TOM INGRAM AND ASSOCIATES, INC.
Merchandising Services Companies:
How to Increase Sales and Reduce Costs
(250) Manufacturer Major Account Sales, Meetings, Conference Calls by Associates Since 2007
(275) Heavy Work as Differentiator Success Stories
(300) Cosmetics Success Stories Summary
(302) Outsourcing of In-House Merchandising Summary of Success Stories
(303) Data Driven Success Stories
(304) HBC Merchandising Success Stories Summary
(305) Wal*Mart Success Stories
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Merchandising Success Stories* by Our Associates (1) Distribution Increased by an Average of 7%, Some Products Improved by 16.5% for Same Cost as Previous Year by Outsourcing Oversight of Merchandising. Freed Up 1800+ Hours of Manufacturer’s Time Per Year (approx.). Allowed Manufacturer to Focus on Growth, Instead of Managing Merchandising*. Associate firm saved manufacturer $150,000 on previous year’s budget of $1,000,000 (approximately). Reinvested savings in better merchandising to achieve improvements in distribution, void reductions and out of stock reductions. Other results included:
Click here for success story details (MD CB) Category: Diabetic, Diagnostic, Medical (2) $272,000 Savings on Merchandising Budget of $1,000,000 through Outsourcing Oversight of Merchandising Services. Savings Reinvested. Out of Stocks Reduced from a High of 23.7% to as Low As 3.7% (Across Multiple Chains). Discovered Product Was “On Shelf for Customer” in Only 2000 Stores, Not 3,500 Stores*. Freed Up 1800+ Hours of Manufacturer’s Time Per Year (approx.). Discovered that facings, new items and promotions had only 60% compliance. Associate firm made significant improvement in all identified problems, produced savings and freed up significant manufacturer time. Provided consistent reports on store conditions and what merchandising services the manufacturer was receiving for money spent. (MD CB) Category: Film, Camera (3) CASE STUDY: Freed Up 63,000 Sales and Support Hours Per Year, Cost Reduction, Solid Processes and Execution*: Associate led effort for one of the three largest merchandising organizations in the U.S. Resulted in $2.5 million per year in labor savings, a nation-wide set of standard processes and removal of 250,000 potential errors per year. Click link for details. No31cSalesProcessImprovementSuccessStoryShortV2.pdf Category: Headquarter Call, Merchandising Process Improvement (4) Manufacturer Outsources Merchandising Work, Improves Execution from 90% to 98%, Saves $750,000 to $1,250,000 (estimated*): Associate led team that took over $25 million in merchandising work for the manufacturer. Associate conducted analysis that showed that manufacturer was overlooking significant costs. Salary and benefits for 1,200 reps were reduced by 20%+ (estimated.) Entire program was deployed in 90 days. Manufacturer was confident enough in the Associate's team that it provided up-front cash to fund the initiative. Goal was to provide the same or greater levels of service at a reduced cost. Program continued successfully for many years. Success Story Details (CS) Category: Pharmaceutical, Drug, OTC, Convenience (5) Streamlined, Consistent Communication, Created Separate Dedicated Team Support where possible, Execution Improved as Merchandising Organization Grows from $8 Million to $70 Million*: Associate led the effort that created numerous improvements for manufacturers:andleman
(6) Execution Improved from 87% to 98%, Operating Profit Increased from 10.5% to 15%, Converted 300 Reps from Full Time to Part Time.* Associate provided a 90 day assessment of an existing $50 million retail service company that led to significant improvements in execution and profits. This occurred as one of the Big Three Service Agencies was going through a national consolidation. Keys included experience necessary to evaluate all operational areas, specific position assessments and mentoring to assist management through the transition. (CS) Category: Merchandising Leadership (7) Consistent Planogram Compliance, New Item Speed to Shelf, during High SKU Count, Complex Reset Work (Cosmetics). Results Were So Strong, Program Was Repeated 8 Times. Key Was Getting It Right With Minimum of Manufacturer's Time*: Associate led programs for Planogram compliance for entire new marketing efforts for the manufacturer. Work involved extremely high sku count, complex racking, heavy resets, 20-24 hours per section. Included videos to train reps, practice sets, 5-6 month planning and coordination cycle and working side by side with manufacturer. · Chosen by Wal*Mart to coordinate all manufacturers for the changeover of an entire cosmetics department · Chosen by L'Oreal and Procter as exclusive merchandising company for 4 years running. · Consistently met seasonal deadlines. (LC) Category: Cosmetics (8) New Item Speed to Shelf: New Item on Shelves in 20,000 Stores in Two Weeks! Effort was So Successful, it was Repeated 5 More Times.* As president, associate led multiple new item launches where a prescription drug was being converted to "over the counter." These launches required 20,000+ stores to be merchandised in two weeks, a 5-6 month planning and coordination cycle and working side by side with manufacturer. Associate's firm did several additional launches for the same manufacturer and others, totaling 6 major launches. Extremely difficult work to execute in so short a time frame. (LC) Success Story Details Category: Pharmaceutical, Drug, OTC, (9) Bundling Multiple Store Calls Together To Make Merchandising Affordable for Smaller Manufacturers, Consumer Electronics / Office Superstore, High SKU Count, High Complexity, Required In-store Sales Training, Manufacturers Were So Pleased With the Work that They Sponsored Entry Into New Retail Chains*. Associate led effort to build this niche from scratch over three years. In year 3, Associate's team was invited to submit RFP's for Microsoft and HP. Keys were being ready when the work came, starting with a small win and building from there (instead of trying to service the entire universe from day one). Note that it is important to use the right service company for the work to be done. Not all can do this work. (LC) Category: Consumer Electronics (10) Bundling Multiple Store Calls Together To Make Merchandising Affordable for Smaller Manufacturers*: Associate bundled together merchandising calls from several manufacturers to make effort affordable for all. Resulted in e.g. a blitz effort for a major personal hygiene manufacturer. (TE) Category: HBC, Drug (11) New Item Speed to Shelf, Taking Over Where Other Merchandising Organization Failed, Warehouse Sold Out in One Week!*: Associate led effort for a major pharmaceutical manufacturer to complete a new item introduction after failure by previous merchandising organization. After one week of execution on the launch, manufacturer called to say that inventories were depleted in their warehouses due to the surge in sales. Manufacturer credited the sales surge solely to the speed to shelf execution. (TE) Category: Drug (12) Generated Approximately $21 Million in Additional Sales for Manufacturer, Best out of 36 Teams at New Item Speed to Shelf, Three Years in A Row*: For three years in a row, Associate's team conducted a total of 12 new item launches and finished first among 36 teams all three years. Approximately $21 million in additional sales were attributable to Associate's team. Sales increase was due to effectiveness of Associate's team at getting new items on shelves, highlighted by 100% attendance of Associate's people at every launch for three years in a row. (DK) Success Story Details Category: Dairy, Yogurt (13) 22% Annual Increase In Diaper Sales For 56 Store Chain, Completely Displaced a Competitor in 3 Weeks!* Associate’s team discovered extreme dissatisfaction with a diaper manufacturer. Associate went to a competitive diaper manufacturer, jointly developed a new planogram, closed retailer and completed resets in three weeks, completely displacing the original diaper manufacturer. (DK) Categories: HBC (14) Bundling Multiple Store Calls Together To Make Merchandising Affordable for Smaller Manufacturers, Health and Beauty Category*: Associate was able to negotiate an agreement with three manufacturers to make merchandising calls affordable for all. Through careful scheduling and knowledge of local conditions, reps with right skills and field management structure that was able to execute, Associate’s team was able to consolidate the work so that field rep got all the work done for three manufacturers in a single one hour call. (DK) Category: HBC (15) Gained Approximately $11.1 Million in Incremental Cosmetics Sales for Manufacturers in One Year, Took 30% of Shelf Space Away From “No-Show” Competitors. Bundling Multiple Store Calls*. Associate discovered that a competitor’s merchandising team did not show up for a 210 store cosmetics reset. Associate’s team was able to convert 30% of competitor’s shelf space to their manufacturer. See discussion of clustering in health and beauty success story. (DK) Categories: HBC, Cosmetics (16) Displaced a Major Competitor of Associate's Manufacturer by Servicing Rural Stores*. By effectively servicing 140 rural stores, Associate was able to aid his manufacturer in significantly displacing a major competitor. (DK Category: Rural Stores, Grocery (17) Bundling Multiple Merchandising Calls, Coordinated 13 Manufacturers for Mass Merchandiser Cosmetics Resets* 42 feet of shelf space was reset at all stores. Associate led team. (JV) Category: Cosmetics (18) Increased Sales by 5.1% for 1,400 Participating SKU’s in a 3 Month Test. Program was for for Prevention of Out of Stocks at Midwest Chain*. 160 test stores, 10 stores kept as control. Sold program to 9 manufacturers in multiple grocery categories. Participating sku’s realized a 5.1% increase in sales vs. control group (verified by ACNielsen data.) (JV) Category: Grocery, ??? (19) Proof That Effective Project Work Produces Better ROI for Manufacturers Than Generic Continuity Work. Project work was often 20% to 25% more cost-efficient than continuity work because of significantly less drive time.* Grew merchandising hours from 72,340 to 425,531 hours per year over five years by transitioning continuity work to project work. Included Hair Care Resets for 6 years running, cosmetics resets at one mass merchandiser and becoming the preferred provider at another mass merchandiser. Had to become good at dealing with a fluctuating work load. Transitioned to a part time work force. (JV) Category: HBC (20) Top 5% On All Speed-To-Shelf New Item Introductions Among 36 Teams.* Success came from building a process where manufacturer, retailer and merchandiser all coordinated on new item introductions. (Planning – 90 days out, prep - 60 days out, ready for launch - 30 days out, measurement during launch, etc.) (JV) Category: Dairy, Yogurt (21) $125 Million in Additional Sales for Manufacturer by Reducing Out Of Stocks by 5% (estimated), $1 Million Cost Savings through Outsourcing of In-House Merchandising Team.* Associate managed the team and its P&L. Achieved approximately 5% reduction in Out of Stocks (key goal of the effort) and saved manufacturer $1 million per year in merchandising costs at the same time. (Manufacturer’s sales are about $4.5 Billion. We are assuming that a 5% reduction in out of stocks will result in additional sales of approximately $125 million.) (PL) Categories: HBC, Feminine Hygiene, Paper, Diapers, Variety (22) 20% Improvement in New Item Speed to Shelf. Shared Merchandising Teams (Broker Coverage) Not Getting Job Done. Established Dedicated Team Program for Fortune 500 Health and Beauty Manufacturer in Mass Merchandising (Wal*Mart) and Drug Channels*. Syndicated model being used was falling short in out of stocks, void fills and display compliance. Also provided greater flexibility for manufacturer's seasonal needs. New Item improvements were measured by ACV against non-covered stores. (PL) Categories: HBC, Suncare, Footcare, Over The Counter Drugs (23) $4,307,000 Sales Increase Through Out of Stock Reductions. Established Dedicated Team Program for Fortune 500 Paper Goods Manufacturer.* Specific Goal Was Out of Stock Reductions. In-stock percentages grew from 99.23% to 99.67%. Ultimately added promotion compliance and store level selling to the program. (PL) Categories: HBC, Feminine Hygiene, Paper, Diapers, Variety HBC (24) Market Share in Category Increased from 6% to 22% in Five Years.* Dedicated team program focused on heavy secondary displays, out of stocks, display compliance. Category: Consumer Electronics (PL) (25) Helped Manufacturer Sell a Program to Major Mass Merchant Retailer for Product Knowledge Training for Electronics Products*. Program also included out of stock reductions, POP placement, promotion compliance and direct to consumer selling.
