Profit recovery, shown step by step

Profit recovery: a data-driven method to get back the money that leaks away.

Every company gives something away to win business: discounts, rebates, free products, longer payment terms. Some plan these amounts, many do not. Either way, few see the full amount, and it grows quietly, customer by customer. This page walks through one full case and shows, tool by tool, how we find that money, put a number on it, and get it back.

A made-up case, a real method

The company below is fictitious. The work is not: this is the exact job we do for an SME leader. The tools shown here are examples; we have more, and we pick them based on your challenges.

This page is interactive. Every element with a teal outline responds to a click: filter countries, switch views, and open any number in detail.

Products here, services too

This case is about products sold. The same data-driven approach works for service businesses: same logic, different giveaways.

Tailored to your company

We adapt the advice to your industry, to the data you actually have, and to the commercial challenges you face. Dashboards fit your reality, not the other way round.

What these tools do: they make the recoverable profit visible, and they give every issue a clear owner. Problems get fixed where they occur.

The pricing cockpit: one review, three ways to run the meeting

Built for the SME CEO or founder: one monthly review of recovery opportunities, actions and results with the four country sales leaders across Southeast Asia.

The company agreed a budget for each giveaway. The cockpit compares actual spend with that budget, country by country, and shows who acts on each gap.

IN PLAIN WORDS The plan said how much to give away. This table shows where the team gave away more than the plan, and by how much.

PRICING COCKPIT · MONTHLY REVIEW · 4 COUNTRIESMarch

DEVIATION FOUND

SGD 1.2M

per year vs budget

RECOVERED TO DATE

SGD 412k

10 months

POCKET MARGIN

+0.8 pts

since January

Countries:SingaporeMalaysiaThailandIndonesia

Click a view:

Interactive: click to explore

Country	Leak source	Budget · SGD/yr	Deviation SGD	Dev. % vs budget	Status
Singapore	Portfolio rebates	SGD 756k	SGD 250k	+33%	In review
Singapore	Volume discounts	SGD 1.34M	SGD 75k	+5.6%	Live
Priority leaks · Singapore		SGD 2.1M	SGD 325k	+15%
Indonesia	Payment terms	SGD 310k	SGD 175k	+56%	Not started
Indonesia	Portfolio rebates	SGD 558k	SGD 110k	+20%	In review
Priority leaks · Indonesia		SGD 868k	SGD 285k	+33%
Thailand	Free products	SGD 258k	SGD 200k	+78%	Not started
Thailand	Volume discounts	SGD 1.11M	SGD 75k	+6.7%	Live
Priority leaks · Thailand		SGD 1.37M	SGD 275k	+20%
Malaysia	Marketing allowances	SGD 380k	SGD 148k	+39%	In review
Malaysia	Volume discounts	SGD 1.19M	SGD 62k	+5.2%	Live
Priority leaks · Malaysia		SGD 1.57M	SGD 210k	+13%
4 countries	All other checks	SGD 5.8M	SGD 105k	+1.8%	Live
Total identified		SGD 11.71M	SGD 1.2M	+10%

Action owner	Country	Leak source	Control to deploy	Deviation SGD	Status
M. Chen	Singapore	Portfolio rebates	Quarterly rebate true-up · addresses SGD 250k	SGD 250k	In review
M. Chen	Singapore	Volume discounts	Discounts above 6% escalate · addresses SGD 75k	SGD 75k	Live
S. Lim	Indonesia	Payment terms	Payment terms priced into every quote · addresses SGD 175k	SGD 175k	Not started
S. Lim	Indonesia	Portfolio rebates	Quarterly rebate true-up · addresses SGD 110k	SGD 110k	In review
J. Wong	Thailand	Free products	Free products need sign-off · addresses SGD 200k	SGD 200k	Not started
J. Wong	Thailand	Volume discounts	Discounts above 6% escalate · addresses SGD 75k	SGD 75k	Live
F. Tan	Malaysia	Marketing allowances	Allowances checked against plan monthly · addresses SGD 148k	SGD 148k	In review
F. Tan	Malaysia	Volume discounts	Discounts above 6% escalate · addresses SGD 62k	SGD 62k	Live

