricing becomes consistent and scalable.
The Human Side of Pricing
Pricing isn’t just about numbers, it’s cultural.
- Some employees design complex ERP pricing models that only they can manage.
- Others reject structured processes, preferring “intuition” over ERP tools.
Both are risky. Complexity creates dependency, while resistance leaves ERP underutilized.
With Dynamics 365 ERP governance, you can set approval chains, audit trails, and role-based security. Add Copilot AI recommendations, and sales teams can shift from manual price guessing to focusing on customer value.
Turning Promotions into Strategy
Discounts aren’t the enemy—poor tracking is. Without control, promotions become margin killers. Dynamics 365 allows you to:
- Run loss-leader campaigns with clear time limits.
- Bundle products so profitable items offset lower-margin ones.
- Analyze margin impact at the product or campaign level.
With the right setup, promotions can drive growth without undermining your pricing discipline.
How DAX Helps
Many companies struggle with:
- Pricing rules stuck at go-live and never updated.
- Sales bypassing ERP and reverting to Excel pricing workarounds.
- Over-customizations make pricing harder, not easier.
That’s where DAX Software Solutions steps in. We specialize in:
- Replacing spreadsheets with ERP-driven pricing logic.
- Cleaning up broken Dynamics 365 pricing customizations.
- Implementing approval workflows and reporting dashboards.
- Leveraging Copilot AI for ERP pricing to make adoption seamless.
Our approach is practical and empathetic; we know why teams resist ERP pricing discipline. That’s why we design solutions people actually use, without unnecessary complexity.
Pricing as a Competitive Advantage
When businesses think about ERP optimization, pricing rarely tops the list. But it should.
By moving away from spreadsheets and personality-driven decisions and by embracing structured ERP pricing models, you don’t just “fix” a problem; you unlock new profitability. With the right Dynamics 365 setup, pricing shifts from being a daily frustration to a true competitive advantage. And with the right partner, you don’t have to figure it out alone.
At DAX Software Solutions, we help companies take back control of ERP pricing. If your Dynamics 365 pricing feels messy, outdated, or ignored, we can help you reset it, so your ERP delivers the value you paid for.
Learn more at www.daxsws.com