(26) Promotion Compliance: Developed Program at Wal*Mart for Auditing Stores for Compliance with Promotions*. Marketing department had no history or baseline to judge promotions from. Current effort is to establish the baseline. (PL) Category: Wal*Mart (27) Manufacturer Saves $10 Million, Compliance Improves 135% by Outsourcing In-House Merchandising Team. Immediate Savings Of 32% Per Visit. Employees Reduced from 400 to 40*. Associate led effort to reduce internal merchandising staff of 400, which called on 8,000 locations servicing high sku count products. The in-house team was not performing for a number of reasons, including the rep’s inability to be effective in two different chains at the same time. (E.g. Wal*mart and Macy’s.) (JF) Categories: HBC, Intimate Apparel (28) Manufacturer Saves $2.5 Million over 5 Years, Improves Distribution 4%, Reduces New Item Speed to Shelf by 30 Days, Increases Displays Sold by 17%, through Outsourcing of In-House Merchandising Team (estimated).* Associate led effort that outsourced the work of 250 full-time people to a 3rd party. 65% of the manufacturer’s employees accepted positions at the 3rd party at a reduced salary. Reporting capabilities for account management team also were improved. (PL) Category: Cosmetics (29) Manufacturer Saves $20 Million, Increased Sales $225 Million (30%) Over Five Years by Outsourcing In-House Merchandising Team*. Associate led effort to outsource struggling in-house merchandising team, including disposing of fleet and using multiple external services. In-house team was struggling due to rapid growth of brand and distribution. (JF) Categories: HBC, Intimate Apparel (30) 4% Increase in Dedicated Team Sales Test In Texas vs. Other Tests*. Associate led team that sold, implemented and delivered the project. (PL) Categories: HBC, Smoking Cessation, Over The Counter Drugs, Lip Care (31) $59 Million Incremental Sales for European Grocery Broker In One Year by Reducing Out Of Stocks and Voids through Data-Driven Merchandising. Should Increase for Next Several Years*. Distributor had been using data to identify problems in retail stores for years (voids, out of stocks, new items, promotion compliance.) Problem was that the distributor’s manufacturers, retailers, brokers and merchandising companies “owned” responsibility for resolving the problems (and the job was not getting done.) Goal for first year of program was a 2% improvement ($80 million.) Achieved $59 million improvement due to the data-driven merchandising solution (quote from distributor.) Note that these are hard dollars of increased sales from products that are authorized to be on shelves, but are not there. Associate sold project and designed approach that produced results. (DK) Category: Merchandising Leadership, Grocery, International (32) Increased Sales by 5.1% for 1,400 Participating SKU’s in a 3 Month Test at No Incremental Cost to the Retailer. Program was Data-Driven Prevention of Out of Stocks for Midwest Chain.* 160 test stores, 10 stores kept as control. Sold program to retailer, then sold program to 9 manufacturers in multiple grocery categories. Participating sku’s realized a 5.1% increase in sales vs. control group (verified by ACNielsen data.) (JV) Category: Grocery (33) $1.7 Million+ Savings On Merchandising Work. 425,000 Hours of Merchandising Services Provided at 20%+ Cost Savings Through Data-Driven Merchandising. Demonstrated that targeted project work produced a better ROI for manufacturers and retailers than generic continuity work. Had to become good at dealing with a fluctuating work load, using part time work force.* Grew base of business from 72,340 hours per year to 425,531 hours per year over five years. Growth came by transitioning from continuity work to project work. Included Hair Care Resets for 6 years running, cosmetics resets at one mass merchandiser and becoming the preferred provider at another mass merchandiser. Discovered that Project work was often 20% to 25% more cost-efficient than continuity work because of significantly less drive time. Had to become good at dealing with a fluctuating work load. Transitioned to part time work force. (JV) Categories: HBC, Cosmetics (34) Data-Driven Out of Stock Reduction Program Results in Merchandising Company Becoming Preferred Provider at Top 10 Grocery Chain*. Accomplished by selling the automated “out of stock prevention” program. Performed well on initial work and earned preferred provider status. (JV) Category: Grocery (35) Distribution Increased From 80% to 96% In Five Months Through Data-Driven Merchandising Program*. Confidential program, call for details. (JS) Category: HBC, Medical, Small Appliance (36) Distribution Increased From 94% to 99% In Five Months Through Data-Driven Merchandising Program*. Confidential program, call for details. (JS) Category: HBC, Personal Care (37) Distribution Increased From 72% to 98% In Five Months Through Data-Driven Merchandising Program*. Confidential program, call for details. (JS) Category: Grocery, Spice (38) Results: $80 Million Increase in Sales in One Year. (From 2% annual Sales Gain over Comparable Stores on $3 Billion in Sales) Received multiple comments / emails from customer crediting this program for most of the sales gain. Retailer: Large Retail Technology Firm Problem: Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, loss prevention, sales, operations, sales training all needed improvement after stores had been up and running for many years Sales Cycle Notes: Told “no” repeatedly by senior management. Persevered and got program sold. Solutions Notes: Designed program for a 3 hour audit every month in 5000 corporate stores, plus 1 hour per week in 1800 franchise stores. Auditing store for customer experience, store clean, presentable, product knowledge, internal paperwork, returns, transfers, etc. Category: Electronics (PG) (39) $3.2 million Sale of Specialized Merchandising Services to Assist New Chain Owner in: 1. Identifying Inventories, Fixtures, Square Footage, Layouts Of Newly Acquired Stores 2. Designing Marketing and Merchandising Programs to Best Use New Stores Retailer: Large Drug Store Chain Problem: The Drug Store Chain had acquired a number of other Chain Stores. The new owners did not know inventories, fixtures, square footage, layouts, aisle widths, etc. Sales Cycle Notes: Associate was introduced to prospect by his service company, led the proposal and presentation efforts, multiple meetings, instrumental in closing the sale due to his experience and specialty skills Solutions Notes: Solution was a systematic store by store program to survey all stores and collect and organize the needed information. The solution included training and a software system. Project was approved and started in August 2007. Category: Drug (PG) (40) Results: Closed $200,000 Sale for Specialty Merchandising Services as Test for $36 Million Global Project Retailer: Major Mass Merchant Problem: Retailer needed to identify store layouts, merchandising footages and fixture types in all global stores. In addition, retailer purchased significant number of international stores and needed to create up to date store layout, merchandising and fixture files. Sales Cycle Notes: Second Sale After Success in Large Drug Store Chain Solutions Notes: Solution was a systematic store by store program to survey all stores and collect and organize the needed information. The solution included training and a software system. Category: Mass Merchandising (PG) (41) Results: Distribution Increased by 5% in Manhattan Alone! – Estimated $2.5 Million Sales Increase Manufacturer: National Soft Drink Manufacturer Problem: Manufacturer needed to know Distribution, Where their products were, Who their competitors were, How much Shelf Space they had and What the pricing was. [This was focused in Downtown Manhattan only.] Sales Cycle Notes: Associate got lead through networking, followed up, closed the work, $100,000 worth of Merchandising Work. Solutions Notes: Audit / survey program similar to Associate’s other successes Category: Beverage (PG) (42) Results: Penetrated New Strategic Manufacturer and Became Preferred Provider After Losing Initial Bid Manufacturer: National Candy Manufacturer Problem: Manufacturer could not get effective service from a National Merchandising Company in Montana and Wyoming. Sales Cycle Notes: Three months after losing initial bid on national program, went back to buyer and sold them on chance to solve regional problem. Earned Preferred Provider Status and Endorsement on Website. Initial Sale was very small dollars. Solutions Notes: Solution was effective coverage in rural areas, of such high quality that it earned preferred provider status Category: Food (PG) (43) Results: $100,000 in Merchandising Services Sold to Support Stores in Puerto Rico Retailer: DVD Distributor Problem: Could not get service in Puerto Rico. Sales Cycle Notes: Former customer called and asked for help implementing program in Puerto Rico. Not only was solution provided, but client awarded a profitable program to company. Solutions Notes: Created program for effective service in 50 Large Discount Retailer stores in Puerto Rico Category: Video (PG) (44) Results: (A) $125,000 In Merchandising Services Sold, Resulting In 95% Service Level and Approved Service Provider Status At Difficult Grocery Chain. (B) Sold And Created A Replenishment Service For High End Sunglasses At A Second Grocery Chain. Manufacturer: Sunglasses Manufacturer Problem: Needed good Merchandising in two different Grocery Store Chains. Previous Merchandising company was having problems delivering. Sales Cycle Notes: Former customer called and asked for assistance in developing Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) system to service stores. Solutions Notes: Provided an EDI solution and process to accommodate client needs. Process ensured 95% service level. Category: Sunglasses, Accessories (PG) (45) Results: Closed initial sale of $25,000, Penetrated New Strategic Account, Earned Preferred Provider Status Manufacturer: National Brewing Company Problem: Needed in-store customer surveys and research on new segment of beer for three major markets. Sales Cycle Notes: Lead from former associate. Provided process and assistance to client. Solutions Notes: Went to stores, gathered information. In-store customer interviews and reporting results. Associate did the work in one of the stores himself! Merchandising company earned prefeered provider status after completion of program in assigned geographic areas. Category: Beverage (PG) (46) Results: $200,000 in Merchandising Services Sold (at $57 per Hour) To Solve Problem of Inconsistent Cell Phone and Service Plan Pricing and Terms Manufacturer: Wireless Telephone Service Provider Problem: Could not accurately collect Cell Phone and Plan Sales Information (because plans change monthly.) Needed Industry-Wide Monthly Reporting Sales Cycle Notes: Lead came to Associate after Senior Management rejected the client. Associate created program and sold it at $57/hour. Solutions Notes: Complex Data Gathering at Consumer, Electronic, Cell phone stores and Mass Merchants – approximately 125 stores. Category: Electronics (PG) (47) Results: Helped Create “In Store Demo” Program for International Home Improvement Retailer. Named One of Only Five Providers For the Program. Continues to be an account for the Merchandising Company. Retailer: International Home Improvement Chain Problem: Needed to set up ““In Store Demo” program to refer manufacturers to Services Companies and pay a percent of service fees to Retailer. . Retailer was new to the “Store Demo” service and needed national experienced provider to assist in development and execution of program. Sales Cycle Notes: After retailer senior executive told Associate that it was not possible for Associate’s company to be on the preferred provider list, Associate chased the senior executive for six months and met with him three times. Associate persuaded the senior executive to visit the merchandising company headquarters, presented to the senior executive and closed the deal Category: Home Improvement (PG) (48) Results: Big Results On Small Budget. Earned $800,000 in 17 weeks in First to Market Launch of Fat Free Pringles. Gained a 32% market share with a company that typically earned 9%. Retailer: National Drug Company Problem: Proctor and Gamble was launching a new Elestra product with Pringles and needed retail merchandising. Solution Notes: Provided a complete new launch program for logistics, marketing, in-store programs, advertising and merchandising with a limited budget, Worked with all aspects of the company to ensure product was in-stock and displayed for success. Developed a competitive program in-store, at distribution center and by operations to incent for high sales and margins. Category: Drug (PG)
(49) Results: $0 to $70 Million Year Sales in One Year – Just In Wal*Mart! Got to 90% ACV Distribution in 3 days in Wal*Mart and in 5 days nationwide! Manufacturer: Fortune 25 HBC Firm Problem: Normal product launches were taking 8-10 weeks to get 90% ACV distribution. In addition to delayed sales, slow launches waste TV ad dollars and waste inventory dollars because product is just sitting. This was launch of new men’s body spray / cleansing gel line. New product line had “no functional value – all about belief in self.” Solutions Notes: Used little advertising – went to viral marketing instead. Launched in Men’s Clothing department, near Skateboards, and near Computer Games. Went to entirely new launch program based on quality improvement and other cycle time reduction techniques Category: HBC (PP)
(50) Results: Consolidating 45 SKUs to 12 and Regional / Seasonal Focus Results in Significant Sales Lift – 3 Times per Year! Manufacturer: Fortune 25 HBC Firm Problem: Lagging sales in Skin Care product line Solutions Notes: Went from 45 SKUs down to 12. Reduced to just the fundamentals of what the end customers wanted. Went to a very strong balance between Headquarter Sales side and Retail Execution / Merchandising. Regional focus during the Sun Care Season Category: Skin Care (PP)
(51) Results: Combined Three Sales Organizations, 1,000+ People, Reduced Headcount to 400, Brought Cost of Sales Down From 5% to 2.2%, Reduced Trade Funds (Promotion Expense) From 18% of Sales (Some Categories at 24%+) Down to 12% of Sales While Simultaneously Growing the Business 4.5% in Year One and 3% in Year Two. (Market was growing at only 2%). Manufacturer: Fortune 25 HBC Firm Problem: Merger of three organizations created redundancies, waste. Promotions were consuming 80%+ of time and money, only producing 25% of the sales. Solutions Notes: "Stopped the Promotion Madness". Category: HBC (PP)
(52) Results: New Major Product Launches Achieving 85% ACV Distribution In Two Weeks Instead Of The Normal 8-10 Weeks 1. Toothpaste launch - $0 to over $100 million in one year 2. Shampoo launch - $0 to over $100 million in one year 3. 4+ other product launches - $0 to over $100 million in one year 4. 8+ product launches from $0 to between $20 million and $100 million in one year 5. A Key Additional Benefit: Success or failure information is available in 2 Weeks – instead of 2 Months! Allows manufacturer to pull the plug, invest more or redirect immediately – rather than after million have been wasted Manufacturer: Fortune 25 HBC Firm (PP) Problem: Normal product launches were taking 8-10 weeks to get 85% ACV distribution. In addition to delayed sales, slow launches waste TV ad dollars and waste inventory dollars because product is just sitting. Additional Results Notes: Benefits: Product selling immediately instead of sitting in the warehouse, Forecasting improves, Inventory and Return is substantially better. You know your product’s success or failure in 2 weeks. Two examples of success: Both a Specialty Toothpaste and a new Shampoo reached $100 Million plus in Year 1. Solutions Notes: Since 2000, Associate has led approximately two dozen Major Product Launches which have reached 85% ACV distribution in two weeks (some in one week) versus the previous 8-10 weeks to get to 85% ACV distribution. Category: HBC (PP)
(53) Sold $2 Million in Incremental Project Work Beyond Existing Continuity Work to Baby Food Manufacturer Work Was Extremely Profitable Because Fixed Costs Had Been Covered*. Associate led effort based on “fact based selling”, using analysis to show manufacturer best place to put their money. (ML) Category: Baby Food (54) Renegotiated National Contract for Merchandising Services with Fortune 500 Manufacturer. Persuaded Manufacturer That Their Payment Structure and It Was in Their Interest to Pay a Rate at Which Merchandiser Could Make a Profit*. Associate led effort based on “fact based selling”. (ML) Category: Merchandising Leadership (55) Helped Fortune 500 Manufacturer Penetrate Drug Channel and Mass Merchandising / Wal*Mart ccc. Manufacturer Had Been Unable to Penetrate On Their Own*. Associate led effort based on existing relationships, “fact based selling” and showing retailer how shelf space could be better used. (ML) Category: Drug, Wal*Mart (56) Helped Fortune 500 Manufacturer Penetrate Convenience Store Channel and Military Channel. Helped Manufacturer Improve Their Relationship and Penetrate the Channels *. Associate led effort based on existing relationships, “fact based selling” and increasing category depth for manufacturer. (ML) Category: Military, Convenience (57) Persuaded Fortune 500 Manufacturer to Outsource Merchandising Work to the Merchandising Organization (Rather Than Use In-House Personnel).* (ML) Category: Outsource Merchandising (58) Increased Purchase of Servicing Secondary Displays By 300% in One Year for Fortune 500 Manufacturer. Example: One 50 Store Chain Bought 5,000 Displays!*. (ML) Category: Secondary Displays
(59)
Outsourcing In-house Merchandising Team:
Phase 1 Cost
Savings of $1,700,000 Savings Per Year (Approx.)
Reduced
Average Hourly Cost (including overhead) from $38 per hour to $26 per
hour for 76 people.
RIGHT FIELD MERCHANDISER IN
RIGHT PLACE, WHEN NEEDED:
Increased Store Visits by 25% for Same Budget Dollars (Approx.)
BIG BENEFITS FROM
LONG TERM PROGRAM: Manufacturer Was Acquired, but Director of
Retail Merchandising Continued Running Program for Acquirer,
Continuously Improving Results Over the Years.
Comprehensive Training
Makes The Difference.
