Gone are the days where decisions and recommendations to retail customers are made based purely on intuition and relationships. Sales and marketing teams need to take a fact-based approach to their business, starting with developing new skills in “retail understanding”, “proficiency in data”, and “category & business insights”. A fact-based presentations approach will help you uncover development opportunities as well as combat potential weaknesses through joint business planning (JBP). Some of the questions you need to be able to answer, include: Who are your Retailers and what are they trying to accomplish? What data sources are available to me and how do I analyze and interpret them? How do I create actionable recommendations for the Retailer using the tactics? Adding value to the Retailer through solutions and recommendations that tie in with their overall strategies and their biggest areas of opportunity will help move you from relationship-only selling to an added-value, more collaborative sales approach. The result? Win-win solutions for the Vendor and Retailer. But keep in mind, once sales teams answer these questions, their job is only half done. Their next step is to learn how to tell stories through compelling, fact-based presentations that connect with the opportunities and insights they have uncovered. Let’s review the most important elements of fact-based presentations.

Collaboration + Shopper Marketing How can you be successful in both? This is what the Category Management Association (CMA) has to say, “Building a marketing plan ‘through the eyes of the Shopper’ to create value for both the Retailer and Vendor requires collaboration using the best practice methodologies, insights, data and tools available. Category Management can serve as the umbrella under which the collaborative process is facilitated” (Strategic Collaboration for Shopper Satisfaction, 2015). Here are some great resources from CMKG for you to get started: "Strategic Collaboration: Are you Really Prepared?" blog posting Understanding Shopper Trip Missions complimentary download

Fact-based skills are a requirement in today's world The combination of an increasingly complex world, the vast proliferation of data and the need to stay one step ahead of the competition has sharpened focus on using analytics within organizations. Here are some great downloads from Category Management Knowledge Group for you to get started on fact based sales: Turning Data Into Insights complimentary download 5 Requirements for Compeling, Fact-Based Presentations infographic complimentary download

Strategic collaboration is a buzzword in the industry. Many Retailers and Vendors have it embedded somewhere in their strategic plans for 2015. Do you have a plan on how to get there? Here are some great resources for you to get started on collaboration: Category Management Training video previews with accredited content on “Collaborative Business Planning” and “Retailer Strategy” (plus other previews) from Category Management Knowledge Group