Profit Drivers

?? ?? Your #pricingstrategy could be the key to unlocking unprecedented #growth! ??? Join Profit Drivers CEO Scott Green as he unveils 7 transformative steps to build your perfect pricing foundation ?? Read now for more profitable #pricing ?? https://okt.to/xjSnu6 ?? #pricingsoftware

I?just returned from a trip to Australia and New Zealand, as part of a global journey talking with leaders about uncertainty and volatility.?By now, they have all accepted it’s not a question of if there will be impacts but when. The underlining feeling ranges from cautionary to trepidation.?I heard about ‘organizational fatigue' - a natural reaction to this anxiety-inducing environment we’re in. On the plane rides home from Down Under, I briefly pondered?adding therapists to Profit Drivers’ offering. But clearer thinking on the ground led me to conclude our best role is to provide assurance that there is a right path forward. In this case, we have an example right in front of us. Mattel’s CFO, Anthony DiSilvestro recently shared how they’ve created a playbook, leveraging their global supply chain and preparing for potential price increases. We’ve been hearing that many companies don’t have a plan in place. If that sounds familiar, now is the time to begin taking proactive steps. Start with:? ?? Create Transparency & Expand Your KPI’s– Track the forward view of cost drivers like commodity input costs, labor, freight to a SKU level. Add demand drivers like consumer confidence or housing starts for example. ? ?? Build playbooks—Have a series of short, mid and long-term mitigation actions that you can take to ‘land the plane’ effectively. Don’t only think about this as a tariff-fighting playbook - shifts in end- customer demand or currency fluctuations could arise at the same time. ? ?? Reinvigorate market monitoring—Real-time insight into the execution of your strategies and tactics. Understand end-customer sentiments to track real shifts happening on the ground. ? You don’t need a fully mapped-out strategy today, but you do need to start. The companies that plan, like Mattel, are the ones that will come out on top.?

I know you're feeling it - I am too. There is a wave of pressure mounting on both businesses and consumers. Expert opinions on the economic outlook range from cautious at best to downright gloomy at worst. The challenge is putting a finger on exactly where and how the pressure will manifest. Will there be further inflationary pressure? Where will it come from? And most importantly, how should we respond? Volatility and inflation are a part of life on a global scale. If you have operated in BRICS markets, Mexico, Argentina, or Turkey, you expect these challenges nearly every year. In the United States, however, this has not been normalized. Businesses and consumers are still adjusting, and many feel we haven’t fully moved past the inflation of 2021-2022. As a revenue and profitability management expert with over 25 years of experience, I remind executives and boards that volatile markets can disproportionately impact financial results. If you don’t stop the bleeding, all the progress you’ve made in other areas can be overshadowed. Here’s what companies should do:? (1) Build a Proactive Monitoring Process? Get closer to a real-time understanding of cost trends for key inputs. Establish connectivity between commercial, finance, procurement, and supply teams. Create trigger criteria that signal when action is required. (2) Create Playbooks Ahead of Time? Economic events often catch organizations off guard. Suddenly, the CEO or CFO pulls together a tiger team with a ‘go get’ directive. They need action fast. The biggest mistakes happen when companies rush into action without fully understanding their best options. A mad dash for data leads to hasty decisions with adverse impacts down the road. Having a playbook in advance allows teams to focus on execution. It should include guardrails and short-, mid-, and long-term actions to ensure structured, effective responses. (3) Monitor the Effectiveness of Your Strategy? In a volatile marketplace, implementing your strategy can be harrowing.? Do I lead? Do I follow? How are competitors reacting? Building strong market intelligence capabilities is critical. Monitoring real-time effects of your strategy allows you to adjust for the right outcome. If you’re losing share, pivot. If you’re maintaining share, refine your approach. When You Need Support…? Every moment of inaction erodes your margins and revenue. At Profit Drivers, we help businesses navigate volatility with confidence. In just 4 weeks, we’ll have you up and running with a structured execution plan that delivers immediate impact. Reach out, and I’ll send over a copy of our Volatility Playbook Executive Summary. We can also find time to talk through?how to navigate these challenges. Email me at [email protected]?or send me a message here on LinkedIn.

Rising tariffs are on the horizon—are your profits at risk? With proposed tariffs of up to 60% on Chinese goods and 10–20% on global imports, businesses face a serious threat to margins. Experts Jason Covitz and Russ Mills provide actionable insights on building pricing resilience to safeguard profitability and maintain competitiveness in this rapidly changing landscape.?

Happy Halloween!?? This Halloween, trick-or-treaters may find fewer chocolate bars as high prices, driven by record cocoa costs and shortages, have led to a dip in sales.?Hershey and Mondelez are adapting by boosting non-chocolate offerings and adding more fillers to chocolate products.? ? The ongoing pricing challenge: how can companies adjust pricing to manage rising costs without sacrificing demand? Monitoring the market, driving product innovation, and fine-tuning pricing strategies are crucial to turning this Halloween into a profitability “treat.” But get it wrong, and it could be a not-so-sweet trick.

Do you know what promotions are in your business and how they are helping or hurting your performance? Many companies, including Starbucks, have learned the hard way that over-discounting can erode margins and hurt long-term profitability. Expert Jason Covitz shares insights from Starbucks' lessons learned and offers best practices to protect margins and drive sustainable growth.??

Cutting costs isn’t the answer to navigating a manufacturing slowdown. With the latest PMI data showing a deepening contraction in the manufacturing sector, it's crucial to rethink the usual playbook. Instead of defaulting to cost-cutting, consider how strategic pricing can be the key to weathering the storm and driving growth. Explore expert insights from Russ Mills on how pricing strategies can help your business stay resilient and thrive.

When was the last time your rebate program was reviewed closely? Our expert, Russ Mills, discusses this critical question. Asking strategic questions like these is essential to determine if your rebate program needs optimization. Optimizing rebate programs can drive significant growth, boost revenue, and enhance profitability with minimal costs. It's a powerful, low-risk way to maximize value and improve financial performance.

With strong consumer pushback and declining sales, McDonald's is re-evaluating their pricing strategy.?What moves can they make to balance profits and keep customers happy? Our experts, M. Todd Pate and Steve Wilkins, share key strategies to tackle this challenge.

A global manufacturing company unlocked a $2.7M annual profit boost by strategically allocating $600M in rebates! This remarkable achievement was fueled by optimizing their rebate strategy, enhancing customer visibility, and slashing margin leakage. Check out our carousel for an exciting overview of this success story!