Ultimately
Reduced Full Time Staff by 50%.
Details
OutsourcingInHouseMerchTeam1.pdf
Category:
General Merchandise
(DZ)
(60)
Outsourcing In-house Merchandising Team:
Cost Savings of $7,000,000+
Per Year (Approx.)**
$38.5 Million
Sales Increase Per Year from 5.5% Market Share Gain (Taken from #1
Competitor! – Approx.**)
New Product
Cut-In Rate Raised from 70% to 99%+.
Fixed Costs
Moved to Variable Costs, Shared With Other Manufacturers.
65% Full Time / 35%
Part Time Work Force Changed to 30% Full Time / 70% Part Time
Details
OutsourcingInHouseMerchTeam2.pdf
Category:
Music/Movies
(DZ).
(60.5) Grew
Merchandising Company Sales from $3 million to $15 million in 3 Years as VP
of Sales.
Key Category Wins were Jewelry and Sunglasses.
$3
million to $7.2 million in year one, $7.2 million to $12.5 million in year
two, $12.5 million to about $15 million in year three (partial year).
Categories:
Sunglasses, Jewelry, Fashion Accessories
(SH)
(61) Results: Sales up 30%, Returns down by 26%, Out Of Stocks down from 35% to 10% in 8 months. Retailer: Llewellyn Publications – Books-A-Million Problem: Returns – 35-40%. Out of Stocks – 30-40%. Sales down 26-30%. Solutions Notes: Met with buyer, brought category expertise, reprioritized, advertising, merchandising mix, data-driven merchandising. Became “Category Captain”. Category: Publications (SH)
(62) Results: Increased product on shelf from 50% of stores to 100% of stores Retailer: Conagra, Target, Pemmican Beef Jerky Problem: New product cut in to 1250 stores, big coop dollars, on 50% stores on shelf after 30 days. Solutions Notes: Met with broker, buyer, manufacturer – created program, pricing, made managers aware. Category: Snack (SH)
(63) Results: 26% Increase in Sales on Accessory Category Retailer: Family Dollar, Jewelry Problem: Wanted Merchandising Program as effective as Target’s. Sales Cycle Notes: Required to do test head-to-head with competitor. Test including set, training, merchandising. Studied buyer’s data and surveys, reported on success. Solutions Notes: Designed schematic flow, merchandising program solution. Category: Jewelry (SH)
(64) Results: Achieved 96% compliance in use of bumpers to protect fixtures during remodels. Prevented millions of dollars of waste Manufacturer: McCue Corp (manufacturer of store asset protection devices, e.g. bumpers for appliance corners.) Problem: Stores were not installing protective devices. $1.6 billion being spent for store remodels, but non-compliance caused stores to look bad in 90 days. Sales Cycle Notes: Large effort with Safeway Solutions Notes: Tracked store orders for compliance, found preventive solution, personally visited 300 stores. Category: Remodels, Fixtures (SH)
(65) Time Study Determined that 65% - 70% of Manufacturer’s Sales Time is Spent on Promotions – Which Only Account for a Small Percent of Sales and Profits. Study covered 10 sales executives. Note that much of the promotion activity has to be matched on the Retailer's side, creating significant duplication of effort. (JM)
(66.1) Outsourcing
Cost Savings – Where to Look:
“How We
Found $7 Million In Annual Savings”.
Follow Up to
Previous Outsourcing Success Story:
Outsourcing an In-House Merchandising Team: Success Story* #2 OutsourcingInHouseMerchTeam2.pdf
Internal
Cost Estimates Often Do Not Include Everything.
Details OutsourcingCostSavingsWhereToLook.pdf
Category:
Music / Movies (DZ)
(67) Major Program Success - Drive Sales - All Facets
Details MajorProgramSuccessGeneric.pdf(DZ)
(68) Major Program Success - Penetrate and Grow, Custom Inventory Replenishment
Details TravelConvenienceCenterSuccessv1.pdf (DZ)
(69) 17% increase in sales over the past 4 weeks...
Details: HolidayCompliance17PerIncrSalesv2.pdf (DZ)
(70) Number One Selling Product in Wal*Mart for Our Manufacturer in December, 2007
Details NoOneSelleratWalMartv3.pdf (DZ)
(71) Secondary Displays Drive Sales and Market Share
Details DisplayerCompliance.pdf (DZ)
(72) Aggressive Selling, Increase Sales Through Store Relationships
Details AgressiveSellingPalletManualOrders.pdf (DZ)
(73) Promotion Coordination, Secondary Displays Increase Market Share and Sales:
Details PromotionCoordination2ndbatterydisplays.pdf (DZ)
(74) Secondary Displays Drive Sales and Market Share
Details SecondaryDisplays.pdf (DZ)
(75) New Item Speed to Shelf
Details NewProductLaunchesMusic.pdf (DZ)
(76) How to Get 90%+ of Secondary Display Space...
· Notice That 90% of This 4-Way Christmas Display is Devoted to REPS' Manufacturer - Only 10% to The Next Largest Competitor Details AggressiveSellingTipsFromBest.pdf (DZ)
(77) Waterheater Unit Sales At This Retailer Are 28% Greater Per Store Per Year than Its Larger Competitor.
Details: WaterheaterSuccessStoryv2Redacted.pdf (CN)
(78) $1.2 Billion Increase in Retail Sales of Major Appliances (estimated: 2003 to 2006)
Details: MajorApplianceSuccessStoryv3Redacted.pdf (CN)
(79) Sales of Heavy Item Increased 75% in One Year
(Res+)
(80) Single Point Of Responsibility For 15 Chemical Manufacturers
(Res+)
(81) 400% Improvement In Consistent Placement Of POP Signs
(Res+)
(82) Prevented Approximately $2,000,000 In Lost Sales (vs. Other Alternatives)
(Res+)
Sales Success Stories* by Our Associates (101) CASE STUDY: Differentiation through Cost Reduction, Solid Processes and Execution*: Associate led effort for one of the three largest merchandising organizations in the U.S. Resulted in $2.5 million per year in labor savings, a nation-wide set of standard processes and removal of 250,000 potential errors per year. Click link for details. No31cSalesProcessImprovementSuccessStoryShortV2.pdf Category: HQ Call, Merchandising Process Improvement (102) Closed $25 Million in Merchandising Work*: Associate led team that closed $25 million worth of retail merchandising work for a pharmaceutical manufacturer. $10 million of the work was for the development of a nationwide convenience store merchandising organization (developed from scratch in 90 days.) Another $10 million of retail services were provided to the mass merchandiser channel and the remaining $5 million of merchandising work was performed for grocery retailers. Success Story Details (CS) Category: Convenience, OTC Drug, Pharmaceutical (103) Grew Merchandising Organization from $15 Million to $60 Million*: Associate worked for a holding company that relocated a retail merchandising firm to focus on the home improvement retail chains. Built the business in core merchandising, resets and product knowledge training from $15 million to $60 million+. Success Story Details (CS) Category: Home Improvement (104) Grew Merchandising Organization from $8 Million to $70 Million*: Associate led the initial growth of retail merchandising services for an organization that became one of the three largest merchandising organizations in the U.S. (CS) Category: Merchandising Leadership (105) Grew Merchandising Organization from $9 Million to $25 Million in Five Years as President*. Participated in acquisition by public company, ran organization as part of public company*: Associate lead emphasis on Mass Merchandisers, Drugstore Chains and Consumer Electronics Superstores. Established fully staffed offices at Wal-Mart and K Mart. Grew field force from 700 reps to 2,000 (LC) Category: Merchandising Leadership (106) Penetrated Wal*Mart, Built $8 million Business Unit*: As president, associate led effort to penetrate Wal*mart and built an $8 Million business unit, including a fully staffed office in Bentonville, Arkansas - home of Wal*Mart. (LC) Success Story Details Category: Wal*Mart (107) Building a $5 Million Profitable Niche in Cosmetics Reset Work*: As president, associate led effort to penetrate and grow this niche. Initial project was tough to win and tough to deliver, but resulted in 8 more major projects in the same niche. (LC) Success Story Details Category: Cosmetics (108) $1 Million Merchandising Project Executed in Two Weeks! "How We Built a Profitable Niche in Rapid New Item Drug Launches"*: As president, associate built a niche in new item launches where a prescription drug was being converted to "over the counter." These launches required 20,000+ stores to be merchandised in two weeks. Associate's firm did several additional launches for the same manufacturer and others, totaling 6 major launches. A difficult, but extremely profitable niche. (LC) Success Story Details Category: Drug, Pharmaceutical, OTC (109) Built Consumer Electronics / Office Superstore Niche from $0 to a Very Profitable $7 Million in Three Years through Proactive Selling and Getting Existing Manufacturers to Sponsor Us Into New Chains*: Associate led effort to build this niche from scratch to approximately 25% of the merchandising company's sales. Keys were being ready when the business came, starting with a small win and building form there (instead of trying to sell to the entire universe from day one). By year three the merchandising company had enough of a reputation that it was invited to submit RFP's for Microsoft and HP. (LC) Success Story Details Category: Consumer Electronics (110) Penetrating New Retailer Results in $11 Million*: Associate took successes from an existing national drug store chain continuity program and penetrated another large drug store chain. Led effort for a school and stationery test reset that ultimately resulted in a continuity / new & remodel store program. Generated approximately $11 million of revenue for merchandising organization over seven years. (TE) Success Story Details Category: Drug (111) Growth of Merchandising Services from $18 Million to $30 Million*: Associate led effort with national drug store chain to expand numerous categories being served by the merchandising organization’s continuity program. Categories included household plastics, hardware/paint, insecticides, suntan, pet care, durable medical equipment, party paper & supplies. Retailer results from increased coverage included significant improvement in speed to shelf, higher category sales and improved customer satisfaction. Merchandising revenue from retailer grew from approx. $18M to approx. $30M over five years. (TE) Success Story Details Category: Drug (112) Increased Gross Profit by Selling High Margin Incremental Work*: Associate cultivated manufacturers to expand a retailer driven program. Resulted in higher margin projects such as a blitz effort for a major personal hygiene manufacturer. Base rate for retailer was $22.95 per hour. Increased total gross profit by selling additional work at $25 per hour that could be executed for no increase in labor cost. (TE) Category: Drug (113) Taking Over Where Other Merchandising Organization Failed*: Associate led effort for a major pharmaceutical manufacturer to complete a new item introduction after failure by previous merchandising organization. After one week of execution on the launch, manufacturer called to say that inventories were depleted in their warehouses due to the surge in sales. Manufacturer