WHAT IS A SKILL and a COMPETENCY?
A skill is the ability to do something well. Being competent is a demonstration of how well we apply our knowledge and skills to complete tasks – allowing us to successfully develop, manage and grow our categories and brands with our customers. There are as many different types of competency and skill frameworks, models and descriptions as there are breakfast cereals. These are all similarly aimed at making you better on the job, so that you can deliver better business results.
CUSTOMERAIDE® SKILL LEVELS
We know there’s a lot of stuff out there and not a lot of time to get through it all. We also know that you will wear many different hats and face many different challenges each day. We have hundreds of resources: how to’s, quick dives, online calculators, interactive customer dictionary, tools, templates, videos, book reviews, learning programmes and more! We organise our CUSTOMERAIDE® resources based on the skills you need to make sure that you have the best resources, learning and on demand help, to be successful.
This means you can find what you need, quickly. And focus on the skill set that’s right for you, depending on where you are in your career. These are:
So….who do you need to be today?
CATEGORY DRIVER
You know the fundamentals of category management. When you talk to Customers you articulate category benefits, not just what’s good for your brand. You deliver impressive category revenue, profit and growth with and for your Customer. You know what’s hot and what’s not. You think big picture, beyond category tactics, to bring your category vision to life. You and your Customer are both clear about what you want to be famous for in the category.
BRAND BUILDER
You fully understand the ins and outs of brands and branding. You know it’s at the heart of everything your business does. You work seamlessly alongside marketing teams to make sure that people buy more and consume more of your brands. You help to build brand equity in everything you do. You support the implementation of brand plans with your Customer. You are passionate about both your Customer’s brand and your own brands.
ROUTE TO MARKET EXPERT
So many choices, so little time! Whether it’s a bells and whistles full stack route to market strategy; starting with a blank page – or you just need to give your go to market activity a boost, you are ready to get to work. Facts, decisions and insightful investments – have at it! Get your brand in an efficient way to shoppers and consumers – where they expect to find them; and, adding value every step of the way to the category, your brands, channels, and most importantly, your Customers and their shoppers!
CHANNEL EXPERT
You know which channels are profitable for your categories, and how this translates for your Customer. You make sure that you understand how shopper channels are evolving and adapt your thinking to meet your Customer’s needs all the time. Better than that, you know how to find and where to get extra growth from channels because you’re in tune with the bigger picture. The one where you and your Customers get to be where your shoppers are.
SHOPPER SAVVY
You are part of the shopper marketing conversation. You’ve read about all those moments. You know your Customer’s shoppers and focus on how to sell more and deliver a great shopping experience with the right activation at the right time and place. You’ve memorised the shopper path to purchase journey and you obsess about the point of purchase. Sometimes you even call it POP for short. Or POB. Or POC. Or POS.
KNOW MY CUSTOMER
You exist to grow with your Customer. There’s nothing you don’t know about your Customer, from his balance sheet to the name of his cat. You know your Customer’s needs and wants, strategy and performance, challenges and opportunities. You know the key analysis and metrics to focus on. You could walk blindfolded through his stores without bumping into anything – in our business, you are his champion!
PRIORITISER
You’re pragmatic enough to appreciate that resources are limited, so you set your business up for success by leading the charge to segment your customers. You make customer investment decisions where they will have the most impact on category growth and profit. You say ‘one size definitely does not fit all’. You tailor your businesses’ engagement with priority customers based on potential, such as high volume, high growth or strategic alignment. There is only upside so you think it would be crazy not to segment your customers!
PLANNER
You are committed to a Customer planning process and you tailor it for your Customers and the business. You plan for success, looking ahead to anticipate operational challenges. You can turn a strategy into an exceptional execution plan and what’s more, you’re the “make it happen” person we want in our corner. Your attention to detail, steely focus on your Customer’s needs and strategic growth mind-set make you an outstanding member of the team.
NUMBER CRUNCHER
You drive profit by making commercially sound decisions. Your financial acumen underpins everything you do. You never met a value analysis you didn’t enjoy but numbers never constrain or muddy your thinking. You know what the key metrics are – the ones that will make a commercial impact on your and your Customer’s business. You crunch numbers accurately and quickly. Your Customer commercial propositions are always persuasive, a thing of beauty.
