A quick map of where you stand today

• How would you summarize your current channel mix and the direction of revenue over the last 12 months?
• Which channels now produce at least 10% of revenue, select all that apply Options: Direct-to-consumer storefront, Marketplaces (aggregated), Wholesale accounts, Big-box or national retail, International distributors, Other
• In a typical month, how many active SKUs are sold across all channels? Options: Under 50, 50–200, 201–1,000, 1,000–5,000, Over 5,000
• Tell me which reporting source you rely on most for channel performance (choose one) Options: Corporate ERP/P&L, Channel dashboards (DSP/analytics), Order management system, Marketplace native reports, Custom BI / data warehouse, Other
• Describe the last time a channel shift surprised leadership—what happened and what was the immediate consequence?

Where channel incentives quietly erode margin

• What's the single pricing or discounting behavior that, if it continued, would force you to change strategy immediately?
• How often do marketplace or promotional discounts create visible price conflicts with wholesale partners? Options: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Rarely
• Walk me through a recent promotion that created partner pushback, including the operational fallout (returns, chargebacks, breakage)
• Which pricing levers are controlled centrally versus by channel teams, select all that apply Options: List price / MSRP, Minimum advertised price (MAP), Promotional approvals, Distributor margins, Marketplace seller discounts, Assortment decisions
• If your top wholesale partner demanded restoration of previous margins within 60 days, what internal barrier could prevent you from meeting that demand?

Who owns outcomes when channels collide

• Who is the executive accountable for portfolio-level channel profitability, and how enabled are they to change pricing or assortment? Options: Chief Commercial Officer - full authority, Chief Commercial Officer - advisory authority, Head of Sales - delegated authority, Cross-functional committee - consensus required, Not clearly defined
• List the roles that must sign off on a channel policy change, and indicate which routinely block progress Options: Sales, Marketing, Finance, Operations, Legal, Executive sponsor
• In what cadence does finance push back on promotional plans created by marketing, and what form does that pushback usually take? Options: Weekly financial review meetings, Monthly P&L checkpoints, Ad-hoc objections tied to margin reports, Rarely challenges promotions
• Describe the last time a channel change was vetoed—who vetoed it and what was the business rationale?
• If you needed a single person to sign off on a pilot this quarter, who must say yes for it to run?

Which metrics make the board sit up and act

• What single metric would make your board demand immediate corrective action on channel strategy? Options: Gross margin percentage, Net margin erosion by channel, Decline in key wholesale account revenue, Marketplace cannibalization rate, Customer lifetime value decline
• Tell me which combination of margin, revenue, and retention metrics currently informs channel decisions Options: Gross margin + revenue by channel, Contribution margin + return rates, Customer acquisition cost vs LTV, Top-line growth prioritized over margin, No consistent combination used
• On what cadence do you reconcile channel-level P&L to corporate reporting? Options: Weekly, Biweekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Ad-hoc
• Rate your confidence in unit economics by channel Options: High confidence, Moderate confidence, Low confidence, No reliable unit economics
• Suppose a pilot proved a 3-point gross margin uplift in 90 days, what would stop your team from approving a scaled rollout immediately?

The data and systems that will either help or halt progress

• Identify the single data source that, if unavailable, would prevent completion of the channel economics model Options: Order-level transaction data, Returns and refunds ledger, Cost of goods sold detail by SKU, Promotions and discounts history, Channel-level commission fees
• List the systems that must connect to provide order-level margins, select all that apply Options: Your storefront platform, Marketplace seller accounts, ERP/financial system, Order management system (OMS), Third-party logistics (3PL) reports, Custom data warehouse
• Do you have named owners who can provide access to each required dataset within 2 weeks? Options: Yes, owners assigned and available, Owners assigned but limited availability, Not yet assigned
• Rate the cleanliness of your sales and returns data for the prior 12 months Options: Ready for analysis, Needs moderate cleaning, Requires significant cleanup, Data incomplete
• Who will be the single point of contact for data access, and can they commit to regular check-ins during the 8-week audit?

