Navigating US trade and tariff policy: leverage technology to protect revenue 

Keeping track of the rapid and unpredictable changes to US trade policy has been a challenge, to say the least. And it’s even more difficult for business leaders, who need to understand exactly how tariffs and policy shifts impact revenue operations—and take appropriate action to protect the bottom line.  

In tumultuous economic times, organizations must be proactive to stay competitive. Despite the current uncertainty, the right technology can help any organization navigate market complexity and take control of business outcomes. Three areas in particular stand out as opportunities to leverage technology: analyzing contractual commitments, optimizing business relationships, and improving operational efficiency.    

The impact of recent trade and tariff changes 

Before we dig into the actions business leaders can take, let’s explore why those steps are necessary. Following is a brief summary of the wide-ranging business impact of changes to US trade policy.

• Price increases and inflationary pressures 
  The combined effect of tariffs can lead to significant cost increases for goods and services—including raw materials—which can impact budgets for both businesses and consumers.
• Increased uncertainty and volatility 
  The back-and-forth of tariffs and counter-tariffs creates a highly uncertain and volatile trade environment, eroding business confidence and muddying investment decisions.
• Supply chain challenges 
  Companies may need to adapt to new trade dynamics by reconfiguring their supply chains; for example, finding alternative suppliers, adjusting product bundles, or shifting production facilities.  
• Rising trade barriers 
  Tariffs and retaliatory measures create additional barriers to trade, increasing the cost of doing business across borders and reducing overall trade volumes.
• Limited market access 
  Companies may face difficulties accessing markets in countries that have implemented retaliatory tariffs, leading to lost sales and reduced market share.

Analyzing contractual commitments 

When faced with uncertainty, business leaders must analyze many factors to determine the best course of action in responding to revenue threats. This includes taking a hard look at existing contracts, obligations, and commitments.

The rapid, unprecedented changes in US trade policy are forcing business leaders to quickly assess their options for changing suppliers, reworking product mix, adjusting pricing models, and more. Faced with uncertain material costs, foreign and domestic tariffs, and frequent policy changes, CEOs want to know exactly what their commitments look like—and what choices they have.

This focus on contractual commitments has catapulted Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) to the forefront of business strategy planning and risk assessment. Enterprise-level companies often have thousands of vendor and customer contracts to manage. At that scale, AI-powered CLM technology is the only feasible way to read, understand, summarize, and evaluate those contracts.  

AI-powered CLM systems can rapidly review massive volumes of supplier, distributor, partner, and customer contracts to:

• Identify clauses tied to import/export obligations, cost structure, and delivery terms
• Cross-reference contract terms with evolving tariff schedules and trade restrictions
• Prioritize contracts based on financial exposure or strategic importance
• Model outcomes across your contract portfolio to guide decisions on pricing, sourcing, and logistics
• Help legal and procurement teams assess which contracts should be renegotiated or terminated

This may be the most powerful, impactful, and measurable use case for AI-powered technology in modern business. Any other approach to contract analysis is simply too slow—and with the rate of change accelerating rapidly, businesses must integrate AI tools into their business, contract, and risk management strategy.  

Optimizing business relationships 

In today's evolving trade environment, having the right supplier, partner, and even customer relationships is critical. Amid shifting tariffs, tightening regulations, and unsettled global supply chains, resilient and trusted relationships allow businesses to stay nimble, mitigate risk, and maintain a competitive edge.

AI-powered technology—such as CLM and CPQ—can help companies to optimize key business relationships in the following ways:

• Smarter, more competitive pricing (CPQ): Respond instantly to new costs associated with tariffs and trade restrictions. Automatically adjust pricing rules and discounting logic based on updated costs. Maintain margin without damaging customer relationships.  
• Supply chain and partner optimization (CLM + CPQ): Identify underperforming or high-risk partners based on cost, tariff exposure, and contractual commitments. Analyze which partners are most costly under new tariff policies. Find opportunities for more resilient, cost-effective partnerships quickly, with minimal disruption.  
• Improved transparency and trust (CLM): Analyze supplier contracts to identify those that are most vulnerable to tariffs. Renegotiate terms more effectively with suggested clauses aligned to current risks. Improve relationships through proactive, transparent adjustments—with no surprises.
• Market diversification (CPQ): Enter new markets confidently to reduce reliance on countries affected by tariffs. Tailor offerings to different regions with dynamic configuration and pricing based on local trade conditions. Explore new trade partnerships, adapt to trade changes on the fly, and deliver customized value in every market.

By integrating CLM and CPQ technologies, companies can effectively create a closed-loop optimization cycle for business relationships. CLM surfaces contractual risks and opportunities, while CPQ acts on them in real time with optimal configuration and pricing options. Together, these powerful tools help businesses maintain resilient, high-trust relationships with every stakeholder—despite changing trade conditions.  

Improving revenue process efficiency 

In tumultuous times, it’s more important than ever to make the most of every revenue opportunity. As costs rise and uncertainty grows, a more efficient revenue lifecycle enables companies to respond quickly, protect margins, and maintain customer trust. Inefficiencies in the revenue lifecycle not only slow business operations but also hinder growth opportunities.  

To survive in the current economic environment, businesses must be agile—while also fully unlocking revenue opportunities and preventing revenue leakage. Revenue Lifecycle Management (RLM) is the key to achieving these objectives.  

By optimizing business processes across the entire revenue lifecycle—and addressing any process inefficiencies that may be discovered—businesses can capture revenue faster and cheaper, regardless of economic upheavals. RLM allows businesses to adjust quickly to tariff-driven cost changes, while also improving cross-functional collaboration between sales, legal, finance, and supply chain teams.  

Recent research from Conga revealed that, while 100% of business leaders recognize the importance of RLM, only 54% are confident in their organization’s ability to identify and capture all possible revenue opportunities. This clearly demonstrates the shortfalls in many organizations’ current revenue processes.

As businesses look to improve their ability to capture revenue, implementing an integrated tech stack—including AI and automation—is imperative. An integrated approach to RLM can eliminate common barriers to revenue, including:

• Siloed systems and lack of visibility
• Inefficient, manual workflows
• Data inaccuracies caused by human error
• Missed opportunities for cross-sell and upsell

Conga’s research found that 87% of business leaders are confident in AI’s ability to improve business performance, yet just 25% have already adopted AI in their business processes.  

If the current economic instability continues, improving process efficiency becomes a question of survival rather than a nice-to-have. As such, adoption of AI for revenue processes may accelerate much faster than previously anticipated.

The technology partner you can trust 

Choosing the right technology has never been more important than it is right now. Conga’s integrated, AI-powered revenue lifecycle solutions—including CLM, CPQ, Document Automation, and more—provide the agility and visibility companies need to adapt quickly to shifting trade policies, tariffs, and economic pressures.  

With Conga, businesses can streamline complex processes, reduce risk, and make smarter, faster decisions that protect profitability. Request a demo today to see our Revenue Lifecycle Management solutions in action.  

You can also download the new report from Conga, in partnership with Ascend2 Research: The Revenue Imperative: Overcoming Inefficiencies to Maximize Growth. This research analyzes responses from more than 600 business decision-makers to highlight the growing need to identify inefficiencies, automate workflows, and optimize revenue operations amid the current economic uncertainty.