credited the sales surge solely to the speed to shelf execution. (TE) Category: Drug (114) Beat Big Merchandising Company, Generated Approximately $21 Million in Additional Sales for Manufacturer, Best out of 36 Teams at New Item Speed to Shelf, Three Years in A Row*: Associate sold and led effort against major competitors. For three years in a row, Associate's team conducted a total of 12 new item launches and finished first among 36 teams all three years. Approximately $21 million in additional sales were attributable to Associate's team. Sales increase was due to effectiveness of Associate's team at getting new items on shelves, highlighted by 100% attendance of Associate's people at every launch for three years in a row. (DK) Success Story Details Category: Yogurt, Dairy (115) $871,000 in Revenue, $217,000 in Profit Earned for Merchandising Company by Understanding Ins, Outs, & Hidden Tricks of Homestore / ISE Work*. Associate was able to negotiate for status as “Category Captain” and place 7 space analysts in house at retailer, supporting 2000 stores, with manufacturers paying for everything. The real benefit was that by “owning” the analysts, the merchandiser can spot opportunities, especially hidden revenue opportunities for Homestore / ISE work. (DK) Category: ISE / Homestore, Merchandising Leadership (116) 22% Annual Increase In Diaper Sales For 56 Store Chain, Completely Displaced a Competitor*. By placing a space analyst at retailer, Associate’s team discovered extreme dissatisfaction with a diaper manufacturer. Associate went to a competitive diaper manufacturer, jointly developed a new planogram, closed retailer and completed resets in three weeks, completely displacing the original diaper manufacturer. (DK) Category: Paper, Diaper (117) “Clustering” of Projects in Health and Beauty Results in $75 per Hour for 56,000 Hours. Local and Regional Merchandisers Have Advantage Over National Competitors*. Associate was able to negotiate an agreement with three manufacturers for a flat rate of $25 per call each. Through careful scheduling and knowledge of local conditions, reps with right skills and field management structure that was able to execute, Associate’s team was able to legitimately consolidate work so that rep got all the work done for three manufacturers in a single one hour call. (DK) Category: HBC (118) Gained Approximately $11.1 Million in Incremental Cosmetics Sales for Manufacturers in One Year, Took The Business Away From “No-Show” Competitors. Associate’s Team Was Able to Earn $49 for 18,000 One Hour Calls Through "Clustering"*. Associate discovered that a competitor’s merchandising team did not show up for a 210 store cosmetics reset. Associate’s team was able to convert 30% of competitor’s shelf space to their manufacturers. See discussion of clustering in health and beauty success story. (DK) Category: Cosmetics (119) Won $5 Million Reset Project, Sole Source Bid*. Associate led team that sold this project to a 120 store chain. Won contract as a sole source provider, without competing bids, because Associate's team had performed consistently for the customer. (DK) Category: Rural Coverage, ??? (120) Doing $600,000 Reset Project Well Results in $5 Million of Continuity Work* for a nationwide retailer. Associate led team that pulled together multiple confectionary manufacturers. Key was, again, performing over time for the customer. (DK) Category: Candy, Confection (121) Won $700,000 Reset Project, Displaced a Major Competitor of Associate's Manufacturer*. By effectively servicing a rural set of 140 stores, Associate was able to aid his manufacturer in significantly displacing a major competitor. (DK) Category: Grocery (122) DSD Overflow Merchandising Work: Company Grows 150% in One Year without Significant Cash Outlay, Finds Profitable Niche in Regional Business, Avoids Cost and Difficulties of National Coverage*. Associate built merchandising company based on extended retail experience and developed specialized software to meet the needs of DSD (Direct Store Delivery) overflow merchandising work. Associate sold the merchandising company to concentrate full time on development of the software. Associate now provides a combination of software and consulting to assist other regional merchandising companies with gaining competitive advantage, differentiation, reduced risk and reduced cash outlay. (BL) Success Story Details Sample List of DSD Manufacturers That May Purchase Overflow Merchandising Services Category: DSD (123) Sold Program of Cosmetics Resets to 13 Manufacturers for Mass Merchandiser.* 42 feet of shelf space was reset at all stores. Associate led team that sold program first to the retailer, then the manufacturers. (JV) Category: Cosmetics (124) Increased Sales by 5.1% for 1,400 Participating SKU’s in a 3 Month Test at No Incremental Cost to the Retailer. Sold Program for Prevention of Out of Stocks to Midwest Chain. 160 test stores, 10 stores kept as control. Sold program to retailer, then sold program to 9 manufacturers in multiple grocery categories. Participating sku’s realized a 5.1% increase in sales vs. control group (verified by ACNielsen data.) (JV) Category: Grocery (125) Sold 425,000 Hours of Merchandising Services at 20%+ Higher Profit Than Standard Continuity Work.* Demonstrated that targeted project work produced a better ROI for manufacturers and retailers than generic continuity work. Grew base of business from 72,340 hours per year to 425,531 hours per year over five years. Growth came by transitioning from continuity work to project work. Included Hair Care Resets for 6 years running, cosmetics resets at one mass merchandiser and becoming the preferred provider at another mass merchandiser. Discovered that project work provides much higher revenue opportunities than generic continuity work. Project work was often 20% to 25% more profitable than continuity work because of significantly less drive time. Had to become good at dealing with a fluctuating work load. Transitioned to part time work force. (JV) Category: HBC (126) Top 5% On All Speed-To-Shelf New Item Introductions Among 36 Teams. Success came from building a process where manufacturer, retailer and merchandiser all coordinated on new item introductions. (Planning – 90 days out, prep - 60 days out, ready for launch - 30 days out, measurement during launch, etc.) (JV) Category: Yogurt, Dairy (127) Became Preferred Provider at Mass Merchandising Chain. Accomplished by having all part-time merchandising reps certified to enter back room, manipulate inventory / place orders. (JV) Category: Target (128) Became Preferred Provider at Top 10 Grocery Chain. Accomplished by selling the “out of stock prevention” program. Natural progression after performing. (JV) Category: Grocery (129) Sold Program of Cosmetics Resets to 13 Manufacturers for Mass Merchandiser.* 42 feet of shelf space was reset at all stores. Associate led team that sold program first to the retailer, then the manufacturers. (JV) Category: Cosmetics (130) Increased Sales by 5.1% for 1,400 Participating SKU’s in a 3 Month Test at No Incremental Cost to the Retailer. Sold Program for Prevention of Out of Stocks to Midwest Chain*. 160 test stores, 10 stores kept as control. Sold program to retailer, then sold program to 9 manufacturers in multiple grocery categories. Participating sku’s realized a 5.1% increase in sales vs. control group (verified by ACNielsen data.) (JV) Category: Grocery (131) Sold 425,000 Hours of Merchandising Services at 20%+ Higher Profit Than Standard Continuity Work.* Demonstrated that targeted project work produced a better ROI for manufacturers and retailers than generic continuity work. Grew base of business from 72,340 hours per year to 425,531 hours per year over five years. Growth came by transitioning from continuity work to project work. Included Hair Care Resets for 6 years running, cosmetics resets at one mass merchandiser and becoming the preferred provider at another mass merchandiser. Discovered that project work provides much higher revenue opportunities than generic continuity work. Project work was often 20% to 25% more profitable than continuity work because of significantly less drive time. Had to become good at dealing with a fluctuating work load. Transitioned to part time work force. (JV) Category: HBC, Hair Care (132) Top 5% On All Speed-To-Shelf New Item Introductions Among 36 Teams.* Success came from building a process where manufacturer, retailer and merchandiser all coordinated on new item introductions. (Planning – 90 days out, prep - 60 days out, ready for launch - 30 days out, measurement during launch, etc.) (JV) Category: Dairy, Yogurt (133) Became Preferred Provider at Mass Merchandising Chain.* Accomplished by having all part-time merchandising reps certified to enter back room, manipulate inventory / place orders. (JV) Category: Target (134) Became Preferred Provider at Top 10 Grocery Chain*. Accomplished by selling the “out of stock prevention” program. Natural progression after performing. (JV) Category: ??? (135) Grew merchandising organization from $70 million to $100 million and improved net profit from 13.5% to 20%+ in Three Years.* Significant growth and profitability came from dedicated teams. (PL) Category: Merchandising Leadership (136) Sold Fortune 500 Manufacturer of Paper Goods on Outsourcing $20+ million of Merchandising Work. Resulted in an Estimated $125 Million in Additional Sales for the Manufacturer and $1 Million in Cost Savings.* Associate led the team. Achieved approximately 5% reduction in Out of Stocks (key goal of the effort) and saved manufacturer $1 million per year in merchandising costs at the same time. (Manufacturer’s sales are about $4.5 Billion. We are assuming that a 5% reduction in out of stocks will result in additional sales of approximately $125 million.) (PL) Category: Paper (137) Sold Dedicated Team Program to Fortune 500 Health and Beauty Manufacturer in Mass Merchandising (Wal*Mart) and Drug Channels. Resulted in merchandising work revenue increasing from $2 million per year to $8.5 million per year and net profit increased from approximately 30% to 45%*. (PL) Category: HBC, Drug (138) Sold Wal*Mart Dedicated Team Project to Fortune 500 Paper Goods Manufacturer*. (PL) Category: Paper (139) Sold Wal*Mart a Program for Product Knowledge Training on Electronics Products to WM CE associates*. (PL) Category: Consumer Electronics (140) Sold Marketing Department at Wal*Mart a Program for Auditing Stores for Compliance with Promotions*. Marketing department had no history or baseline to judge promotions from. Current effort is to establish the baseline. (PL) Category: Wal*Mart, ??? (141) Became a Preferred Provider for Sam’s Club Road-Show. Road shows include arts, jewelry, furniture and apparel. (PL) Category: Jewelry, Furniture, Apparel, Sam's
(173)
Closed $5.5 Million in Merchandising Revenues
in 60 Days with Fortune 50 Manufacturer.