Obstacles that have blocked change before

• Identify the most common internal argument that has killed channel policy changes before they reached pilot
• Select the external constraint that most limits your options Options: Supplier contractual minimums, MAP or distribution agreements, Marketplace platform rules, Retailer contractual clauses, Logistics or fulfillment limits
• Walk me through a contract clause or retail agreement that unexpectedly prevented a price or assortment change
• On average how many days does it take legal and commercial teams to approve contract amendments for pricing or distribution changes? Options: Under 7 days, 7–21 days, 22–45 days, Over 45 days
• Imagine a retail partner insists on rollback of marketplace listings next month, what single operational failure could stop you from complying?

The other options you are weighing

• Name the external partners or internal programs currently being considered to resolve channel conflict, including any incumbent vendors
• For you to stay with a current approach instead of changing, what performance threshold or outcome must be true?
• Are there stakeholders advocating an internal fix, and if so who is leading that effort and what resources have they committed? Options: Yes, a business-led internal program with dedicated FTEs, Yes, informal effort with no dedicated resources, No internal proposal, Undecided
• Select all alternatives you have evaluated or are considering Options: Retain incumbent consultant/vendor, Build internal capability, Use a software enforcement tool, Run a limited internal pilot, Do nothing for now
• What single proof or result would compel you to reverse a decision to stay with your current approach within 90 days?

How you'll know this worked

• Point to the single measurable outcome that would make your leadership declare the program a success Options: Improved gross margin by channel (percentage points), No net loss of key wholesale revenue, Reduced marketplace cannibalization rate, Clear governance and zero price conflicts
• Choose your target timeline for a measurable improvement that would justify scale Options: 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, 6 months
• Indicate the relative importance of these success metrics, rank three highest Options: Gross margin uplift, Wholesale relationship health, Revenue retention, Customer LTV increase, Reduction in promotional overlap, Improved inventory turns
• Name the C-suite roles that must sign off on acceptance and the minimum improvement they'd require for each metric
• Should a pilot meet the numbers but threaten a strategic retail relationship, which outcome would you prioritize Options: Protect margin over partner, Protect partner relationship over short-term margin, Negotiate a compromise with transitional concessions

Practical next steps and timeline

• Point to the single gating decision that would allow us to begin fieldwork within your desired timeline
• Choose your target start window for fieldwork Options: Immediately (within 2 weeks), Within 3–4 weeks, Within 5–8 weeks, Quarter+ out
• Confirm the person who will own day-to-day coordination for the audit and whether they can allocate 4–8 hours per week Options: Yes, identified and available, Identified but limited availability, Not yet identified
• Provide the documents or access required on day one to hit an 8-week schedule (examples: order export, COGS by SKU, promotion history)
• Should a necessary data source not be available within 2 weeks, would you accept a timeline extension or would that stop the project Options: Accept extension, Stop the project, Re-scope to proceed with partial data

Final feelings and potential blockers

• Outline the one lingering concern that would make you pause before committing to a pilot
• Indicate your confidence that your teams will adopt new pricing guardrails Options: Very confident, Somewhat confident, Skeptical but open, Not confident
• Explain who internally could champion a recovery plan if adoption stalls, and whether that person has authority to reallocate resources
• Are there budget approvals or procurement steps that could delay work, and what is the fastest path to clear them Options: No approvals required, Requires finance approval only, Requires procurement and legal approval, Requires executive committee approval

• Channel Data Intake Kickoff
• Sales and Wholesale Economics Interview
• Direct-to-Consumer and Marketplace Data Session
• Finance Inputs and Unit Economics Workshop
• Operations and Fulfillment Constraints Workshop

