What if your biggest sales driver was also your biggest profit drain? For most B2B companies, this is the hidden reality of their trade spend, where a lack of true promotion trade optimization allows margin-destroying activities to hide behind impressive-looking sales lifts. This article exposes the common fallacies—from the “top-line lift” trap to cannibalization blind spots—and provides an analytics-driven framework to turn your promotional budget from an unmanaged expense into a strategic growth investment.