176. Stop Wasting Trade Spend: Fix Your Promotions

176. If you're spending thousands on trade promotions and still not seeing sustainable growth, you have a trade strategy problem — and it's quietly draining your runway. Nearly 25% of a CPG brand's gross sales go to trade marketing, yet over 70% of that spend is wasted or ineffective. That's lost margin, lost leverage, and lost negotiating power with retailers and investors. In this episode, I break down what trade marketing is really supposed to do: bring new shoppers into your brand and build base sales — not subsidize customers who would have bought anyway. I'll show you how to evaluate promotions based on contribution, not just lift, and how to stop writing blank checks for programs that don't perform. Listen to related episodes to go deeper into trade ROI, promotion design, and building sustainable CPG growth. Get instant access on the show webpage: RetailSolved.com/session176