Retail Clarity Decision Tools™ for CPG Brands
YOUR TEAM HAS THE REPORTS.
WHY IS THE NEXT DECISION STILL UNCLEAR?
Your team may already have the data, dashboards, software, and smart people.
I help you identify what the business is really trying to decide, what context is missing, and what will make the next move clearer and easier to repeat.
✔️ Start with one recurring decision.
✔️ No polished deck or cleaned data required.
✔️ Built for your team to own and maintain.
If a custom tool is not the right answer, I will tell you.
MORE PEOPLE. MORE SOFTWARE. SAME DECISIONS.
Your brand has grown. The team has grown. The reporting has grown. Yet the same important questions still return to the founder or leadership team.
That does not mean the people or tools failed. It usually means the business has not built a shared way to turn all that information into a decision everyone understands and can act on.
A strong Decision Tool connects the question, the right evidence, the owner, and the next action. It gives the team a simpler, repeatable way to decide what to do next without starting over every time.
The goal is not another dashboard. It is a business that becomes easier to operate as it grows.
THIS MAY BE THE RIGHT NEXT STEP IF:
✓ The same retail, trade, distribution, or reporting decision keeps returning to the founder or leadership team.
✓ Sales, finance, operations, marketing, and outside partners are working from different versions of the truth.
✓ Your dashboard shows what happened, but the team still debates what to do next.
✓ Important information is scattered across retailer portals, spreadsheets, broker updates, syndicated data, and internal reports.
✓ You are considering another hire, platform, or outside partner but want to define the real problem before spending more.
You do not need to fix the whole company. Start with one decision that matters now.
START WITH ONE DECISION
Not every problem requires a new dashboard.
Sometimes the existing report needs a clearer purpose. Sometimes the team needs a focused Decision Tool. Sometimes the real gap is ownership, operating rhythm, or the way different functions are interpreting the business.
Bring one report, workflow, or recurring question. I will help you determine which problem you actually have.
What happens on the call
1. Clarify the decision
What is the business trying to understand or decide?
2. Identify the gap
Is the missing piece the question, owner, evidence, operating rhythm, or tool?
3. Recommend the next step
I will tell you honestly whether the current report can be improved, a focused Decision Tool makes sense, or the team needs a broader capability project.
Most calls take 30 to 45 minutes. The calendar reserves an hour so we do not have to rush.
The call determines which starting point fits the problem. It does not assume you need the largest project.
SEE HOW A DECISION BECOMES A WORKING TOOL
This five-minute walkthrough shows how I begin with the business question, connect the available evidence, and build a practical tool the team can use, maintain, and act on.
No polished deck or perfectly cleaned data required. Start with one report, workflow, or recurring question.
Prefer to scan first? Keep scrolling to see real tools, proof, and outcomes.
BUILT FROM REAL RETAIL DECISIONS
NOT GENERIC DASHBOARD WORK
I built the original SPINS Distribution Tracker so natural brands could see how their products were performing by retailer and quantify the dollar opportunity associated with closing important distribution gaps.
That tool helped make store-level opportunity visible and actionable. It also opened the door to a broader suite of category-management tools and later informed the core-distribution system I built inside Simply Good Foods.
I have built decision tools from nearly every seat in the retail system: store operations, sales, broker management, category management, manufacturer, founder, syndicated data, trade, deductions, and execution.
That matters because a report can be technically correct and still fail if it ignores how shoppers buy, how retailers decide, how trade affects margin, or how the team actually works.
The goal is not to give your team another file.
The goal is to help everyone see the same problem, agree on what matters, assign ownership, and act.
THESE ARE DECISION TOOLS
NOT REPORTS
A report summarizes information. A Decision Tool helps the team make one recurring business decision.
It should make five things easier to see:
What changed?
Why does it matter?
Where should the team focus?
Who owns the next action?
What should happen next?
That is why every tool begins with the business question, not the spreadsheet.
The value is not the file. It is the clearer decision and stronger action that follow.