REVENUE OPTIMISER
You understand your categories, channels and Customers and outsmart your competitors by backing the right trade spend investments in the right channels with the right Customers. You run your supply chain efficiently and effectively delivering category growth with your Customer. Your P&L sings happy “Gross to Net” songs!
PARTNER
You make joint business planning look easy. You have a collaborative mind-set and focus on building effective relationships to co-create value with Customers. Your professionalism sets the bar for high levels of trust between you and your Customer and together you think about ways to set the category alight. There’s nothing parochial about you. When you add 2 + 2 you get 5.
PRESENTER
You create compelling presentations that stand out because they’re commercially on-point and you deliver them with enthusiasm and clarity. No death by powerpoint or imagining your Customer in his or her underwear for you. You read, write and speak well. Most importantly, you listen well. Your Customer relationships are good. You are effective on the job because you rock in negotiations, meetings, presentations, elevators and airports.
NEGOTIATOR
You listen to your Customer. You persuade and influence Customers to arrive at win-win agreements. You prepare like a prize fighter and negotiate like a coach. You’re not an actor and you don’t rely on tactics. You manage negotiations with calm authority in the good times and the bad times – making sure your Customers needs are met in the right way. Tough, consistent and fair – you’re the one we want on our team.
NETWORKER
You know who the Customer decision makers are, who to talk to and when. You’ve mapped the right Customer contacts and network effectively with regular, planned and quality engagement based on the right contact strategy. Networking is in your blood. You ask the right questions. You observe. You follow up. You make your Customers your number 1 priority and they know it.
DISTRIBUTOR EXPERT
When you call your distributors ‘partners’ it’s actually true. The care and attention to detail you display when assessing distributors and selecting the right partners is a prelude to a jointly valuable partnership based on a deep understanding of each other and aligning on what’s important – building your business in the geography and meeting shopper needs, wherever they are! You keep in touch and jointly manage the contract; and you say “win-win” – even though it’s a cliché, it is the beating heart of your awesome distributor relationship.
METRICS MARVEL
You believe in the old saying ‘if you don’t measure it, you can’t manage it’ and you know that what gets measured tends to get done. People call you a marvel because you tell them it’s more than just getting it done, it’s doing it as excellently as possible with your customer. High standards is your middle name. You focus only on the metrics that matter. You never create elaborate scorecards and reports for their own sake – the ones that nobody reads. You keep it short and sweet. Key performance indicators are a powerful way you monitor results. You are humble and believe in putting it all on the table transparently – learning from mistakes and capitalising on successes.
CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVER
You get to the heart of any challenge, coming up with possible solutions. You don’t need a template. You’re innovative and creative and bring a fresh perspective to the business. Adapting to change is your middle name. You read everything you can get your hands on. Brainstorming is not so last year in your book – you are masterful at it. You always strive to find creative ways to grow with your Customers.
LEADER : COMING SOON!
You manage resources and lead passionate teams to deliver business results. You manage conflicts. You develop others. Your interpersonal skills and cultural knowledge drives successful and motivated teams. You can bring a Customer Management vision to life, with strong operational nous. The team remain focused on the right business objectives and you empower them to deliver results. Your Customers respect you and your business. Go Boss!
STRATEGIST : COMING SOON!
You identify strategic growth opportunities and develop winning Customer strategies. You never ever confuse tactics with strategy. You never invent your own facts. Sometimes at night instead of counting sheep, you weigh up strategic growth options for your category and Customer. Because you can so clearly articulate your strategy you always impress everyone with its simplicity and logic. Especially your Customer.
WHO DO YOU NEED TO BE TOMORROW?
So long as your CUSTOMERAIDE® membership is up to date so are you. We are dedicated to bringing you the most helpful portfolio of resources and Help On Demand to grow with your Customers. CUSTOMERAIDE® is shaped around you and your needs – if there’s something you need today that you don’t see, please send us an email and let us know!