Presenting the Undeliverable
The Mistake
Buyers often see Account Managers, Category Managers and Sales Directors share a deck of slides. A slide deck that identifies category opportunities but opportunities that is just too woolly. Category opportunities which show that one Supermarket’s subcategory market share is lower than a competitor’s market share. The recommendation is to increase the sku count. Knowing that the sku count cannot be increased. Or that a competitor promotes more, and that whilst it contravenes corporate guidelines to promote more, the recommendation is to do so.
The Consequences
A frustrated Buyer, struggling to take in the huge amount of data and effort that has led to the conclusion. Now paralysed by a problem with no solution and a lot of thinking required to go get the answer. A supplier frustrated by the lack of delivery by the Buyer. The supplier then chases the Buyer continually and then eventually gives up. They reside themselves to the fact that the Buyer is ‘too busy’.
How to Avoid
Make more of a difference. Achieve this by:
- Presenting fewer category opportunities.
- Better thought through.
- Including recommendations that can be implemented.
- And all the above are within the Buyer’s gift.