Industry changes
created unusual circumstances and opportunity.
Contact Tom Ingram
and Associates for details.
Category: General Merchandise
(DZ)
(174)
Grew Merchandising Revenues from $0 to $15 Million
per Year with Fortune 50 Manufacturer.
Sustained Hourly Rate of 25% Above Industry
for 10 Years.
Generated $50 Million+ Incremental Sales for
Manufacturer.
Phase 1 cost savings of $1.7 million.
Reduced Average Hourly Cost (including overhead) from $38 per hour to
$26 per hour for 76 people.
RIGHT FIELD MERCHANDISER IN RIGHT PLACE, WHEN NEEDED:
Increased Store Visits by 25% for Same Budget Dollars.
Comprehensive Training Makes The Difference.
Ultimately Reduced Full Time Staff by 50%. Category:
General Merchandise (DZ)
(175)
Grew Merchandising Revenues from $0 to $12 Million
per Year with Distributor.
Saved $7 Million Per Year by Outsourcing
In-house Merchandising Team. Resulted
in $38.5 Million Sales Increase Per Year for Distributor
(from 5.5% Market Share Gain - Taken from #1
Competitor!)
New Product Cut-In Rate Raised from 70% to 99%+.
65% Full Time / 35% Part Time Work Force Changed to 30% Full Time /
70% Part Time. Complex and confidential case study.
Contact Tom Ingram and Associates for details.
Category:
Entertainment (DZ)
(177)
Custom Merchandising Program with Inventory
Replenishment Results in Distributor
Sales Growing from $0 to $27 Million
in Less Than One Year*.
Custom System Made It Difficult for Distributor to Beat Down The
Hourly Rate or Switch to a Merchandising Competitor.
Helped client earn distribution in five more categories. Warehouse sold out
within 30 days, accessories selling at a 50% increase over the previous
year. Built trust with difficult
retailer. Merchandiser’s reps
trusted to place orders in the stores, resulting in nearly 100% of stores
placing a weekly order. Merchandising problems decreased at same time
as sales expanded rapidly.
Categories:
Travel Accessories (DZ) (178)
Sales
Increase of 5 to 10% (est.) for Heavy Product -
Auto Batteries*.
Returns Savings of $100,000+, Pays for Entire Program.
Discovered and Rectified Significant Planogram and Out of Stock Problems in
Stores (179) Closed Multi-Year Program at $36+/hour During Recession of 2008/2009*. Manufacturer states "We Will Get Better Sales Productivity from the Merchandising Company's Staff Than Our Own. We are good manufacturers. They are good at running a field sales force. They have the sales disciplines, methods, structure, and management. We always have the problem of 'salary creep' and 'reps not where we need them'. The merchandising company is good at dealing with this. In addition, we estimate that a full time person, with overhead, costs about $100,000 per year. The merchandising company charges us $75,000 to $80,000 per person - with better results." Sales Cycle Notes: Asian / European company. Manufacturer chose to purchase only field reps and oversee with their own management. Heard of merchandising company's work and called them. Interviewed 3 competitors. Sales cycle took 3.5 months, but merchandising company was confident they had the deal after only two weeks. Beat large broker because it was too big to provide the dedicated team / attention desired plus did not have primarily male field force. Beat smaller, regional competitor because they did not have the scope or retailer expertise needed. Category: Cannot Disclose (CN) (180) Multi-Year Program at $36+/hour, Spring Work Only*. See success (179). Nearly identical program of reduced cost and improved field sales results. Sales Cycle Notes: Sister company of Major Appliance success story manufacturer #(78). Knew reputation for good sales gains plus cost savings. Category: Cannot Disclose (CN) (181) Closed Another Multi-Year Program at $35+/hour During Recession of 2008/2009*. Manufacturer needed field sales organization, very similar to success (179). Complex New Product Required Skilled Field Sales Organization that Manufacturer had Never Needed Before. Average full time person, with overhead, costs manufacturer about $100,000 per year. The merchandising company charges $75,000 to $80,000 per person - with better results." Sales Cycle Notes: Started with small amounts of work recommended by the retailer. Merchandising company's lead client had a cutback. Merchandising company pursued this manufacturer based on "if you like what we've done for you, we need a multi-year commitment, otherwise it goes away." Manufacturer chose to purchase field reps plus field management plus a back office staff. The merchandising company oversees all field work. Manufacturer really needed the help to meet cost cutting goals, revenue goals and to support the complex new product. Category: Cannot Disclose (CN)
(182) Created
New Business Model for Servicing
Private Label Products.
Grew Merchandising Services from
$0 to $24 Million per year for Crossmark Private Label.
Grew
Full Service Brokerage Revenue from $0 million to $40 Million per year.
(60% of revenue allocated to merchandising, 40% to headquarter calls.)
Program included BJs, Price Chopper, A&P, Albertsons,
Marsh and Key Foods. Sales cycle keys:
Two disciplines from the full service brokerage
industry were critical: Industry/category research and data, and,
effective retail merchandising in-store. Best success goes to private
label efforts that take advantage of disciplines from branded, full value
products. Categories: HBC, Produce, Package Meats,
General Merchandise, Traditional Shelf-Stable Grocery. (TH)
(183) Doubled Sales in One Year from $10
million to $20 million for Albertsons Retail Services.
(Additional success beyond initial Private Label program above.)
Categories: Most in Grocery (TH)
(184) Grew Merchandising Services from $5
Million to $30 Million per year with M&M Mars*.
Grew Full Service Brokerage Revenue from $10
million to $60 Million per year. (50% of revenue allocated
to merchandising, 50% to headquarter calls.) Grew from regional to
national. Sales cycle notes: Started with strong sales gains in
local markets. Demonstrated value of coordinated, national effort.
A critical sales point was having dedicated people held accountable on a day
to day basis for performing as promised. Additional keys included
industry/category research and data, national offices and coordinating
efforts with retailers across the country. Categories:
Confection, Pet Food, Rice (TH)
(185) Grew Merchandising Services from
$2.5 Million to $17.5 Million per year with Unilever*.
Grew Full Service Brokerage Revenue from $5
million to $35 Million per year. (50% of revenue allocated
to merchandising, 50% to headquarter calls.) Grew from regional to
national. Sales cycle notes: Started with strong sales gains in
local markets. Demonstrated value of coordinated, national effort.
A critical sales point was having dedicated people held accountable on a day
to day basis for performing as promised. Additional keys included
industry/category research and data, national offices and coordinating
efforts with retailers across the country. Categories:
Grocery,
HBC (TH)
(186) Grew Merchandising Services from
$2.5 Million to $12.5 Million per year with Tropicana*.
Grew Full Service Brokerage Revenue from $5
million to $25 Million per year. (50% of revenue allocated
to merchandising, 50% to headquarter calls.) Grew from regional to
national. Sales cycle notes: Started with strong sales gains in
local markets. Demonstrated value of coordinated, national effort.
A critical sales point was having dedicated people held accountable on a day
to day basis for performing as promised. Additional keys included
industry/category research and data, national offices and coordinating
efforts with retailers across the country. Categories:
Frozen,
Refrigerated and Shelf Stable Juice (TH)
(187) Grew Merchandising Services from
$2.5 Million to $10 Million per year with Cadbury (Motts)*.
Grew Full Service Brokerage Revenue from $5
million to $20 Million per year. (50% of revenue allocated
to merchandising, 50% to headquarter calls.) Grew from regional to
national. Sales cycle notes: Started with strong sales gains in
local markets. Demonstrated value of coordinated, national effort.
A critical sales point was having dedicated people held accountable on a day
to day basis for performing as promised. Additional keys included
industry/category research and data, national offices and coordinating
efforts with retailers across the country. Categories:
Shelf Stable Juice, Canned Grocery (TH)
(188) $3 Million of Additional Sales
for Gerber Due to Effective New Item Launch*.
Reduced New Item Speed to Shelf from 8 Weeks Average to 5 weeks
During Enormous Relaunch of 60+ Items.
