Stop Waiting. Start Planting.

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second-best time is now. 

I’ve had a lot of reflection time lately and have been thinking about this theme as it relates to our clients and the actions they have been taking. Across the board, the outcomes from carefully considered actions have been positive.

• Taking price increases resulted in improved margins.

• Changing promo plans helped manage trade and supply levels.

• Reorganizing the sales team created better customer coverage.

• Introducing the planning process off-cycle made AOP planning more data-driven.

• Simplifying price lists streamlined contract paperwork and trade promotion data entry.

• Incentivizing distribution empowered the field sales team to grow placements.

• Rationalizing skus (and admitting that new items that are not going to make it) enabled increased order fill-rates on core items.

These outcomes have been positive because of the conceptual machinery at our disposal today. We can measure our environment, calculate the likely outcomes of actions, and then base our go/no-go decisions on these calculations.

And yet with this machinery at our disposal, even when the path forward is clear, there is often resistance to taking action. Inertia is real. Change is scary. Doing something new is hard. 

In our industry, we do not have the luxury of succumbing to this inertia. It is the brands that stay relevant with their retail partners and consumers who win space at the shelf, and this takes effort.

If you want to look back at today, weeks, months, or years from now and say “I’m so glad I decided to _____”, then it’s time to trust the science behind the recommendations, overcome inertia, and plant that tree.