🎙 EPISODE 304 — How Strategic Advisory Thinking Gives You Leverage
The Most Valuable Brand on the Shelf Isn’t the One With the Best Velocity. It’s the One the Retailer Turns to for Advice.

Something powerful happens the moment a buyer starts asking you:
“What do you think about this trend?”
“How should we merchandise this segment?”
“What items do you recommend we discontinue?”
“What’s happening with premium shoppers right now?”
“How should we think about innovation in this category?”
That moment — more than velocity, distribution, trade spend, or packaging — is what gives you leverage.

It’s what transforms you from:
❌ a vendor
❌ a brand trying to earn space
❌ a product competing for attention
into:
✅ a trusted advisor
✅ a category partner
✅ someone who shapes retail strategy

Most founders never experience this shift because they’re stuck in a reactive mindset:
responding to emails
chasing voids
submitting promotions
adjusting forecasts
fixing deductions

They’re operating inside the system. The same system that secretly puts a chokehold on your growth. The same system created by big brand blindly going through the motions - doing the job as apposed to growing the brand.
But the brands that grow — sustainably, profitably, predictably — step above the system and influence it.

Today, I’m going to show you exactly how to become a strategic advisor to your retailers, and why this mindset unlocks opportunities you cannot get any other way. Any brand can do this with the resources you already have.

But first, let me take you back to the moment I learned just how much leverage strategic advisory thinking creates.

THE STORY — The 20-Minute Conversation That Doubled Distribution

Years ago, a brand I was working with was preparing for a category review with a major national retailer.
They wanted to lead with:
their new packaging
their growth story
their social engagement
their founder mission
All important — but none of it would have changed the retailer’s decision-making.

During our prep, we reviewed the insights from their category overview and uncovered something surprising:
The retailer was underdeveloped in a key attribute segment
That segment was growing 3x faster than the total category
Their direct competitors had already capitalized on the trend but their were focused only on their brand
This retailer had a 20% gap vs the market
And the brand’s core shopper over-indexed in exactly that segment

Instead of opening the meeting with their brand story, we led with:
“We found a $4.7 million growth opportunity in your category, and here’s how you can capture it.”
The buyer looked up.

We then walked through:
the segment trend
the market vs account gap
the retailer’s contribution potential
How this could increase shopper traffic and create a loyal fan base for both the retailer and the brand
the incremental role of the brand’s SKUs and the gap the would fill
and a 90-day execution plan

Twenty minutes later, the buyer said:
“This is exactly the strategic support we need.
Let’s double your footprint and add two additional SKUs.”
Nothing else in their deck created that result.
Not their mission.
Not their packaging.
Not their velocity.

It was the moment they stopped acting like a brand —
and started acting like a strategic advisor.

Retailers don’t just want products.
They want partners who help them win.
This episode teaches you exactly how to become that partner.

WHY STRATEGIC ADVISORY THINKING MATTERS
Strategic advisory thinking is the highest-level skill in the New Item Essentials system.

It ties together:
Making it easier for your shoppers to find and buy your brand
Your brand health - your contribution to the category
Turning data into actionable insights others overlook
Assortment strategies that increase sales and shopper traffic
Advanced category strategies that give you an edge
Market basket strategies to grow sales, delight shoppers, and increase repeat buyers
How to turn retail relationships into revenue
How to maximize retail execution - the important impact to your brand and the category
Effective merchandising strategies that increase shopper loyalty and drive sales
And Sales growth strategies

When you think like a strategic advisor, everything changes:
Your meetings shift from transactional to collaborative.
Retailers share more information with you.
You learn about resets sooner.
Your recommendations carry more weight.
Your brand becomes “sticky” inside the retailer’s organization.
Brokers take you more seriously.
Distributors prioritize you.
Your velocity improves because your placement improves.
Your runway extends.

And here’s the biggest advantage:
👉 Advisory brands get better decisions from retailers — even with lower velocity — because they help grow the category.
Let’s break down the five core elements of Strategic Advisory Thinking.

#1: Advisors Focus on the Category, Not Themselves
“Stop Thinking Like a Brand. Start Thinking Like an Advisor.”
“The brands that grow aren’t the best performers — they’re the best partners.”

Brands say:
“Here’s why my product is great.”
Advisors say:
“Here’s what’s happening in your category, and here’s how to grow it.”

This single shift changes how buyers perceive you.
Advisors lead with:
category growth drivers
underserved segments
emerging shopper missions
market vs account gaps
retailer-specific opportunities

Why This Works
Retailers are measured on category performance —
not individual SKU performance.
If you help them win, they help you win.

Action Steps This Week
Create a one-page “Category Snapshot” for your top retailer:
52, 26, 12-week trends
key attributes impacting category growth
segment growth insights - where is the puck going to next
shopper insights - key trends to watch and support with proper product placement and merchandising
competitive dynamics - at the retailer and in their market
Use this to open your next meeting.

#2: Advisors Translate Data Into Actionable Retail Insights
“The Gap the Buyer Can’t See.”
“One insight can change your entire distribution footprint.”

Most brands “report data.” Sharing the same generic data as other brands use won’t impact the category no matter how pretty your charts are.
Advisors interpret data.

For example:
instead of “Velocity is up 8%.”
say “Your premium shopper segment grew 8%, and here’s how to double it.”
instead of “We gained 5 new stores.”
say “You’re still underdeveloped vs the market by 42 stores — here’s how to capture the gap.”
instead of “Promotions averaged 2.1x lift.”
say “Retention after promotion increased your baseline by 14%. Here’s why and here’s how we can do better on the next promotion. “
Retailers don’t need numbers.
They need meaning.