Sales gain was due to 3 additional selling weeks gained by rapid new
item introduction. 20,000+ stores merchandised in 5 Weeks.
Attained 92% ACV. Included 60+ items re-launched from glass to
plastic. Key was that Associate served on advisory board for
Gerber, contributing to 8 months of planning prior to launch to ensure
that packaging, manufacturing, shipping, marketing, advertising and
merchandising were all coordinated.
Size of effort was a major merchandising challenge.
Category:
Baby Food (CC)
(189)
$0 to $10 million In Sales in 6 months for
Nabisco Snackwells Launch*.
Took 20% of Shelf Space from #1 Competitor
in Category.
Launched 16 skus of gelatin product in Southeast Achieved 100% ACV
in 8 weeks. Category:
Grocery (CC)
(190)
Led and Participated in Numerous New Item
Launches with Results Similar to (189) and (188)*. Included
Mentadent Toothpaste
(191)
Sold, Oversaw Delivery of Heavy, Complex
and Nighttime Reset Work*:
Home Depot Fireplace Night Reset, (500 Stores,
8,000 hours), Wal*Mart Frozen Food Night
Reset (3,000 stores, 288,000 hours),
CVS Cosmetics Daytime Reset
(300 Stores, 4,800 hours), Home Depot
“Green” Sign Program, Daytime,
(1000 stores, 1000 hours)
Category: Resets,
Night Work (CC)
(192) Combined 5,000 People from 60
Separate Organizations into A Single National Merchandising Organization
as VP of Retail Operations for
Crossmark*. $20
Million+ Cost Reduction by Consolidating Duplicate
Operations and Removing Redundant Management and Expense.
(193)
Led
Creation of Crossmark’s First Dedicated Team for Pillsbury.
Sales grew from $0 to $30 million per year*.
$15 Million Savings for Pillsbury (estimated) by Outsourcing 300
in-house field merchandisers.
Moved payroll cost to more efficient variable cost model.
Associate was one of three key people that sold and delivered the
program. Full service
merchandising program (including out of stocks, new item introductions,
promotion compliance, other work).
Sales Cycle Notes:
12 months sales cycle. Win
was due to demonstrated ability to handle manufacturer’s complex needs.
Earned the right over time.
Hired several of manufacturer’s people into the dedicated team.
Demonstrated that the scale of Crossmark’s merchandising
operations was a benefit.
Category: Grocery
(CC)
(194)
Assisted
Gerber In Growing From 68% Market Share To 72% During First 6 Months Of
Effort To Outsource 500 In-House Merchandisers To A Shared Services
Model.
$25 Million Estimated
Savings To Gerber By Moving Payroll Cost To More Efficient Variable Cost
Model. Category:
Baby Food (CC)
(195)
$1
Million Operating Cost Savings by Outsourcing Crossmark’s IT equipment
purchasing and in-house support
to HP.
(CC)
(196)
Lawn and Garden Success*:
Other Special Success Stories The following success stories were accomplished by associates of Tom Ingram that are not active with Tom Ingram and Associates at present. These people may or may not be available to assist with certain efforts, depending on availability and potential conflicts of interest. (201) Closed $500,000 Additional Merchandising Sale from Existing Manufacturer*: Associate followed up with existing manufacturer and ultimately closed an additional $500,000 of revenue based on ISE / Homestore (In Store Execution) and in-house analyst work. (XX) Category: ISE / Homestore, Cereal (202) Raising Merchandising Fees to a Reasonable Profit*: Associate renegotiated ISE / Homestore (In Store Execution) fee structure with 2nd tier retailer. Got paid an additional $25 per hour for project work, beyond the % of commission that was originally negotiated. Resulted in $200,000 of additional revenue over three years. (XX) Category: ISE / Homestore, Merchandising Company Leadership (203) Closed $5 Million Retail Merchandising Sale*: Associate helped Retail Services Organization close the biggest sale ever for company in the Northwest United States, generating some $5 million in annual revenue. Additional results for company included redeploying reps geographically to reduce fuel costs and providing effective training to improve rep productivity. (XX) Success Story Details Category: Cereal (204) Bottom-Up Retail Merchandising Effort Results in Significant Increase in Profits*: Associate helped Wrigley with three year effort to reinvent sales processes. Effort was Retail Merchandising driven from the bottom up. Resulted in significant reduction in sales labor needed plus significant increase in points of distribution. This improvement took place during a time of significant upheaval in the confection segment. Associate's efforts helped Wrigley become one of the most profitable CPG firms in the world, recently producing $700 million in earnings on sales of $5 billion. (MH) Category: Confection, Candy (205) Putting Sales and Merchandising Efforts in the Right Areas Reduces Cost by 30% and Increases Sales*: Associate helped Godiva Chocolates reorganize its Retail Merchandising sales force to effectively deploy reps to the stores which would produce the greatest sales improvement. Included restructuring a team to provide telephone sales and service to a segment of the customer base, resulting in reduced costs and improved customer satisfaction. Result was sales cost reduced by 30% plus increased sales to smaller stores. (MH) Category: Confection, Candy (206) Improved Promotion / Merchandising Results by $3 Million*: Associate worked with major grocery retailer, aiding in creation of methodology for assessment of promotional effectiveness. Improved profitability of promotional decisions by over $3 million in six months through focus on assessing 7 specific programs. Have only scratched the surface so far, with opportunity to significantly alter the orientation and culture of the company by providing support tools enabling ongoing assessments internally. Several hundreds of millions of dollars in profitability potentially at stake. (KP) Category: Grocery (207) Cost Analysis*: Associate helped Gillette during transition to twin blade razors. It appeared that margins were eroding and Gillette nearly dropped the line. Associate led cost analysis, which showed that the margin problems were internal and solvable. The line became Gillette's dominant line and provided entry into several other lines. Materially contributed to the profitable sale of the company. (JW) Category: HBC (208) Creating P&L Responsibility at Store Level*: Associate helped Lowes create effective P&L reporting at the store level. Lowes' stock price has tripled since this work was done. Associate also recently helped a services company create effective P&L reporting at the Sales Manager level. (JW) Category: Home Centers · (209)* Found Higher Margin Services Niche, $0 to $1.2 Million in One Year. Closed General Mills, Conagra, Dole, Reckitt Benkiser, a few smaller accounts at 50% margin. Accomplished by Working from Existing Strength in New Item Promotion. Added new item merchandising cut in service, guaranteeing 90% ACV on-shelf within four weeks. Category: Grocery (DK) (210)* Found Higher Margin Services Niche, $0 to $16 Million in Two Years***. Accomplished by adding in-store sampling program to existing strength in New Item Promotion. Included working with retailer to set display up, restocking periodically. Program worked because CEO got 200 sales people on conference call, demanded six new customers within 30 days – and got it! Spent significant time, money, sales incentives. Category: Grocery (DK) ***Note: Associate worked alongside this team, but did not actually contribute to results personally. (211)* Closed $5.5 Million in New Services Business with Fortune 100 Manufacturer in 60 Days. Business sold at 25% above current market rate. Confidential program. Ask for details. Category: Grocery (AC) (212)* $10 Million+ Services Program for Microsoft (AC) (213)* $10 Million+ Services Program for Disney (AC) (214)* $10 Million+ Services Program for Sony (AC) (215)* $10 Million+ Services Program for Proctor & Gamble (AC) (216)* $10 Million+ Services Program for Hewlett Packard (AC) (217)* $10 Million+ Services Program for Kimberly Clark, Gerber, Smuckers, Dannon (AC) (218)* $2 Million+ Services Program for Small Business Solutions Technology Provider Category: Business Electronics (AC)
Headquarter Call Success Stories Additional Expertise Available (501) Condiments: See RA (502) Deli, Meat, Land O'Lakes: See MS (503) Hair Care: See PP - (504) Personal Care: See PP - (505) Soap: See PP - (506)Snacks: See PP (507) Cookies: See RA (508) Wholesale / Distributors: See VA (509) Hardware, Home Depot, Lowes: See SA (510) Pharmaceutical, HBC: See JA (511) Convenience, Grocery, Housewares, Juice, Canned Food, Dairy, Baby, Housewares, SuperValu: Peanut Butter, Roundys (512) Maps, Books, Magazines, Snacks, Tobacco, Private Label, Greeting Cards, Seasonal, Fertilizers, Home Depot, Cell Phone, Bird Feeders, GPS, Candy, Pool Toys, Household Chemicals, Golf, Suncare, RadioShack, Eckerd, CVS, Wal*Mart, Publix, Home Depot, HSN, Bed Bath and Beyond: See PG (513) Produce, Chicken: See RB (514) Clorox, Pet Food, Paper: Seee MB (515) Salad Dressing: See VM (516) Kroger, Safeway, White Wave, Dairy, Salad Dressing, Candy, Coffee, Military, Pet, Hardware, Department Store, Baking, Dessert, Canned, Vegetable, Cereal, Toothpaste, HBC, Frozen: See SC (517) Coffee: See DK (518) Olives, Olive Oil: See TE (519) Children: See KE (520) Trade Funds: See RH (521) Cereal, Kraft, Coffee, Frequent Shopper, Smuckers, Hormel (522) American Express, HP, Bayer, Office Superstore, Pfizer, (523) Candy, Cadberry Adams: See RK (524) Dollar Stores, Apparel, Baby, Eyecare, Hair Care, Suncare, (525) Healthcare, Clinical, Medical, Photo, Electronics, Coffee, Kraft, Cell Phone, HP, Banks: See PL (526) Military, Frozen, Fish, Refrigerated, Kroger, SuperValu: See SM (525) Publix: See AM (526) Beverage, Bottled, Canned: See AM (527) Frozen: See FM (528) HBC, Pharmaceutical, Veterinary, Costing: See JM (529) Proctor & Gamble: See JM (530) Private Lable, A&P, Pathmark: See JM (531) Kmart, Ekerd: See JO (532) 7-11, Convenience, Safeway: See SL (533) Avery Dennison, Office Superstore: See BA (534) Albertsons, Inc., Anheuser-Busch, Banc One, Bausch & Lomb, Inc., Bertlesman Music Group, Campbell Soup Company, CARE, International, CNA Insurance Companies, Coca-Cola Foods, ConAgra Foods, Dairy Mart, Convenience Stores, Dean Foods Vegetable Company, Fiji Water, LLC, The, Gatorade Company, General Mills, Inc., Grocery Manufacturers of America, Hallmark, Herman Miller, Inc. , H. E. Butt Grocery Company, H. J. Heinz, Company, Information Resources, Inc., Kraft, Inc., Thomas J. Lipton Company, Maybelline, Inc., Nabisco Foods, Novartis, The Pepsi-Cola Company, The Pillsbury Company, Playtex, Ltd., The Procter & Gamble Company, The Quaker Oats Company, R. J. Reynolds, Sara Lee Corp. (Hanes), 7-Eleven Convenience Stores: See KP (535) Pfiser, International: See ER (536) Wal*Mart, Frito Lay: See JS (537) Wal*Mart, General Electric, Pepsi, Novartis, Sprint, AT&T, Hallmark, Bristol Meyers Squibb, Pizza Hut, Charles Schwab, UPS, H&R Block, Motorola, HBO, Kraft, Blackstone, ACI Capital, Office Depot, American Express, Merrill Lynch, Viacom, Proctor & Gamble, Glaxo Smith Kline, Showtime, SC Johnson, Abbott Labs, IBM, Nestle, Clorox, McDonalds, Taco Bell, Citi, Unilever Colgate, AC Nielson, Sears, Pfiser, NFL, Johnson & Johnson, Kodak, Loreal, Aramark, Bayer, Dow Jones, Payless Shoes, International Paper: See GS (538) Office Depot, Teleflora, Canned, Pasta, Nabisco, Earthstone: See MS (539) Big Results on a Budget, NuVim, Beverage, Lipton, Soup, Tea, Salad Dressing, Pasta, Margarine, Food Service, Meat: See JS (540) Frito Lay, DSD Systems: See BT (541) Minyard, Pets: See JT (542) Home Depot, Electrical, Plumbing, Storage: See MW (543) Lowes, Seasnol, Millwork, Storage, Home Organization, Dollar Stores, Pets, Home Depot, (544) Dollar Stores, 7-11, Distributor, Wholesale, Pepsi, Jewel, Osco, Sav-On, Drug: See DZ (545) Bristol Meyers, Rite Aide: See JA |
