10 Signs Your Deductions Process Needs a Makeover (And How CPG Brands Can Fix It)
Meta Description: Are your deductions slowing cash flow and wasting time? Discover 10 signs your CPG team needs a deduction process makeover—and how to fix it for good.
Think your deductions process is running smoothly? Let’s put that to the test.
Deductions can quietly eat away at profitability, especially when your team is stuck in manual workflows or misaligned across departments. If any of the signs below sound a little too familiar, it might be time to take a hard look at your process—and more importantly, rework it for efficiency, clarity, and control.
1. You're still using email for approvals
Email might work for quick conversations, but it’s no place for a structured, trackable deductions process. If approvals are scattered across inboxes, you're losing visibility, accountability, and time.
2. Finance and sales are always checking in with each other
If updates on deduction statuses require a constant back-and-forth, your teams aren’t working from a shared source of truth. That’s a recipe for confusion, miscommunication, and missed deadlines.
3. You don’t know your open deductions balance by retailer
Without this view, you’re flying blind. Retailer-specific visibility is essential for prioritization, performance tracking, and strategic resolution planning.
4. There’s no standard coding structure
If each deduction is handled differently—or if coding varies by team—reporting becomes unreliable and trend analysis impossible. Standardization isn’t just nice to have; it’s foundational.
5. Aging balances are piling up
Got deductions lingering for over a month—or worse, several months? That delay is hurting cash flow and increasing the chances of write-offs. A responsive process should prevent aging from getting out of hand.
6. Non-trade deductions don’t have a clear owner
When ownership is vague, deductions slip through the cracks. Every deduction type—trade and non-trade—should have a clear, accountable owner.
7. Sales doesn’t know what’s valid vs. invalid
Sales teams can’t weigh in if they don’t understand what qualifies as a legitimate deduction. Without clear criteria and communication, you risk inconsistent handling and internal friction.
8. You don’t track categories or root causes
If you’re not categorizing deductions and identifying patterns, you can’t fix upstream issues. A root-cause approach turns deductions from a reactive task into a proactive opportunity.
9. You can’t report by category or item
When reporting lacks granularity, leadership can’t make informed decisions or measure process improvements. Visibility should drill down to SKU, customer, and deduction type.
10. You’re clearing deductions just to move on
If your team is settling deductions just to get them off the books—without investigating their validity—you’re leaving money on the table and encouraging more of the same behavior.
The biggest signs your deductions process needs work? Manual workflows, unclear ownership, and lack of retailer-specific visibility. The fix? A smarter, centralized system that keeps Finance and Sales on the same page.
Time for a Reset?
If you're nodding along to more than a few of these, your deductions process likely needs a serious overhaul. The good news? TrewUp helps CPG brands gain full visibility into their trade dollars. Our platform streamlines trade spend management, prevents revenue leakage, and empowers brands to have a streamlined deductions management process.
If you’re looking for another place to get started, check out the following resources on Why Manual Deductions Management Is Costing You More Than You Think and this Guide to Our Deductions Management Platform.
Frequently Asked Questions about Deductions Management
Why is email a problem for deduction approvals?
Email might feel convenient, but it's not scalable or auditable. Important approvals get buried in inboxes, and there's no visibility into who said what, when. A centralized system streamlines approvals, ensures accountability, and prevents things from slipping through the cracks.
What’s the risk of not having a standard coding structure?
Without a consistent way to categorize deductions, your reporting is unreliable. You can’t spot trends, prioritize root causes, or effectively allocate resources. A standardized structure lets you analyze by retailer, deduction type, item, and more—so you can fix what’s broken.
Who should own non-trade deductions?
Good question—and one that too many companies leave unanswered. Non-trade deductions (like shortages or compliance issues) often fall into a gray area. TrewUp makes it easy to assign ownership, automate workflows, and track progress so nothing falls through the cracks
How can we stop clearing deductions just to move on?
When you’re overwhelmed, it’s tempting to resolve a deduction just to get it off your desk. TrewUp gives you the tools to validate deductions quickly, flag invalids, and surface recurring problems—so you're solving the root cause, not just clearing noise.