Leak source	Country	Budget · SGD/yr	Deviation SGD	Dev. % vs budget	Share	Status
Portfolio rebates	Singapore	SGD 756k	SGD 250k	+33%	21%	In review
Free products	Thailand	SGD 258k	SGD 200k	+78%	17%	Not started
Payment terms	Indonesia	SGD 310k	SGD 175k	+56%	15%	Not started
Marketing allowances	Malaysia	SGD 380k	SGD 148k	+39%	12%	In review
Portfolio rebates	Indonesia	SGD 558k	SGD 110k	+20%	9%	In review
Volume discounts	Singapore	SGD 1.34M	SGD 75k	+5.6%	6%	Live
Volume discounts	Thailand	SGD 1.11M	SGD 75k	+6.7%	6%	Live
Volume discounts	Malaysia	SGD 1.19M	SGD 62k	+5.2%	5%	Live
All other checks	4 countries	SGD 5.8M	SGD 105k	+1.8%	9%	Live
Total identified		SGD 11.71M	SGD 1.2M	+10%	100%

Leak source	Country	Deviation SGD	Dev. % vs budget	Last 3 months	Action owner	Status
Free products	Thailand	SGD 200k	+78%	Worsening	J. Wong	Not started
Payment terms	Indonesia	SGD 175k	+56%	Worsening	S. Lim	Not started
Portfolio rebates	Singapore	SGD 250k	+33%	Stabilizing	M. Chen	In review
Marketing allowances	Malaysia	SGD 148k	+39%	Stabilizing	F. Tan	In review
Portfolio rebates	Indonesia	SGD 110k	+20%	Stabilizing	S. Lim	In review
Volume discounts	Singapore	SGD 75k	+5.6%	Recovering	M. Chen	Live
Volume discounts	Thailand	SGD 75k	+6.7%	Recovering	J. Wong	Live
Volume discounts	Malaysia	SGD 62k	+5.2%	Recovering	F. Tan	Live

WHAT THIS TELLS YOUCountry by country: every sales leader owns two priority leaks. Singapore carries the biggest recoverable amount, Indonesia is second.

WHAT THE COCKPIT SAYS THIS MONTH

Singapore

Rebates paid are above the commercial policy: SGD 250k over plan, concentrated in part of the customer base. Volume discounts also drift, in some customers only.

Thailand

Free products run far over budget: SGD 200k. Volume discounts are overspent too, in a few customers and a few products.

Indonesia

Payment terms are more generous than agreed: SGD 175k over plan. Rebates also run far above plan.

Malaysia

Marketing allowances are above the allocated budget: SGD 148k. Volume discounts sit above policy as well.

The cockpit shows where the money leaks. It cannot show why, or in which customers, products and sales reps. The tools below answer exactly that, step by step.Keep going.

Charts shown with illustrative data.

The price waterfall, country by country

Built for each country sales leader and their team.

The waterfall shows the planned giveaways between list price and pocket price. The budget is a choice; the problem is the deviation from it. The table under the chart shows the deviation for each giveaway, and the total you can recover.

IN PLAIN WORDS Giving discounts is fine, it is the plan. Giving more than the plan, without anyone deciding it, is the leak. Untracked exceptions quietly eat the pocket price, so the profit.

Pick a country to load its waterfall

The numbers only mean something inside one sales territory with one clear owner.

Charts shown with illustrative data.

Leak source	Budget · SGD/yr	Actual · SGD/yr	Deviation SGD	Dev. % vs budget
Portfolio rebates	SGD 756k	SGD 1.01M	SGD 250k	+33%
Volume discounts	SGD 1.34M	SGD 1.42M	SGD 75k	+5.6%
Payment terms	SGD 403k	SGD 415k	SGD 12k	+3.0%
Marketing allowances	SGD 336k	SGD 344k	SGD 8k	+2.4%
Freight absorbed	SGD 319k	SGD 324k	SGD 5k	+1.6%
Free products	SGD 168k	SGD 162k	SGD -6k	-3.6%
Total	SGD 3.33M	SGD 3.67M	SGD 344k	+10%

The Deviation column is the money to recover: SGD 344k in this country this year.

WHAT THIS TELLS YOUPaid rebates are not in line with the commercial policy: SGD 250k above plan. The deviation must be investigated customer by customer and product by product. Across all four countries, volume discounts hold best against their budget: the deviation is small for the size of the policy and sits in a few customers. Step 3 shows where.

Charts shown with illustrative data.

Leak source	Budget · SGD/yr	Actual · SGD/yr	Deviation SGD	Dev. % vs budget
Marketing allowances	SGD 380k	SGD 528k	SGD 148k	+39%
Volume discounts	SGD 1.19M	SGD 1.25M	SGD 62k	+5.2%
Portfolio rebates	SGD 608k	SGD 628k	SGD 20k	+3.3%
Payment terms	SGD 350k	SGD 359k	SGD 9k	+2.6%
Free products	SGD 182k	SGD 186k	SGD 4k	+2.2%
Freight absorbed	SGD 319k	SGD 312k	SGD -7k	-2.2%
Total	SGD 3.02M	SGD 3.26M	SGD 236k	+7.8%

The Deviation column is the money to recover: SGD 236k in this country this year.

