Welcome to Day 16: Episode 288 — How To Use Data Analytics for a Competitive Edge:

The Roadmap to Future Sales and Profits
Day 16 of 30 Days to Prosperity

If you want to compete at a higher level, you must understand data.
Not surface-level numbers.
Not canned reports.
Not push-button dashboards.
I’m talking about true data literacy — the ability to uncover insights that others overlook and turn them into compelling stories retailers cannot ignore.
Because knowledge is power — especially in this industry.

Today I’m going to show you how to use data analytics as a roadmap to future sales and profits. And I want you to know this upfront:
No brand wins long-term without mastering data.
But every brand can learn how to do it — even if numbers aren’t your thing.
Let me explain why this matters.

Natural Channel Today Looks Like Mainstream 30 Years Ago
Earlier in this series, I shared that natural today resembles mainstream in the late ’80s and early ’90s.
Same struggles.
Same growing pains.
Same inefficiencies.
Back then, logistics were messy.
Merchandising varied by store.
Retailers had limited visibility into what was actually driving category growth.
Sound familiar?

Big brands were using the exact same relationship-based strategies that the natural channel still leans on now:
Handshakes
Golf outings
Incentives
Bribery disguised as “trade spend”
But none of that told retailers how to grow their business.

That’s why category management was born — to give brands the advanced tools to:
Avoid wasted spending
Reduce out-of-stocks
Improve inventory planning
Understand shopper behavior
Align innovation with need states
Help retailers actually succeed

The irony?
Most big brands today have gotten lazy.
They rely on commoditized dashboards and cookie-cutter templates - what I call “pushbutton category management”.
This is your opening.
This is where you gain the edge you deserve.

Why Data Matters More Than Ever
Fact-based selling replaced relationship selling for one simple reason:
Facts win more arguments than charm ever will.
Retailers used to choose brands based on:
Who they liked

As larger retailers matured — and as consolidation increased — they demanded more.
They wanted proof.
They wanted insights.
They wanted predictability.
And natural is now catching up.

So here’s the truth:
If you want to compete at a higher level, you must adopt the advanced strategies big brands rely on — without adopting their bad habits.
This is how you level the playing field.
This is how you earn influence.
This is how you future-proof your brand.

The Biggest Mistake Brands Make With Data
Most brands only look at:
Velocity
Margin
Ranking reports
And then they wonder why their presentations fall flat.

Let me take you behind the curtain.
Those metrics tell retailers:
Who’s spending the most
Who’s promoting the most
Who’s buying velocity through deep discounts
They don’t show:
Category health
Brand contribution
Incremental growth
Market basket impact
The value of your unique shopper
And those are the metrics that change conversations.

Canned Reports Are a Starting Place — Not a Strategy
In full transparency, my reputation was built in part on creating canned topline reports for retailers, brands, and even for SPINS.

Yes, I designed early versions of some of the reports you still use today — including the Distribution Tracker.
Those reports are helpful.
They make comparisons easy.
They streamline recurring reviews.
But here’s what they don’t do:
They don’t reveal the insights that differentiate you.
Canned reports show what happened.
You need to show why it happened — and what will happen next.
That’s where real influence begins.

Analysis Paralysis: The Hidden Trap
Every category manager knows this feeling:
You open a dataset “just to check one thing”…
…and three hours later you’re 87 tabs deep, chasing a ghost insight that doesn’t exist.
I’ve been there.
I used to drown in spreadsheets looking for the golden nugget.

But over time, I learned to ask a different question:
Why did what happened happen?
That question will save you countless hours.
It focuses your analysis.
It guides your curiosity.
It helps you find the signal in the noise.
And the best part?
With practice, you begin to instantly see patterns that others miss.
Just like an experienced coach who can watch 10 seconds of film and diagnose exactly what’s going wrong.

The Art and Science of Storytelling With Data
Fact-based selling is simply advanced storytelling.
Here’s the structure:
Start with the shopper
Who are they?
How do they shop?
What do they buy with your brand?
Define the problem
Category gaps
Shopper pain points
Missed opportunities
Use the data to validate the problem
Trends
Contribution
Market basket impact
Incremental sales

Position your brand as the solution
Provide Clear recommendations
Use Actionable insights
Measurable outcome
This is the formula that opens doors.
This is the formula that gets you invited back.
This is the formula that earns trust with retailers.
And yes — you can learn it.

The Roadmap to Future Sales and Profits
When you learn how to interpret data, you unlock your roadmap:
Where your future distribution should be
Which innovations will succeed
Which velocities matter — and which don’t
How to price correctly
How to validate promotions
How to measure marketing effectiveness
How to identify category trends before your competitors
This is how you stop guessing.
This is how you stop “hoping” your brand grows.
This is how you start planning with precision.