Action Steps This Week
Pick ONE piece of data and answer:
What does it mean?
Why does it matter?
What should the retailer do because of it?
Why what happened happened? This is perhaps the best most important question you should ask when starting any project. It changes your focus and helps you more quickly find insights others overlook.
This is how you become indispensable.

#3: Advisors Lead With Shopper-Centric Strategy
“Your Shopper Is Your Superpower.”
“Retailers buy shopper outcomes, not product attributes.”

Retailers don’t buy for the brand.
They buy for the shopper.

True advisory thinking is grounded in shopper understanding:
Who buys the brand?
Why do they buy it?
What problem does it solve?
What mission does it fulfill?
How does it increase basket size?
How does it elevate the retailer’s shopper experience?

Why This Works
Better-for-you shoppers:
spend more
buy more items
shop more frequently
are less price sensitive
and are far more loyal

Always consider their need state and how you help them solve the specific problem they entered the store with.
Advisors show retailers how to attract and retain these shoppers.

Action Steps This Week
Build a slide called:
“Meet Your Most Profitable Shopper.”
Use your Turnkey Sales Story fundamentals.
This is one of your highest-leverage assets.

#4: Advisors Provide Clear, Confident Recommendations
“The Recommendation Slide That Changes Everything.”
“If you end your deck with uncertainty, you lose the meeting.”
One of the biggest differences between a vendor and an advisor is this:
Vendors ask.
Advisors recommend.

Buyers want confident direction:
which SKUs to add
which SKUs to discontinue
how to segment the shelf
what pricing strategy works
what attributes drive trade-up to premium products
where the product belongs in the category and on the shelf
how to align promotions
what merchandising improves conversion
Use fact based reasoning to support and answer each of those questions
Decision = confidence.
And confidence = credibility.
Recommendation Rhythm

Every recommendation must include:
What the retailer should do and your commitment to support them
Why it matters to the retailer, their shoppers, and how it helps them gain a competitive edge in the market
How it impacts category growth today and in the future
What you will do to support execution

Action Steps This Week
Add a final slide to your decks:
“Our Recommendation for Growing Your Category in the Next 90 Days.”
Buyers love clarity.

#5: Advisors Build Trust Through Flawless Execution
“Execution = Credibility.”
“Your ability to execute determines your influence.”
You cannot earn advisory status if you don’t execute.

Execution is:
clean agreements
accurate forecasting
precise deductions
proper merchandising
consistent communication
perfect use of the scorecard
measuring what matters
delivering on commitments

When buyers see flawless execution, they trust your strategy.
Your actions speak volumes. Empty promises erode trust.

Why This Matters
Retailers promote brands they trust and can rely upon.
Retailers discontinue brands that cause headaches - brands they need to babysit.
Trust is the ultimate leverage.

Action Steps This Week
Run a flawless-execution audit:
Are your agreements complete - accuracy matters? This is how you avoid invalid deductions.
Are your forecasts accurate, especially when you promote?
Is your merchandising consistent across every store?
Is your scorecard updated monthly? Revisit it on a regular basis
Is your broker aligned with your strategy? How effectively do they execute your plan?
Execution is your credibility.

To RECAP — HOW STRATEGIC ADVISORY THINKING GIVES YOU LEVERAGE
Lead with category insights — not your brand.
Translate data into meaningful actions.
Center everything around the shopper.
Make confident, retailer-aligned recommendations.
Execute flawlessly to build trust and influence.

When you do these consistently:
you get more shelf space
you get better placement
you win resets
you win more promotions
buyers come to you first
you reduce risk
you increase velocity
you grow sustainably

This is the mindset that separates category leaders from everyone else.
Retailers don’t need more vendors.
They need advisors.
Today, you became one.

This is not theory, this is how I pushed around larger and more sophisticate brands throughout my career and with my clients.

Here’s a quick example why this works and the impact it can make
Working with a brand recently, we developed a strategy that followed this exact playbook. We merchandised products based on shopper need states within the same category. The result was the category at that retailer outperformed every other retailer nationally AND we grew category sales without using the pricing and promotion lever. This is what being a category advisor looks like. We delivered a creative strategy that gave the retailer a significant competitive advantage by leveraging the strength of our brand. It also highlights how we used the strength of our brand to drive more traffic, larger baskets, and greater conversion - the number of shoppers converted to category buyers.

This strategy also attracted the under 35 segment organically. This is where the future growth is across every category. Our strategy outperformed other categories even with their deep discounting.

To drive this home. We helped the retailer increase traffic, basket size, and profit in their category. Shoppers traded up to more premium products and larger packs. We also became in invaluable resource to the retailer in the process. Brands are lucky to get a few precious minutes with that year in a year and yet because they viewed us as a trusted and valued partner, we met with them almost monthly for hours at a time. They even asked for our advice on other categories. They appreciated us so much that they even gave us a permanent end-cap for free. End-caps drive more sales growth than any other promotional lever even without discounting. Our sales exploded as a result! This is the power behind these strategies. They worked for brands I’ve worked with and they can work for you.

I share other examples and strategies you can use in other podcast episodes and in the free 30 days to profitable growth challenge. You can access it at retailsolved.com/30daychallenge.

Next, we’ll explore:
how to stop deductions before they start
Until then:
follow the show
visit RetailSolved.com/podcast
connect with me on LinkedIn
share this episode with a founder who’s presenting to retail

Being a strategic advisor isn’t about having the most data.
It’s about seeing what others miss — and using it to help retailers win.
I’m Dan Lohman, and this is the Bulletproof Your CPG Brand podcast.