THE COMMERCIAL DIAGNOSTIC
Most growth problems in food and drink are described as sales problems. Few of them are.
A brand that is not growing usually has a structural cause. The causes are visible in documents the business already holds. They are rarely examined together.
The Commercial Diagnostic examines them together. Five areas, reviewed and scored by a senior commercial professional. A written report in five working days. One fixed fee of £950, with no retainer and no day rates.
Buy the Commercial Diagnostic · £950Meet the expert first · freeFIVE AREAS
Pricing and trade terms, channel mix, range, retailer and foodservice readiness, and sales capability.
FIVE WORKING DAYS
A written report of eight to ten pages, and a thirty minute call to go through it.
£950
One fixed fee. No retainer. No day rates.
The Commercial Diagnostic is a fixed-price written review of how a UK food or drink business makes its money. It is carried out by a senior commercial professional with direct experience of retail, wholesale and foodservice.
It examines five areas together: pricing and trade terms, channel mix, range, retailer and foodservice readiness, and sales capability. Each area is scored from one to five against the evidence.
It is a diagnosis. It is not a growth plan, and it does not promise an outcome. It states what the evidence shows and which three issues carry the most weight.
Pricing and trade terms. The margin on the price list is compared with the margin achieved after discounts, promotional funding and settlement terms. The gap between the two is where most commercial strain begins.
Channel mix and range. Sales are examined by customer, by channel and by product. Dependence on one customer and a long tail of low-volume products are common, and both are measurable.
Readiness and sales capability. The review asks whether the business could supply a multiple retailer or a foodservice operator on its current terms, case sizes and promotional funding, and who holds the customer relationships.
A current price list. Twelve months of sales by customer and by product. Trade terms for the five largest customers.
A forty-five minute call with the person who leads the commercial side of the business.
All documents are handled under a confidentiality agreement, signed before anything is sent.
A written report of eight to ten pages, five working days after the documents are received.
The report gives a score and a finding for each of the five areas, the evidence behind each score, and the three issues that should be addressed first.
A thirty minute call follows, to go through the findings. What the business does next is its own decision.
Each Commercial Diagnostic is written by a vetted member of the Proven Professionals network, matched to the category and channel of the business.
The network is made up of senior food and drink professionals with commercial leadership experience in UK manufacturers and brands.
Every report follows the same structure and the same scoring criteria. The judgement is the professional's. The method is fixed.
One fixed fee: £950. Senior commercial judgement on the whole business, without a retainer, a day rate or an open-ended project.
The price covers the document review, the call, the written report and the follow-up conversation. There is no retainer and no further commitment.
Payment is made by card through Stripe, a secure payment provider. A confirmation follows by email, with the short list of documents needed and a confidentiality agreement to sign.
Buy the Commercial Diagnostic · £950The Commercial Diagnostic is designed for UK food and drink producers with at least twelve months of trading history.
It suits a business where growth has slowed, margin has tightened, or a larger listing is being considered and the leadership wants an independent view before committing.
It is not suited to a business before launch. There is no trading evidence to examine.
FREE · NO OBLIGATION
A short brief is enough to propose the right reviewer. Within three working days, a profile of the proposed expert follows by email: their name, their commercial background and the categories and channels they know.
Matching is free. Nothing is paid until the business decides to go ahead.
A commercial diagnostic is a structured review of how a food or drink business makes its money. It examines pricing and trade terms, channel mix, range, retailer and foodservice readiness, and sales capability, and scores each against the evidence.
£950. The price is fixed and agreed before any work begins.
The written report is delivered five working days after the documents are received.
A current price list, twelve months of sales by customer and by product, trade terms for the five largest customers, and a forty-five minute call.
A vetted member of the Proven Professionals network of senior food and drink professionals, matched to the category and channel of the business.
All documents are handled under a confidentiality agreement, signed before anything is sent.
No. It is a diagnosis. Where a business wants support to act on the findings, Proven Professionals can introduce fractional, interim or project expertise as a separate engagement.
Yes. A short brief is enough to propose an expert. Their name and commercial background follow by email within three working days, free and without obligation.
Look at the gap between list-price margin and the margin left after discounts, promotional funding and rebates. The first number is on the price list. The second has to be calculated customer by customer, and it is the one that decides profit. The Commercial Diagnostic sets the two side by side.
Readiness is a commercial question as well as a production one. It covers whether the business could supply a multiple or a foodservice operator on current terms and still make money. The readiness area of the Commercial Diagnostic scores that against the business's own numbers.
The Commercial Diagnostic is a written commercial review across five areas: pricing, channels, range, readiness and sales capability. Each is scored from one to five, with the evidence behind the score and the three issues to address first. It costs £950 and is delivered five working days after the documents arrive.
Buy the Commercial Diagnostic · £950Meet the expert first · freeRelated guide: How to improve margins in a food or drink business
Related guide: How to increase profit in a food or drink business
Related guide: How to reverse declining sales in a food or drink business