Client Results Quotes "Ingram Associates worked with us to hire multiple senior people to help with a Fortune 100 Health, Beauty and Cosmetics manufacturer. Tom helped us identify the right people, negotiate their offers and protect confidential information. Ingram helped us navigate complex non-compete agreements. Working as a team with Ingram, we could not have been more strategic!" [at last report, $5.5 million of new business was closed in the first 60 days with this manufacturer.] Company and president name withheld to protect confidentiality. Some details disguised. ________________________________________________________ “Tom brought us an excellent CEO candidate right when we needed him. It was a challenging situation, but Chuck dug in immediately and has made the kind of progress we were looking for.”
________________________________________________________ "I want to thank you for all of the hard work and effort you have applied to assist us in getting the HUB infrastructure rolled out across our operating divisions. This has been a huge endeavor and quite frankly, we could not have gotten where we are without you." [Accountability provided by regular meetings and action item tracking was the most important single component.] "This effort will allow us to better serve our clients and allow us to run a more efficient operation in the process”. Ben Fischer, President, Crossmark® Sales Agency ________________________________________________________ "Of all the things you have done for us, the accountability and focus provided by your weekly pipeline call is the most valuable, by far.” Our most compelling, urgent need has been to build a consistent, disciplined, focused pipeline of new business. Your group has contributed immensely to our progress in this area." General Manager, XYZ Merchandising Services Company ________________________________________________________ “Tom, I sort of like you, but I really, really like Chuck" [Chuck is one of Tom Ingram's senior Associates. This quote is included in our attempt to bring a little humor to the dry business of consulting...] "Here are the things that I value from the work your organization did for us:
Thanks for the work you did for us, and I expect we will continue to work together. Consider me a satisfied customer.” Steve Nozet, CEO, American Merchandising Specialists ________________________________________________________ “Tom brought us Mike Skelton as a new CEO." "During Mike’s tenure, the Company went from $500,000 in sales and substantial losses to $2 million in sales and near breakeven. This included a $1 million deal with Computer Associates. Mike helped position the Company for a merger with a larger corporation.” Russell Cleveland, President, Renaissance Capital, Regarding Caminosoft ________________________________________________________ “Tom Ingram’s group really helped us turn the corner during our new business development effort. They helped us document what we are good at through success stories, which are an excellent selling tool. They have helped us focus on situations where the prospect has an urgent need to buy, AND, where we have a distinctive advantage that cannot be easily copied by competitors. The targeted prospect list they provided appears to be exactly what we needed, though this needs to be proven out. We are also pleased with the Software, Costing and Quality initiatives that the Ingram group is helping us with.” General Manager, XYZ Merchandising Services Company ________________________________________________________ “The success stories look very good. We knew we had done good work for these clients, but I was especially pleased with the quotes people provided when you interviewed them. You helped us to quantify the value of the work we did for our clients, and helped get it into a format that tells a good story. Our emphasis is helping increase sales for our Clients, and it comes through in the success stories. We knew our sales increases were strong, but I think having a third party interview our Clients and document the results really helps put our best foot forward. If anything, the documented results for Clients were better than I expected. I think it was useful to document the entire program of service that we provided in the success stories. We promote pieces and components all the time, but there is some value in having the entire offering consolidated to a single page.” Chris Nozet, Senior Vice President, American Merchandising Services ________________________________________________________ “Tom, we really appreciate the work your team has done for us. I found the success stories to be particularly “handsome”, as we discussed. They helped us narrow our focus to customers with an urgent need to buy. Your team has also helped us focus on areas where we have a distinct competitive advantage that cannot be easily copied. The prospect list your team provided has been very helpful. Our people have been able to close some significant business in the last several months, and I think your team helped “spur” us on down that road. We will have to see what sales will result from the sales people you have been able to bring to our attention, but I am generally impressed with the caliber of your people and what we think they can do for us…” Merchandising Company Co-Owner (names withheld at Client’s request) ________________________________________________________ "This [workshop] was one of the best I think I have ever attended. Your involvement and knowledge of the industry is great. This is definitely cutting edge and will position [our company] to be in the best position to compete and continue to be successful in the future." "Many thanks for the contribution and insights the past two days. I think we all agree we learned a lot in a short period of time... My personal favorite were the presentations made this afternoon [by team members]. What can I say, Dan is "The Man"! The success will be up to all of us! Thanks again." [Regarding division rollout meeting.] Market Manager, Mid-Atlantic, Large Sales Company ________________________________________________________ "Your work in helping us quantify the value that we provide customers was outstanding. You have helped us explain the complex services and systems we offer in a way that new prospects can better understand." "The cost-justification you developed has helped us communicate internally and with new prospects. The case study shows that we saved a client approximately $400,000 over five years and helped them improve customer service AND sales at the same time. We knew we had done well for this client, but you helped us consolidate the results into a compelling case study." "Thanks for your work helping us define our new customer on-boarding process. You helped us define a complex work process and gave us a boost in solving these problems ourselves." "We now have a standard Statement of Work process which matches up with our contracting process. Our legal department and sales departments are now working together much more effectively. We are preventing many problems now that used to cause us downstream difficulty." "I've never seen an internal IT guy that didn't say, 'I got it!'..." Clay Curtis, Former CIO, Crossmark® Case Study: /CreamYogurtsuccessstoryRedacted.pdf ________________________________________________________ "Thank you for making [the workshops] enjoyable!" (I appreciated this comment because the detail work of the workshops can be extremely tedious and boring.) Coordinator / Office Manager, New England Division, Large Sales Company ________________________________________________________ "I liked your web site. It got right to the results and quantified the numbers. It wasn't fluff and rhetoric - it spoke to the [merchandising services] help we need.” Senior VP Customer Strategy and Marketing, Fortune 500 Manufacturer ________________________________________________________
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Client Results and Paybacks
| * Ingram primarily responsible for result |
| ** Ingram partially responsible for result |
| *** Approximations of costs under Tom Ingram control, whether as employee or consultant |
| + Projected savings by client. Have not been able to confirm |
| ++ Extremely rough estimate, Have not been able to confirm |
* Success stories, client quotes and payback estimates are provided as general illustrations of past performance and represent summaries of long term, complex efforts. They are often used to teach concepts and lessons learned, and may have been simplified considerably. Estimates of financial impact are estimates only, and not intended to convey exact financial information. Some have been altered to protect confidential information. We ask that prospective clients contact our references and request specific details of relevant success stories prior to any decision to use our services.
