Case study

A Leading Metals Distributor ROI increased x10

Categories

Product & Pricing

Solutions provided

Pricing Model & Architecture

Price New & Existing Products

Discounting Methodology

Pricing and Sales BI Tools

The key insight

An index-driven pricing engine reduced discount variability, delivered 200+ bps margin lift, and generated 10x ROI.

Results at a glance

10x

ROI increase

Take an assessment

A $4B+ metals distributor needed market-relevant, dynamic pricing across volatile cycles. Leadership wanted tighter discount discipline and faster quoting, plus an implementation approach that would stick across sales offices and customer segments.

The challenge

Margin compression and inconsistent field pricing made it hard to protect profitability and win rate in volatile markets.

Margin compression intensified during volatile and declining market cycles

Discounting varied widely for similar customers and deals

Quoting was slow and lacked analytics for price decisions

Sales teams lacked shared understanding of pricing rules and guardrails

The Cortado Group solution

Design Pricing Engine

Built index-based logic to set prices from relevant market indices and inputs.

Re-Price Portfolio

Established pricing for new and existing products with clear corridors by segment.

Set Discount Guardrails

Defined when reps can discount, how much, and when approvals are required.

Embed in CRM/CPQ

Delivered CRM-integrated CPQ guidance to improve quote speed and accuracy.

Operationalize Governance

Implemented cadence, ownership, and escalation paths to sustain adherence.

Train the Field

Ran implementation training across US sales offices with role-based scenarios.

Instrument Measurement

Built a methodology to track adoption, realization, win rate, and margin impact.

Enable Continuous Improvement

Created a feedback loop to tune thresholds and rules as markets moved.

Results

10x

ROI increase

Discount variability dropped meaningfully across like customers: and transactions.

Win rates increased 5% to 10% across: geographies and customer segments.

In-scope portfolio margin improved: 200+ bps.

The initiative delivered 10x ROI: through improved price realization and control.