You may think the customer does not know you own both companies. They will know within sixty days. A purchasing manager sees a press note, or a driver mentions it, or two reps run into each other at the same site. Then comes the email: we buy from both of you, and our prices are not the same. We would like the lower one.
That customer has just done your pricing analysis for you, and not in your favor. If you have no answer ready, the lower price wins by default. If you have one, you can keep the margin and the relationship. For the customer side of the work, see customer retention after acquisition.
Know which customers are shared before they tell you
Match the customer lists on name, address, tax ID, and parent company. You will find exact matches, near matches, and customers with different buying locations under one owner. Build a single list and mark the overlap.
For each shared customer, compare what they buy from each company, at what price, and with what terms. The differences are usually bigger than the totals suggest. One company may sell them a product for a price that includes delivery, while the other quotes delivery separately.
Why the prices differ, honestly
Prices differ for reasons, and some are good ones: different service, different product mix, different order size, different local cost. Some are bad ones: history, a missed increase, an informal discount. Sort them. You can defend the first group. You cannot defend the second.
Be ready to say it simply. Our service is different, here is how, and here is what we can do to make the comparison easier. Customers respect a clear answer, even when they do not like it.
Choose a rule, then apply it
There are three rules. Keep the prices separate while the businesses stay separate, and tell the customer so. Move the customer to one price by account, usually the lower one for the shared customer, in exchange for something such as combined volume. Or move to a single list over time, with notice. Each has a cost.
Whichever you choose, apply it the same way to every shared customer and write it down. If one customer gets a lower price because they asked first, the others will find out. For the larger platform decision about when to unify lists, see integrating add-ons into a platform.
Use the overlap as an opportunity
A shared customer is also a customer with a reason to consolidate. Offer a combined arrangement: one account, one invoice, one point of contact, with volume pricing that reflects the total. It can lift your share of their spend and reduce the cost to serve, if it is done on purpose.
The pricing logic in harmonizing prices after acquisition applies, and so does the question of how your reps work together; see two reps on one account. I would rather tell a shared customer the truth about the price gap myself than have them find it.
Sequenced list: prepare for the shared customer's question
Complete before the first customer asks. Each step has an owner.
- Match the customer lists across both companies and mark the overlap. Owner: finance, with the sales leader.
- For each shared customer, compare products, price, terms, and service. Owner: the sales leader.
- Sort the differences into defensible and not defensible. Owner: the sales leader.
- Choose the rule: keep separate, one price by account, or one list over time. Owner: the president.
- Write a short script for reps and a one paragraph reply for customers. Owner: the sales leader.
- Name one owner per shared customer and brief them. Owner: the sales leader.
- Review monthly: who asked, what was agreed, what it cost. Owner: finance.
A short script for the reps
Give every rep three sentences to use when the question comes. First, acknowledge it: yes, we are now part of the same group. Second, explain without defensiveness: the two businesses price differently because the service and the product mix differ. Third, offer a next step: let me look at your total spend with both and come back to you by Friday.
That last sentence does the work. It buys time, shows the customer they are being taken seriously, and gives you a chance to decide with the numbers in front of you. Reps who improvise tend to promise the lower price on the spot, and then your margin is set by whoever got asked first.
Collect every such request in one place. After a month you will see which customers asked, which terms they pointed to, and which promises were made. That list is the best input to the pricing decision you have not yet made, and it keeps the answers consistent across both sales teams.
What not to say
Do not say the prices will be harmonized soon unless you have decided. Do not promise the lower price to quiet the question. Do not deny the connection if they know. Customers value candor about ownership more than a clever response.
Keep the customers. A shared customer treated openly can become a larger customer. One who feels managed becomes a customer with a second quote.
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Questions
What happens when a shared customer finds out about the acquisition?
Answer simply and honestly. Explain what differs between the two companies, such as service, product mix, or order size, and what you can do to make the comparison easier. Decide your rule in advance: keep the prices separate, move the customer to one price by account in exchange for combined volume, or unify the list over time with notice.
Should I match the lower price for shared customers?
Not automatically. Decide on purpose, ask for something in return such as combined volume, and apply the same rule to every shared customer.
How do I find shared customers?
Match both customer lists on name, address, tax ID, and parent company before the customers raise it.
Is it better to tell customers about the acquisition myself?
Yes. They will find out. Hearing it from you with a plan is better than hearing it from a competitor.