• Document any planned capacity changes or ongoing operational improvement projects.
• Supply DTC order-level data including gross price, discounts applied, shipping charged, and returns.
• State the modeling output required
• A validated SKU-level cost build and a documented overhead allocation method for the channel model.
• A reconciled baseline P&L dataset with specified inclusions and exclusions for modeling.
• Provide SKU-level cost breakdowns and source invoices or BOMs supporting unit cost figures.
• Deliver chart of accounts mapping and the rules used to allocate shared costs.
• Export baseline financial statements and reconciled margin reports for the model period.
• Document any recent accounting changes, one-time adjustments, or currency considerations.
• Confirm deliverable from session
• An operations constraints register listing capacity limits, lead times, and process exceptions with estimated cost impacts.
• A per-order operational cost table for each channel usable in the channel-economics model.
• A list of required operational data extracts and timing for follow-up.
• Provide WMS reports showing pick/pack/ship times, throughput, and volume by channel.
• Deliver historical return rates by channel and cost-per-return calculations.
• Export carrier invoices and freight cost detail for the baseline period.
• Confirm scope and decision points
• A finalized Data Request Checklist listing files, fields, sample extracts, and delivery dates.
• Prioritized list of blocking versus non-blocking data gaps for modeling.
• Agreed secure access method and schedule for initial data delivery.
• Publish the Data Request Checklist with exact file and field specifications.
• Deliver sample extracts for order-level sales, SKU master, and promotional calendar for the baseline period.
• Provide access credentials or a secure transfer mechanism for the agreed files.
• Document any known data quality issues or recent system changes that affect exports.
• Confirm the single output
• A completed pricing-and-contracts input table listing rules, exceptions, and evidence links.
• A list of account-level conflicts or recent retail escalations requiring deeper validation.
• Provide redacted sample contracts and representative invoices that demonstrate pricing rules.
• Export account-level sales and discount history for the baseline period.
• Deliver a list of accounts with recent disputes or terminated relationships and the case notes.
• Define the meeting output
• A reconciled promotional calendar and DTC pricing table for the baseline period.
• A marketplace fees and margin impact table with unresolved items flagged.
• A marketing spend and CAC dataset mapped to channels for use in unit-economics modeling.
• Export promotional calendar history with start/end dates, discount levels, and affected SKUs.
• Provide marketplace fee schedules and sample settlement reports for the baseline period.
• Deliver marketing spend by channel and conversion metrics used to calculate CAC.
• Walk through existing data sources
• Review COGS and variable cost components
• Document DTC pricing and promotion mechanics
• Map pricing and discounting rules
• Map fulfillment flows by channel
• Capture per-order and per-SKU operational costs
• Agree overhead and fixed cost allocation
• Review contractual exceptions and mandate terms
• Capture marketplace fee structures and enforcement status
• Identify critical data gaps and priorities
• Collect marketing spend and CAC metrics
• Collect evidence and sample contracts
• Reconcile reported margins to operational data
• Document returns and reverse logistics costs and processes
• Agree access method and timeline
• Define SKU and time period mapping rules

• Build channel economics and margin model
• Design channel pricing architecture
• Create channel-specific assortment strategy
• Develop promotion governance framework
• Produce marketplace discounting enforcement playbook
• Draft wholesale pricing and contract schedule
• Produce SKU-level allocation and inventory rules
• Create promotional calendar and rules engine spec
• Deliver channel KPI dashboards and P&L templates
• Train sales and marketing on playbook execution
• Produce board-ready channel mix impact report
• Develop sales channel operational playbook

Build channel economics and margin model

• Do you currently have a channel P&L by channel and SKU in a spreadsheet or ERP export? Options: Yes - per SKU, Yes - by channel summary, No
• How many SKUs require SKU-level cost of goods sold (COGS) inputs for the model? Options: Under 100, 100-500, 500-2,000, Over 2,000
• Which cost inputs are available in your ERP export (for example: COGS, freight-in, returns cost)? Options: COGS, Freight-in, Direct marketing spend, Returns cost, Other
• Specify the time horizon the model should cover for sensitivity analysis (for example: last 12 months, next 12 months forecast). Options: Last 12 months, Next 12 months forecast, Last 24 months, Custom period
• What acceptance criteria will confirm the channel economics model is complete (for example: per-SKU gross margin matches ERP within X% and scenario runs for three channel-mix cases)? Options: Per-SKU within 5%, Per-SKU within 10%, Other

Design channel pricing architecture

• List the channel price tiers you currently publish in your price list (for example: wholesale net, MAP, DTC full price). Options: Wholesale net, MAP, Direct-to-consumer full price, Marketplaces, Promotional
• Confirm whether you maintain a formal MAP (minimum advertised price) policy document for marketplace channels. Options: Yes, No, Policy under development
• Indicate how you currently propagate list price changes across your e-commerce platform and retail feeds. Options: Manual updates, ERP-driven feed, Automated price sync, Other
• Specify the target margin thresholds by channel that the new pricing architecture must preserve (express as percentage points).
• Who has final approval over wholesale price changes in your current contract workflow (provide title or role)?