WHAT THIS TELLS YOUMarketing allowances are more generous than the allocated budget: SGD 148k above plan. Consistent pattern, or a few sales reps overspending versus the rest of the team? Across all four countries, volume discounts hold best against their budget: the deviation is small for the size of the policy and sits in a few customers. Step 3 shows where.

Charts shown with illustrative data.

Leak source	Budget · SGD/yr	Actual · SGD/yr	Deviation SGD	Dev. % vs budget
Free products	SGD 258k	SGD 458k	SGD 200k	+78%
Volume discounts	SGD 1.11M	SGD 1.19M	SGD 75k	+6.7%
Portfolio rebates	SGD 517k	SGD 535k	SGD 18k	+3.5%
Payment terms	SGD 340k	SGD 354k	SGD 14k	+4.1%
Marketing allowances	SGD 299k	SGD 309k	SGD 10k	+3.3%
Freight absorbed	SGD 313k	SGD 319k	SGD 6k	+1.9%
Total	SGD 2.84M	SGD 3.17M	SGD 323k	+11%

The Deviation column is the money to recover: SGD 323k in this country this year.

WHAT THIS TELLS YOUToo many free products versus budget: SGD 200k above plan, plus some overspend on volume discounts in a few customers and a few products. We need to see which ones. Across all four countries, volume discounts hold best against their budget: the deviation is small for the size of the policy and sits in a few customers. Step 3 shows where.

Charts shown with illustrative data.

Leak source	Budget · SGD/yr	Actual · SGD/yr	Deviation SGD	Dev. % vs budget
Payment terms	SGD 310k	SGD 485k	SGD 175k	+56%
Portfolio rebates	SGD 558k	SGD 668k	SGD 110k	+20%
Volume discounts	SGD 942k	SGD 952k	SGD 10k	+1.1%
Free products	SGD 174k	SGD 181k	SGD 7k	+4.0%
Freight absorbed	SGD 273k	SGD 277k	SGD 4k	+1.5%
Marketing allowances	SGD 260k	SGD 251k	SGD -9k	-3.5%
Total	SGD 2.52M	SGD 2.81M	SGD 297k	+12%

The Deviation column is the money to recover: SGD 297k in this country this year.

WHAT THIS TELLS YOUPayment terms are more generous than agreed: SGD 175k above plan. Systemic problem, or a few customers? The drill-down on the right answers it. Across all four countries, volume discounts hold best against their budget: the deviation is small for the size of the policy and sits in a few customers. Step 3 shows where.

The four quadrants of discounting and rebating

Built for the country sales leader: fairness and discipline, deal by deal.

One level deeper than the waterfall. Every dot is one customer of the selected country. The corridor is the rule: bigger customers earn bigger discounts, inside agreed limits.

IN PLAIN WORDS The discount should follow how much a customer buys. A dot far above the corridor got too much. A dot far below got too little, and that customer may walk away if they find out.

Price is the most powerful and fastest profit lever. Pricing drives behaviors. Discounts and rebates are the tools to get what a company needs from its customers.
Frederic Duhamelle, Founder of Takuven

Volume discount

Money off on the invoice, as a percentage of list price, based on the volume bought of a given product.

Portfolio rebate

Money paid off invoice once a customer's agreed total purchases across all products are met. Paid quarterly, twice a year or yearly, depending on the industry.

Switch on a view:

Interactive: click to explore

Two clicks to see the real data

First choose a country in Step 2, then switch on a view here.

This chart empowers the sales leader to act when the sales team overspends. It also empowers the sales leader to judge fairness:

Is the discount a customer gets in line with the volume they buy, compared with every other customer?
Is the rebate in line with the customer's total purchases, compared with customers of similar size?

Customer and product profitability

Built for the CEO and the country sales leader together: where to invest, where to fix, where to stop.

Now product costs join the picture. Ranking customers and products by pocket margin turns one question into three clear lists: who makes you money, who could, and who costs you money.

IN PLAIN WORDS Some customers and products earn you money. Some earn nothing. A few lose you money with every order. You should know their names.

Choose a view:

Interactive: click to explore

Choose a country in Step 2 first

First choose a country in Step 2, then switch on a view here.