WHAT CLIENTS SAY ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE
Dan is my go to category manager who plays a critical role in all special projects. He is committed to consistently provide timely and accurate results. The unique breath and depth of the projects he works on continually stretch him and push his unique skill set to new levels. He has a real talent for being very innovative using a variety of tools to create value for the entire company. For example, he created from scratch a robust tool that surgically identifies and quantifies distribution opportunities in addition to a variety of reports that quickly enables the company to better understand the drivers of our business and close gaps. Dan has created some of the most transformational and impactful reporting tools I have even seen throughout my career. Performance review excerpt.
Craig told me not to call these reports.
He said they were tools.
That distinction stuck because it is exactly the point.
Reports show information.
Tools help teams act.
Daniel was a trusted team player and a committed advocate – passionate about helping natural companies get the most from the SPINS tools and resources. He worked hard and took great pride in establishing himself as a trusted expert in the SPINS reporting tool and databases. He was considered to be one of the top power database users supporting clients needing deep dive in-depth analytic support and training. His contribution included developing several of the reporting tools at SPINS. In addition, he helped train and develop new clients.
Daniel is a very committed and passionate strategic adviser and advocate for companies seeking category management insights and solutions. In the short time we’ve contracted Dan’s services, he has brought significant value to GoMacro and continues to provide guidance and direction to help with our growth objectives. Dan has the keen ability to see things from the 500 ft. level and to bring it down to actionable strategies that help organization grow and compete in a crowded landscape. Besides his strategic business and category management acumen, I find Dan to be passionate, a consummate student & teacher, and a pleasure to work with.
WHY MOST DASHBOARDS STILL LEAVE THE DECISION UNCLEAR
Most dashboards begin with the data that is already available.
They summarize sales, distribution, promotions, inventory, margin, deductions, or execution. That information is useful, but it rarely explains the entire business problem.
The team still has to connect what happened inside the business with what the shopper chose, what changed in the category, and what action should happen next.
THE RETAIL CLARITY LENS
A useful Decision Tool should help the team answer four questions:
1. What happened?
Sales, distribution, margin, inventory, promotions, deductions, and execution.
2. Why did it happen?
Shopper needs, behavior, value, repeat purchase, and reasons for choosing.
3. What influenced it?
Competition, retailer activity, assortment, pricing, placement, and category conditions.
4. What should happen next?
The priority, owner, corrective action, investment decision, and next commercial move.
The data tells you what happened. The full context helps you decide what to do next.
WHAT A DECISION TOOL CAN HELP YOUR TEAM DO
Every project begins with one recurring business decision. The tool is then built around the action the team needs to take.
Protect the core business.
Identify which lost authorizations, distribution gaps, retailers, and items deserve attention first.
Improve promotion decisions.
Determine whether an event created profitable, incremental demand or simply moved sales and margin.
Prevent deductions and recurring losses.
Trace where the problem begins, quantify the impact, and identify what process needs to change.
Focus employees, brokers, and outside partners.
Clarify priorities, ownership, expectations, and the next action.
Allocate resources more effectively.
Compare retailers, markets, products, promotions, and opportunities using consistent decision rules.
Build stronger retailer-ready recommendations.
Turn shopper, category, competitive, financial, and execution signals into a clearer commercial story.
The tool may be a dashboard, scorecard, tracker, analysis, or workflow. The format follows the decision. The decision does not follow the template.
WHAT MAKES THIS DIFFERENT
Most specialists see the business from one primary seat.
I have worked across store operations, sales, broker management, category management, manufacturer teams, founder leadership, syndicated data, trade, deductions, and retail execution.
That wider view matters because a decision can look right from one department’s perspective and still weaken the larger business.
A promotion may increase sales while reducing margin. More distribution may create inventory and service problems. A broker may close a gap while the wrong item enters the wrong stores.
Retail Clarity connects the shopper, retailer, category, financial, execution, and ownership implications before the team acts.
The tool is only useful if it works in the real business, not just in the spreadsheet.
BUILT FOR TEAMS THAT NEED TO ACT
Most CPG teams do not need another complicated reporting system. They need a simpler way to make recurring decisions and act before the opportunity disappears or the problem gets more expensive.
A Decision Tool may help the team determine:
Which distribution gaps deserve attention first.
Whether a promotion created profitable, incremental demand.
Where deductions begin and what process needs to change.
What an employee, broker, distributor, or outside partner should do next.