The Truth: Everyone Struggles With Data at First
Even big brands.
Even senior leaders.
Even analysts with degrees.
Data literacy isn’t innate — it’s trained.
Just like running a marathon, lifting weights, or playing an instrument:
The more you practice, the more confident and skilled you become.
And that’s why I created:
This is why I created the new item essentials system
A full library of webinars, guides, and video trainings
Each one teaches a single skill — a quick win you can apply immediately across every SKU and every retailer.
Master one, then another, then another.
Before long, you’ll be telling stories with data that command attention.

Day 16 Action Item: Practice Turning a Data Point Into a Story
Choose one simple metric today — just one — and ask:
What shopper behavior does this reflect?
What caused this to happen?
What opportunity does this reveal?
What recommendation does this point to?
This is the foundation of fact-based storytelling.

In Closing: Your Data Skills Are Your Superpower
When you learn how to:
Interpret data,
See patterns and trends,
Understand shopper behavior, and
Communicate insights clearly…
…you become unstoppable.
Retailers listen differently.
They trust you more.
They invite you into conversations that shape the future of the category.
You earn an equal seat at the table.

This is also the exact strategy I’ve used my entire career to push big brands around and to give my clients an unfair competitive advantage. I drill deeper into specific strategies on different podcast episodes. There is a wealth of information with practical applications just waiting for you to uncover.

This is how you Design a Simple Retail Influence Plan – with step-by-step actions you can take over the next 90 days to deepen retailer relationships and unlock more doors.

Tomorrow, in Episode 289, we’ll take the next step and talk about How to Build a Fact-Based Selling Story That Retailers Can’t Ignore — the practical structure you’ll use again and again.

Make sure you're subscribed.
Share this episode with a founder who feels overwhelmed by data — this will give them hope.
Downloads the free series guide to go deeper into these strategies
Your brand deserves this level of clarity.
Your customers deserve a leader.
Let’s keep climbing together.

For additional inspiration listen to the following podcast episodes:
Episode 35 Sales Extend Beyond Retailer’s Shelves for Brands, Chuck Muth with Beyond Meat
In this episode we talk about how Beyond meat uses the best strategies that mainstream brands rely on to dominate there category. This podcast episode validates exactly what we've been talking about - the power of data analytics in fact based selling and the importance of knowing your core customer.

Episode 54 Insider Secrets To Getting On Shelf with Retailers, Mathis Martines with Enlightened, Formerly Kroger
This is one of my most popular podcast episodes. Mathis shares a wealth of information and in this podcast episode we talk about exactly what Kroger expects from the brands they work with and what you need to do to differentiate your brand and help your brand stand out on a crowded shelf. This is exactly what we've been talking about throughout this entire series. In this podcast episode Mathis validates the strategies and tells you exactly how to use them as you work with any retailer.

Episode 92 Plant Based – The Hottest Trend In Retail You Should Leverage, David Benzaquen with Plant Based Solutions and Ocean Hugger Foods
What's Behind The Hottest Trend In Retail. David is the leading thought later in the plant-based community. His insights are in demand. Plant-based products are the hottest trend in retail however retailers don't know how to merchandise them affectively to make them easy for your customers to find and buy. This is where your data analytics or so critically important but none of the database is accurately code the data the way your customer shops. This is something we talk about on this podcast episode along with strategies to help you get around this. These strategies work across all product niches as well.

Episode 199 How To Keep Your Brand Alive Today And Tomorrow, Andrew Therrien with Big Orange Productions
This is actually the audio recording from one of the free webinars. Andrew is one of the most brilliant sales managers in the industry. His insights Will teach exactly what you need to know to help your retail partner remain relevant and keep customers coming back again and again. Andrew shares his unique perspective from working with hundreds of brands across all categories and all retailers. Andrews insights are priceless and will help give you the ad you deserve.

Tip of the day: Knowledge is power - especially in this industry. If you want to compete at a higher level you need to adopt the advanced strategies big brands rely on. This is how you level the playing field and even gain the edge you deserve!

Thank you for listening. This episode has an accompanying video with illustrations and additional information I can’t share on an audio podcast. You can watch it at retailsolved.com/30daychallenge.

You can get the show notes for this episode by going to RetailSolved.com/Session288. Tomorrows episode is How To Use Fact-Based Selling For a Competitive Edge.

This episode will build on today’s conversation. Thank you for listening. I look forward to seeing you in the next episode.