Customer	Revenue · SGD/yr	Pocket margin	Profit · SGD/yr	What to do
Bugis Point Retail Group	SGD 1.58M	27.6%	SGD 437k	Keep, invest
Jurong Peak Provisions	SGD 845k	25.1%	SGD 212k	Keep, invest
Sentosa View Foods	SGD 891k	25.0%	SGD 223k	Keep, invest
Marina East Trading	SGD 1.06M	24.8%	SGD 262k	Keep, invest
Clarke Bay Retail Group	SGD 891k	23.8%	SGD 212k	Keep, invest
30 more in the middle	SGD 11.05M	avg 14.4%	SGD 1.6M	Steer up
Merlion Mart	SGD 113k	-1.8%	SGD -2k	Fix or stop
Katong Supplies	SGD 96k	-2.5%	SGD -2k	Fix or stop
Straits Commerce	SGD 89k	-5.9%	SGD -5k	Fix or stop
Clarke Bay Mart	SGD 94k	-6.3%	SGD -6k	Fix or stop
Sentosa View Retail Group	SGD 83k	-6.5%	SGD -5k	Fix or stop

Product	Revenue · SGD/yr	Pocket margin	Profit · SGD/yr	What to do
Product 01	SGD 1.66M	25.4%	SGD 423k	Keep, invest
Product 02	SGD 1.23M	22.4%	SGD 276k	Keep, invest
Product 03	SGD 2.08M	17.5%	SGD 363k	Steer up
Product 04	SGD 1.12M	15.0%	SGD 168k	Steer up
5 more in the middle	SGD 7.98M	avg 7.5%	SGD 599k	Steer up
Product 10	SGD 656k	1.1%	SGD 7k	Fix or stop
Product 11	SGD 674k	-2.8%	SGD -19k	Fix or stop
Product 12	SGD 1.8M	-4.0%	SGD -72k	Fix or stop

Customer	Revenue · SGD/yr	Pocket margin	Profit · SGD/yr	What to do
Melaka Gate Wholesale	SGD 825k	27.5%	SGD 227k	Keep, invest
Melaka Gate Provisions	SGD 872k	26.2%	SGD 228k	Keep, invest
Klang Valley Commerce	SGD 1.84M	26.1%	SGD 479k	Keep, invest
Sabah Point Distribution	SGD 760k	25.6%	SGD 195k	Keep, invest
Langkawi Bay Provisions	SGD 719k	23.9%	SGD 172k	Keep, invest
30 more in the middle	SGD 9.79M	avg 14.8%	SGD 1.45M	Steer up
Melaka Gate Supplies	SGD 104k	-2.2%	SGD -2k	Fix or stop
Langkawi Bay Supplies	SGD 65k	-3.0%	SGD -2k	Fix or stop
Borneo East Industrial	SGD 46k	-4.0%	SGD -2k	Fix or stop
Melaka Gate Retail Group	SGD 123k	-4.2%	SGD -5k	Fix or stop
Putra Central Provisions	SGD 60k	-6.2%	SGD -4k	Fix or stop

Product	Revenue · SGD/yr	Pocket margin	Profit · SGD/yr	What to do
Product 01	SGD 1.12M	25.1%	SGD 281k	Keep, invest
Product 02	SGD 1.5M	22.1%	SGD 331k	Keep, invest
Product 03	SGD 831k	20.0%	SGD 166k	Keep, invest
Product 04	SGD 1.98M	16.5%	SGD 327k	Steer up
5 more in the middle	SGD 6.54M	avg 8.9%	SGD 579k	Steer up
Product 11	SGD 1.14M	-0.3%	SGD -3k	Fix or stop
Product 10	SGD 1.86M	-0.7%	SGD -13k	Fix or stop
Product 12	SGD 1.78M	-6.1%	SGD -109k	Fix or stop

Customer	Revenue · SGD/yr	Pocket margin	Profit · SGD/yr	What to do
Lanna Gate Distribution	SGD 1.84M	28.8%	SGD 530k	Keep, invest
Silom Point Wholesale	SGD 1.34M	28.0%	SGD 376k	Keep, invest
Chiang Rise Distribution	SGD 541k	24.9%	SGD 135k	Keep, invest
Lanna Gate Retail Group	SGD 802k	24.8%	SGD 199k	Keep, invest
Samui View Supplies	SGD 592k	24.6%	SGD 146k	Keep, invest
30 more in the middle	SGD 8.07M	avg 14.3%	SGD 1.16M	Steer up
Ayutthaya Industrial	SGD 90k	-2.4%	SGD -2k	Fix or stop
Ayutthaya Supplies	SGD 103k	-2.8%	SGD -3k	Fix or stop
Sukhumvit Industrial	SGD 87k	-4.1%	SGD -4k	Fix or stop
Samui View Wholesale	SGD 79k	-5.2%	SGD -4k	Fix or stop
Isan Plains Retail Group	SGD 49k	-6.5%	SGD -3k	Fix or stop