Better internal decisions also help the brand keep its promise to shoppers through consistent quality, reliable availability, and trusted value.
The tool should make the decision easier, the owner clearer, and the next action harder to ignore.
BRING ONE DECISION.
LEAVE WITH A CLEARER NEXT STEP.
You do not need a polished presentation, a completed analysis, or perfectly cleaned data.
Bring one report, workflow, or recurring question your team still debates.
1. CLARIFY THE DECISION
We begin with what the business is trying to understand, decide, or improve.
2. IDENTIFY THE REAL GAP
We determine whether the missing piece is the question, ownership, evidence, operating rhythm, or the tool supporting the decision.
3. CHOOSE THE MOST PRACTICAL NEXT STEP
I will tell you honestly whether the current report can be improved, a focused Decision Tool makes sense, or the issue requires a broader capability project.
Most calls take 30 to 45 minutes. The calendar reserves an hour so we do not have to rush.
If a custom tool is not the right answer, I will tell you.
SEE HOW REAL DECISION TOOLS TURN DATA INTO ACTION
Each example began with a specific retail or commercial question. The tool was then built to expose the missing context, focus the team, and make the next action clearer.
These are sanitized examples, followed by one client’s experience with the work. They are not generic templates or fictional dashboards.
Daniel has been extremely helpful in cleaning up and re-categorizing our data so we can accurately assess our brand’s performance and the product categories/segments we are in. Our ability to perform accurate and insightful category management today is directly related to Dan’s expertise in data analysis and knowledge of the natural products industry. If you are seeking to understand your market and category dynamics, I strongly recommend Dan as a reliable, thoughtful and well-informed category consultant to assist in developing brand strategies based on real and accurate data/facts.
The appearance changes because the business question changes. The standard remains the same: make the decision easier to see, own, and act on.
BUILT FOR HANDOFF
NOT CONSULTANT DEPENDENCE
Your team should not need to call the consultant every time the data changes or someone asks a new question.
Every tool is built so the people closest to the business can understand the logic, update the inputs, recognize important exceptions, and use the output inside their normal operating rhythm.
EVERY HANDOFF SHOULD INCLUDE:
A clean, familiar structure
The tool should fit the way the team already works whenever possible.
Documented logic and definitions
The team should understand what the measures mean, where the information comes from, and what the tool can and cannot answer.
An update-friendly process
The inputs should be practical to maintain without rebuilding the file every month.
Clear outputs and next actions
The tool should make priorities, ownership, and recommended actions easier to communicate.
Training and handoff
The people using the tool should know how to maintain it, interpret it, and explain it to others.
The goal is not to make your team dependent on me. The goal is to leave the team stronger than I found it.
HOW A FOCUSED DECISION TOOL SPRINT WORKS
The goal is to solve one important recurring decision without turning the project into a company-wide transformation.
1. DEFINE THE DECISION
We clarify the exact question, intended owner, people using the output, deadline, and action the tool needs to support.
2. REVIEW WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE
We examine the reports, retailer exports, syndicated data, broker updates, business rules, shopper context, and other information currently supporting the decision.
No perfectly cleaned data is required to begin.
3. DESIGN THE DECISION LOGIC
We define the measures, hierarchy, opportunity ranking, selectors, exceptions, and outputs needed to make the decision clearer.
4. BUILD AND TEST WITH THE PEOPLE WHO WILL USE IT
I create the tool, test the calculations and business rules, review important exceptions, and refine the output with the team.
5. TRAIN, DOCUMENT, AND HAND OFF
Your team learns how to update the inputs, interpret the results, explain the recommendation, and use the tool inside its regular operating rhythm.
Before paid work begins, you receive a clear scope, deliverables, timeline, and fee.
QUESTIONS TEAMS ASK BEFORE WE START
WHAT WILL I LEAVE THE FIRST CALL WITH?
A clearer definition of the decision, the most likely gap, and the most practical next step.
You will know whether the current report can be improved, a focused Decision Tool makes sense, or the problem is broader than reporting.
WHAT IF I DO NOT NEED A NEW TOOL?
I will tell you.
The right answer may be a clearer question, stronger ownership, a better workflow, or a change to the report you already have.