Create channel-specific assortment strategy

• Which channels use a shared SKU assortment versus channel-exclusive SKUs in your assortment CSV? Options: Shared assortment, Channel-exclusive SKUs, Hybrid
• Provide the proportion of SKUs you currently flag for clearance or marketplace discounting in your assortment file. Options: Not flagged, Under 5%, 5-20%, More than 20%
• Estimate how many SKUs you plan to designate as channel-exclusive per region. Options: None, Less than 5%, 5-20%, More than 20%
• What acceptance measure will confirm the assortment strategy is specific (for example: channel-level sell-through target and assortment CSV loaded into your ERP)? Options: Sell-through target met, Assortment CSV integrated, Other
• Describe the ERP or inventory reports you can export to validate SKU-level recommendations (for example: sell-through CSV, aging report).

Develop promotion governance framework

• Confirm whether you maintain a centralized promotion calendar spreadsheet or a ticketing board for promotions. Options: Calendar spreadsheet, Ticketing board, No central calendar
• List the roles that currently authorize promotions (for example: marketing manager, head of sales, finance lead).
• Identify which promotion types must be governed in the framework (for example: sitewide discounts, coupon codes, marketplace deals). Options: Sitewide discounts, Coupon codes, Marketplace deals, Bundle promotions, Other
• State how violations of MAP or promotion governance should be detected from your marketplace reports or price-monitoring feed. Options: Daily automated alerts, Weekly review, Manual spot checks
• Indicate integration endpoints required to enforce promotion rules (for example: e-commerce platform price feed, marketplace API, ERP price list export).

Produce marketplace discounting enforcement playbook

• Provide the marketplace seller accounts and storefront IDs you can provide access to for price monitoring. Options: All accounts, Subset of accounts, No access yet
• Do you have a documented MAP policy and a list of authorized resellers to compare against marketplace listings? Options: Yes, No, Partial list
• How frequently should enforcement actions be executed based on monitoring (for example: daily takedown requests, weekly warnings)? Options: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Case-by-case
• Outline the escalation path the playbook should include for repeat offenders (for example: warning, delisting, legal notice).
• Define the measurable evidence that will validate enforcement playbook effectiveness (for example: reduction in discounted listings by X% in 90 days). Options: Reduction >=30%, Reduction 10-30%, Other

Draft wholesale pricing and contract schedule

• State whether you have existing standard wholesale contract templates and current price schedules in a shared folder. Options: Yes - templates and schedules, Templates only, No
• Identify which contract terms typically drive price exceptions (for example: volume tiers, marketing co-op, returns allowances). Options: Volume tiers, Marketing co-op, Returns allowance, Promotional allowances, Other
• Estimate the volume thresholds that currently trigger tiered pricing in your wholesale schedule or indicate if tiers need to be defined. Options: No tiers, Tier thresholds available, Need to define
• Who on your team signs wholesale amendments and can provide access to executed contracts (provide title or role)?
• Approximate how many wholesale accounts require bespoke pricing schedules versus standard terms. Options: None, 1-5, 6-20, 20+

Produce SKU-level allocation and inventory rules

• Name the warehouse or fulfillment nodes included in your SKU allocation rules in your WMS or ERP (for example: single node, regional nodes, 3PL partners). Options: Single warehouse, Regional warehouses, 3PL partners, Hybrid
• Describe how safety stock is currently defined per SKU in your ERP (for example: days of cover, min units, not defined). Options: Days of cover, Min units, Not defined, Other
• Select which SKUs require prioritized allocation for wholesale orders versus direct-to-consumer orders. Options: High-margin SKUs, Top-selling SKUs, Account-specific allocations, None
• Detail lead-time and carrier service-level constraints the allocation rules should respect (for example: transit days, carrier SLA).
• Supply whether you have historical fulfillment or out-of-stock reports (SKU aging, fill rate) available to validate allocation rules. Options: Yes - detailed reports, Partial data, No

Create promotional calendar and rules engine spec

• Report the format of your current promotion calendar (spreadsheet, marketing platform export, or not documented). Options: Spreadsheet, Marketing platform export, Not documented
• Select which channel promotion windows are fixed and must be honored in the calendar (for example: Black Friday/Cyber Week, seasonal launches). Options: Black Friday/Cyber Week, Seasonal launches, Weekly promotions, None
• Choose which promotion triggers the rules engine should support (for example: SKU bundle, cart value threshold, customer segment). Options: SKU bundle, Cart threshold, Customer segment, Coupon code, Other
• Detail the integration endpoints the rules engine must connect to (for example: your e-commerce platform price feed, ERP price list export, marketplace API).
• Name who on your team will own updates to the calendar and approve automated rule changes (provide title or role).