Product	Revenue · SGD/yr	Pocket margin	Profit · SGD/yr	What to do
Product 01	SGD 1.31M	22.1%	SGD 290k	Keep, invest
Product 02	SGD 1.44M	20.5%	SGD 295k	Keep, invest
Product 03	SGD 620k	18.9%	SGD 117k	Keep, invest
Product 04	SGD 1.13M	14.2%	SGD 160k	Steer up
5 more in the middle	SGD 5.45M	avg 8.8%	SGD 478k	Steer up
Product 10	SGD 642k	2.4%	SGD 15k	Fix or stop
Product 11	SGD 1.42M	-0.7%	SGD -10k	Fix or stop
Product 12	SGD 1.4M	-2.8%	SGD -39k	Fix or stop

Customer	Revenue · SGD/yr	Pocket margin	Profit · SGD/yr	What to do
Java Prime Wholesale	SGD 815k	29.1%	SGD 237k	Keep, invest
Batam Link Trading	SGD 971k	28.2%	SGD 274k	Keep, invest
Bali Coast Mart	SGD 722k	27.1%	SGD 196k	Keep, invest
Jakarta Ring Trading	SGD 739k	24.4%	SGD 180k	Keep, invest
Lombok View Foods	SGD 629k	24.2%	SGD 152k	Keep, invest
30 more in the middle	SGD 8.22M	avg 14.4%	SGD 1.19M	Steer up
Batam Link Wholesale	SGD 64k	-1.9%	SGD -1k	Fix or stop
Surabaya Dock Supplies	SGD 75k	-3.3%	SGD -2k	Fix or stop
Semarang Row Distribution	SGD 72k	-5.2%	SGD -4k	Fix or stop
Sulawesi Bay Mart	SGD 39k	-6.5%	SGD -3k	Fix or stop
Borobudur Retail Group	SGD 53k	-7.4%	SGD -4k	Fix or stop

Product	Revenue · SGD/yr	Pocket margin	Profit · SGD/yr	What to do
Product 01	SGD 1.43M	22.9%	SGD 328k	Keep, invest
Product 02	SGD 653k	21.1%	SGD 138k	Keep, invest
Product 03	SGD 864k	16.9%	SGD 146k	Steer up
Product 04	SGD 1.1M	16.6%	SGD 182k	Steer up
5 more in the middle	SGD 5.76M	avg 9.0%	SGD 521k	Steer up
Product 10	SGD 1.28M	0.8%	SGD 10k	Fix or stop
Product 11	SGD 684k	-3.9%	SGD -27k	Fix or stop
Product 12	SGD 885k	-5.5%	SGD -49k	Fix or stop

Top of the list: protect and grow

Keep these customers and products close. Invest in the relationship and in added value. They fund everything else.

Middle: steer up

Challenge low prices, trim giveaway services, use marketing allowances selectively, and move these customers toward more profitable products.

Bottom: fix or stop

Move prices to restore profitability. If the numbers still do not work, part ways with the customer or retire the product.

What each analysis does for your P&L

The recap of the path you just walked: from one number for the company, down to the exact customers, products and reps where action recovers profit.

Price waterfall

Shows the planned giveaways from list to pocket, and where actual spend left the plan. It names the deviation to recover, country by country.

Discount and rebate discipline

Every deal against the corridor. It shows who gets too much, who gets unfairly little, and what closing the gap is worth.

Price-volume-mix

Which prices are too low, which discounts actually work, and which products quietly subsidize the rest. It sets the price moves for next quarter's plan.

Customer and product profitability

Pocket margin after cost, ranked. It tells you where to invest, where to renegotiate, and where to walk away, by name.

Margin bridge, on demand

When you need it, we add the year-over-year bridge on your data: price, cost, volume and mix, each effect isolated. The cockpit above already tracks found versus recovered.

And more, on demand

Elasticity checks, win-loss on quotes, promotion returns, churn-risk pricing: we have many more analytics that find money. We pick and tailor them to your industry, your data and your challenges.

One example, not the whole bag

This walkthrough is one example of how Takuven helps SMEs drive impact. It reflects the founder's operating experience in commercial and pricing leadership, turned into tools your team can use.

Every finding leaves the page with an owner, a move and a date. Your sales team sees the same data we do: no black box, no name and shame.

And this is the consulting view only. The platform in development does much, much more.

See the AI platform →

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