DO I NEED CLEAN OR PERFECT DATA?
No. Messy data is normal.
Begin with the reports, spreadsheets, retailer exports, broker updates, invoices, deduction files, or other information your team currently uses. Sensitive details can be removed before they are shared.
WILL MY TEAM BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN THE TOOL?
That is the goal.
The tool is built for handoff, with documented logic, an update-friendly process, clear outputs, and training for the people who will use it.
CAN YOU WORK WITH OUR SOFTWARE, BI, DATA, OR ANALYTICS PARTNER?
Yes.
Your business should own the strategy, definitions, decision rules, and operating requirements. A technology or data partner can then help automate and scale the approved process.
HOW MUCH DOES A PROJECT COST?
Every project is scoped around the decision, available information, users, required output, and timeline.
You will receive a clear scope, deliverables, timing, and fee before any paid work begins.
More proof from brands, data partners, and industry leaders
Working with Dan helped our company make decisions about marketing, new product development, new packaging, finances and taking our company to the next level of growth. Specifically, Dan knows everything about products on the shelf, what sells, financial projections, spread sheets, packaging and design and mistakes not to make. Fantastic at data collection and spreadsheets, Dan developed an extensive Cost of Goods spreadsheet that will have lasting value for us so that we know at any given time our true cost of goods sold.
As a mentor, Dan was highly effective in sharing his expertise in so many areas.
We benefited greatly from working with Dan and would recommend him as an excellent advisor, coach, analyst and strategic planner.
Dan Lohman was very helpful, providing needed insights and understood business needs. Dan was able to extract information from many sources and development a fact based presentation with a reason of need. He listened and asked questions to understand needs to insure his focus aligns with your goals. Dan was creative in his approach to find hidden data nuggets and put in the time to make it a compelling, and logical solution to meet customers needs.
I worked with Daniel on several occasions over the last decade and can say that when it comes to understanding data and how to apply it in the CPG world with regards to category management and strategic planning …it would be hard to find anyone more suited than Daniel for whatever position or project you would consider him for. He is incredibly smart, a very good mentor and easy to work with. He deserves your sincere consideration.
I have known Daniel for many years and have been impressed with not only his analytical abilities but the forthright and honest way that he approaches his life and his job. Daniel exhibits a keen insight & understanding of the various components of the grocery & natural/organic business and can offer alternatives to a go to market strategy.
Daniel is a delight to work with. He is extremely knowledgeable about category management and has his finger on the pulse on how to take brands to the next level by telling their story. He is available,helpful and on task to make things happen. His advice is “priceless”. I highly recommend working with him.
I interacted with Daniel during my seven year tenure with Natural Specialty Sales/Acosta as a Vice President for Client Services. My role entailed working with people in our organization who had a sound level of data and category management. This was a vital asset to the day to day interactions I had with clients on building strategies for sales and distribution growth. Daniel was able to understand the data and offer sound recommendations for opportunities with clients I interacted with. This insight was of great value beyond others who would just access and pull data without any meaning behind it. I relied on Daniel to pull the data I needed and place in a format that could be used for schematic generation, distribution void grouping, pricing analysis (elasticity), and space to sales placement. I also employed Daniel to interact with my clients to guide them through shopper analysis, promotional analysis, category performance (pre- new item) and creating action steps for increasing share in a sub-category.
During my current two year tenure with Aura Cacia, Daniel has been an invaluable asset with my team. Through his liaison with Acosta ( our broker) he has assisted me in scorecard development, diving into underperforming areas, evaluating growth categories, and leveraging assortment options.
Daniel has a thorough understanding of how the consumer packaged goods industry works, and is simply excellent at taking his clientele to the next level and beyond. He also has advanced technical and teaching skills and was instrumental in helping me learn how to make intricate yet easy-to-use Excel-based tools that allowed our clients to quickly see the most impactful data that would help advance their business. Daniel was always careful to take the time needed to ensure that I had the tools and knowledge needed so as to make our client meetings successful.
Daniel is an outstanding thought leader and builder of key strategic insights for businesses. His 20+ years of experience in category management and brand building makes him a real asset to any business. He also has experience in companies, big and small, and across many consumer categories making him incredibly insightful and flexible. I highly recommend Daniel to any business!
