Collaboration in the New Commercial Era

The most successful trading relationships are no longer defined by transactional exchanges but by strategic partnerships built on transparency, shared data, and mutual accountability. At Elevate UK, industry leaders from manufacturing, distribution, and retail shared how they’re transforming their commercial operations by breaking down silos and aligning around common goals.

The Shift from Transactional to Collaborative

For decades, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers operated in separate lanes—each focused on protecting their own margins and internal objectives. But as Enable’s CEO Andrew Butt noted, the very best trading relationships are built when the partner becomes a seamless extension of your business. This fundamental mindset shift separates today’s top performers from those struggling to keep pace.

Spencer Brown, Group VP, Category Management at Rubix, highlighted the evolution from keeping rebate information closely guarded to recognizing the power of transparency. “I reflect earlier on my career where I would keep the rebate number tucked away in my back pocket in a top drawer somewhere to pull it out when I needed it,” he shared. “My finance director would not believe a word that I was saying and he was quite right too, let’s be honest. And as a result, it just builds that experience of mistrust.”

This transformation from protecting information to sharing it strategically represents a fundamental shift in commercial philosophy—one that Spencer now recognizes as essential for growth.

Data as the Foundation of Trust

Modern trading relationships thrive on shared visibility into goals, progress, and profitability throughout the year—not just quarterly spreadsheet exchanges. Paul Needham, Director of Information Systems and Data at SIG, emphasized that structured rebate data feeds into sales data and ERP systems, ultimately leading to better data-driven strategic decisions.

“Having a structured rebate system allows us to surface granular insights that seamlessly feed into our sales data, ERP, and CRM systems,” Paul explained. “Ultimately, it enables more accurate, data-driven strategic decisions.”

Leanne Hamilton, Business Support Manager at Henderson Group, described how when a commercial team member fell ill, the organization discovered critical information existed only in that person’s head. “We had one of our commercial team members out for about six months. We just didn’t know what data was in his head,” Leanne recalled. This experience reinforced the value of a rebate management platform like Enable that captures institutional knowledge and makes information accessible across the organization.

Building Trading Partnerships That Scale

Spencer Brown articulated how a single source of truth enables sales teams, finance teams, and operational teams to make decisions collaboratively rather than in silos. “Rather than everybody making those decisions in silos, they’re making those decisions with the data in front of them,” he noted.

This collaborative approach extends beyond internal teams to external trading partners. “One of the things that we’ve been discussing is how can we share the data with our suppliers and also with our customers, which means that we don’t actually just get our view on the topic, but we actually get their view on the topic as well,” Spencer explained. Forward-thinking organizations now recognize that strategic transparency with key partners accelerates mutual growth.

Paul Needham noted that while SIG’s approach remains traditional, suppliers increasingly seek direct access to information. “Nobody likes surprises when it comes to rebates. So, there is still lots of traditional conversation, but more and more suppliers are looking to access that information, get some reporting,” he observed.

Rebates as Mechanisms for Alignment

Leading organizations design rebates as tools for driving desired behaviors and aligning strategic objectives. Leanne Hamilton explained how Enable’s rebate management platform was redesigned around customer needs, reducing the time to return promotional funds from two weeks to near immediate.

“Our main focus for the business case was around our customers,” Leanne explained. “We have over 500 customers who rely on their cash flow. So, we really wanted to make that cashflow quicker for them. If we could deliver that cashflow faster, then they would essentially buy more.”

Spencer Brown identified rebates that weren’t being claimed simply because the organization lacked a single source of truth. “We identified well into the seven figures of just supplier rebates that we weren’t claiming just because we didn’t have that single source of truth,” he revealed. Beyond the financial benefit, addressing this gap improved customer metrics and service delivery speed.

The Human Element in Rebate Management

Despite increasing technological sophistication, the panel emphasized that human relationships remain central to successful trading partnerships. “I think that face-to-face interaction is more important now than ever. Not just because you think you might be talking to an AI, but I’ve had some great social events with our suppliers and I don’t want those to end,” Leanne said warmly.

Spencer Brown emphasized the importance of transparency and speed. “If the answer’s no from a supplier, just tell me it’s no, because we can then move forward and we can do it in a slightly different way.”

A New Commercial Standard

Collaboration isn’t a buzzword—it’s the framework for how revenue will be created going forward and is rapidly moving from “nice to have” to “non-negotiable.”

Companies that will succeed are those treating partners as extensions of their own teams—sharing insights, co-investing in growth, and using data to align around common goals. In a world where change is constant, partnership is the one strategy that scales.

The path forward requires balancing technological sophistication with human judgment, protecting competitive information while sharing strategically with key partners, and designing commercial programs that reward mutual success rather than zero-sum gains.  

Organizations embracing this collaborative approach are already seeing the results: stronger relationships, better forecasting, faster deal cycles, and sustainable competitive advantage.

Learn how you can create more collaborative rebate strategies with our eBook.