In today’s fast-paced environment, data isn’t just numbers on a spreadsheet, it’s the foundation for strategic decision making. Recently, our team had the opportunity to work with a global multi-channel clothing company. We helped to enable a strategy-focused weekly trade call by redefining key metrics, and leveraging real-time data updates.
A strategy meeting that kept getting stuck in the numbers
Every Monday morning, eight senior leaders gathered on Zoom, and spent 45 minutes debating numbers instead of discussing revenue performance and how to hit their targets. For the VP of Sales, the weekly trade call was a headache. The numbers didn’t match what her team was reporting from their systems, nor did they include the most up to date data. Debate would arise between Wholesale US and Wholesale International channels due to the difference in handling of metrics such as order book. Definitions kept changing and her team’s hard-earned wins kept getting lost in confusion. What should have been a strategy meeting, became a fact dump and a debate over definitions and data quality.
A familiar challenge
We see it all the time with fast-growing businesses: processes evolve, reporting layers pile up, definitions drift and suddenly no one’s looking at the same version of the truth. It’s no one’s fault. It’s just what happens when you grow fast and move quickly. For this team, that frustration became the signal that they had outgrown their reporting foundation, and it was time for a reset.
Realizing the need for clarity and cohesion, the company brought in us, Data Culture. Working closely with the CEO, Chief Information Officer (CIO), Sales Channel Leaders, and BI Lead, the goal was simple yet challenging - get everyone speaking the same language. In order to quickly share out actionable insights, we followed an agile approach. Over the course of a couple of weeks, we were able to bring together leaders from diverse sales channels such as Wholesale (US, EU, etc), E-commerce, Retail, Amazon, and China.
At first, we started by meeting with individual stakeholders (CEO, Head of Sales, individual channel leaders) to get an understanding of their metric definitions to date, and where they were experiencing challenges and blindspots. From these meetings, our team searched for overlaps to provide metric definitions that aligned with business needs. With a POV in mind, our team was then able to bring everyone together to discuss these definitions, and how they achieved business objectives.
We aligned on definitions for key metrics like run rate and order book for different timeframes (MTD, YTD, etc.) against last year figures and current year budgets. We also introduced new concepts, such as budget versioning, to help make accurate comparisons while preserving history. Despite regional differences within and across each channel, this collective effort paved the way for a shared understanding of what critical metrics to the business meant.
Armed with aligned definitions and clear objectives, we were able to move into the dashboard design phase. Using Figma to develop wireframes, we built initial designs for what would become the Company Performance dashboard. We started with high level performance indicators (revenue, gross margin, discount rate, etc.) followed by a detailed breakdown by sales channel and then further broken down by customer insights. There was also the ability to compare “to date” and full month figures against last year and budget. By following a driver tree based approach in the design, weekly trade meetings would now be more focused around questions such as - “Hey John, what help do you need regarding closing the gaps with the Nordstrom order?”. The wireframe approach not only provided a clear visual roadmap, but also accelerated development. With everyone aligned on the numbers, definitions, and dashboard designs, our team was able to quickly bring this dashboard to life.
With a solid alignment structure in place, the next step was to make the data and it’s output work for the business. Luckily the team had already invested in a BI tool - Sigma Computing. However, guidance was needed to unlock the tool’s full potential to service the business. This is where we leveraged a unique feature, input tables, to create a dynamic report allowing for real time updates.
By using input tables, sales channel leaders were able to update their data on the fly. By allowing for adjustments and assumptions, leaders were able to incorporate assumptions based on last year’s performance, qualified additions, and order book adjustments. This helped bridge the gap from the system data and the information sales channel leaders had about their customers and upcoming orders. We incorporated row level security so that only authorized sales channel leaders could update their respective channels, minimizing potential for data quality errors. Lastly, by having audit trails, we were able to keep track of who made updates, when, and why. This innovative implementation allowed the team to capture detailed insights, such as historical pre-book values and compare actuals with projections.
Introducing a new tool and process in any organization comes with its own set of challenges. To ensure smooth change management and adoption of our new Company Performance dashboard, our team had established initial ownership as well as a process and training for empowering sales leaders to own their data. Initially, we had the BI Lead help to manage the input process to ensure data accuracy and consistency. Once the process was refined and everyone was well informed, sales channel leaders would take over the responsibility of updating their sales numbers.
This phased approach not only minimized disruption to current operations, but also ensured that every stakeholder was comfortable with the new dashboard and process. This approach reoriented the weekly trade call from data discrepancies to strategic intervention. Our dashboard was able to highlight the top areas that needed focus and tie them directly to actions. Sales channel leaders and executive teams could now spend more time collaborating on potential supply chain issues, cross sell and upsell strategies, customer follow up strategies, and contingency planning.
The transformation was nothing short of remarkable. With an aligned understanding of key metrics and the ability to update data in real time, the weekly trade calls shifted focus. Instead of getting bogged down by debates over definitions, the team could now engage in meaningful discussions on strategies to meet or exceed targets, better understand why some channels were underperforming, or make quick pivots to achieve their goals.
The journey of this global clothing company demonstrates that embracing data-driven business operations is beneficial to transforming traditional business processes. By addressing data ambiguities, integrating real-time data updates, and shifting the conversation towards actionable strategies, the company not only optimized its weekly trade calls, but also set a new standard for strategic planning. With clarity, alignment, and the right tools, you too can get everyone on the same page and transform your business to accelerate growth and increase revenue.