Dan Lohman is a strong contributor to SPINS and our business partners. He is a capable manager who works effectively with our broker partners and our manufacturing clients. Dan has a tremendous amount of insight into SPINS data and the state of the Natural/Organic Industry. His energy is boundless and he is a great person to work with.
Dan is extremely very intelligent and has an extensive understanding of the retail industry. His thorough insight and progressive knowledge of the supermarket/natural industry was extremely critical in our ability to design and develop a complete Customer insight Business intelligence System(CBS), that helps retailers to gain insight on their customers shopping baskets in real time. Most importantly, his passion and drive to succeed in every aspect of the project was evident as we partnered to develop a comprehensive product. I would highly endorse and recommend Dan to any retailer willingly to develop winning strategies that lead to bottom line improvements.
Dan is a guru in the CPG space. How fortunate of us to have had the privilege to work with such a knowledgeable and friendly person as Dan. Through his guidance, our present Category Management model at Good Luck Chuck has been honed and refined. Thanks to Dan, we have gained the confidence and resources for a successful launch and the ongoing experience for continued success.
Daniel is a dedicated, collaborative, strategic thinker and a visionary person. With the analytical work that Daniel provided for me while I was a Key Account Manager at Kimberly-Clark helped grow my accounts business by 8%. He was always willing to help, very detailed, did whatever it took to get the job done and his fact based projects and presentations were easy to understand, organized and accurate. Daniel is a high integrity person and has the highest work ethic.
Dan is a very proactive and strategic thinker with solid Category Management and analytical skills. He was an asset to the team in terms of his ability to mine and analyze data, and to present information in a relevant and impactful way. – I found Dan to be a strong team player, always willing to commit the time and effort necessary to accomplish tasks and exceed expectations.
I worked with Dan Lohman at Kimberly-Clark, Inc. We worked in Category Management together from 1998 through mid 2006. During that time I was able to observe Dan’s knowledge of Category Management and attest to his sound understanding and expertise in this area. Some specific understandings and skills, I observed Dan to utilize were as follows:
Dan demonstrated he knew the benefits of Category Management by assisting his retailers lift sales, increase product margin, reduce inventory, use a strategic, fact-based approach to the business, and increase consumer satisfaction and loyalty.
He is capable of utilizing the Category Management model. He understands how to work with the retailer to gain knowledge of their overall retailer strategy e.g. corporate mission statement, competitive strategy by format/channel/region, pricing, assortment & promotion.
He is capable of finding out how they define their categories and roles. Dan can quickly assess and assist the retailer in developing their category plan by determining how a particular category is doing in the market? What tactics will help achieve the overall category strategy and objectives? Or how to track their results vs. targets in the category on an ongoing basis.
Once the category plan was developed, Dan demonstrated a strong ability to assist his retailer’s implement the plan. Dan would ensure the category plan was aligned to the retailer’s overall strategies, that the measures put into place were agreed to internally, and that the plan would attain the category objectives. He would help define the resources required to implement the plan and ensure that the plan was communicated to all those affected.
Dan understands assortment strategies by category and item, consumer/shopper focused strategies, category definition and segmentation, data analysis, category assessment, sales fundamentals and supplier shipment data.
Dan had a strong command of Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Spaceman and Apollo. He often times would be called upon to train his peers. He was the go to guy when his associates had questions. He is a true team player with strong interpersonal skills.
K-C recognized Dan’s talents and abilities and on many occasions would post his presentations internally to show examples of best practice presentations. K-C management would often call upon Dan’s expertise to assess current market trends and conditions.
It is with profound respect that I submit Dan Lohman as one who is well versed in Category Management and strongly submit my recommendation regarding his abilities and skills in this area.
BRING ONE DECISION.
LET’S MAKE THE NEXT MOVE CLEARER.
Your team does not need another generic dashboard or a company-wide transformation.
Bring one report, workflow, or recurring question your team still debates. We will determine whether the gap is the question, ownership, evidence, operating rhythm, or the tool supporting the decision.
No polished presentation or perfectly cleaned data required.
If a custom tool is not the right answer, I will tell you.
That gives the visitor one final action after they have reviewed all the proof.