Deliver channel KPI dashboards and P&L templates

• Choose which KPIs must appear in channel dashboards (for example: channel gross margin, return rate, customer acquisition cost). Options: Gross margin, Return rate, Customer acquisition cost (CAC), Customer lifetime value (CLTV), Other
• Answer whether you have a standard chart of accounts or P&L format we must align to for templates. Options: Yes - chart of accounts available, No standard chart, Custom format
• Report which data sources will feed the dashboards and how frequently they can be exported (for example: daily ERP extract, hourly e-commerce API). Options: Daily ERP extract, Hourly API, Weekly exports, Other
• Assign who will maintain dashboard user access and approve distribution lists for stakeholder reports (provide title or role).
• Declare whether you require a board-ready P&L snapshot format and, if so, what margin breakdowns must appear. Options: Yes - need board-ready PDF, No

Train sales and marketing on playbook execution

• Enumerate the audiences that need training (for example: sales reps, marketplace managers, channel marketing, finance). Options: Sales reps, Marketplace managers, Channel marketing, Finance, Operations
• Pick preferred training formats (for example: live workshop, recorded sessions, written playbook). Options: Live workshop, Recorded video, Written playbook, Hands-on coaching
• Supply the expected number of attendees per role and the regions they will join from.
• Answer whether role-based assessment or certification will be required after training. Options: Yes, No, Optional
• Outline the operating procedures or templates that should be included in training (for example: price change request form, promotion approval ticket, marketplace takedown template).

Produce board-ready channel mix impact report

• Declare the executive metrics the board report must emphasize (for example: consolidated gross margin, revenue by channel, customer acquisition cost). Options: Consolidated gross margin, Revenue by channel, Customer acquisition cost (CAC), Channel mix scenario impact
• Recommend the historical period and forward-looking scenario horizons the board report should cover (for example: last 12 months + 12-month forecast). Options: Last 12 months + 12-month forecast, Last 24 months + 24-month forecast, Custom
• Attach the title of the named executive who will sign off on the board-ready report and indicate the preferred delivery format (for example: PDF slide deck with backup spreadsheet). Options: PDF slide deck + spreadsheet, PDF only, Spreadsheet only
• Share any recent board materials we should align formatting and data presentation to. Options: Yes - provide example, No
• Propose which sensitivity cases to include (for example: marketplace price erosion, lost wholesale account, assortment delisting). Options: Marketplace price erosion, Lost wholesale account, Assortment delisting, Promotional escalation

Develop sales channel operational playbook

• Compile the sales channel workflows that need step-by-step playbooks (for example: account onboarding, price exception requests, merchandising approvals). Options: Account onboarding, Price exception requests, Merchandising approvals, Returns handling
• Explain whether existing standard operating procedures or CRM workflows exist for those playbooks and where they are stored (for example: internal wiki, shared drive, CRM). Options: Yes - SOPs available, Partial, No
• Record how the playbooks should be distributed and maintained (internal wiki, shared drive, learning management system). Options: Internal wiki, Shared drive, Learning management system (LMS), Other
• Assign SLA targets to include in the playbook for sales responses and fulfillment handoffs (for example: 24 hours, 48 hours). Options: 24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, Custom
• Approve which KPIs sales owners will be expected to track to demonstrate adoption of the playbook (for example: price exception rate, channel margin lift).

• Master Services Agreement (MSA)
• Statement of Work (SOW)
• Fee and Payment Schedule
• Data Access & Authorization
• Data Processing Agreement (DPA)
• Acceptance Criteria & Sign-Off Checklist
• Change Order Agreement
• Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)

• Go-live Health Check
• First Measurement Review
• 90-Day Realization Review
• Monthly Operational Sync
• Quarterly Business Review, Realization Focus

• Close all high-priority enforcement tickets within the agreed SLA timeframe.
• Deliver a prioritized remediation plan for metrics failing to meet targets, including specific tactical steps and completion dates.
• Schedule playbook training sessions to address identified adoption gaps.
• Launch an enforcement campaign for the top SKUs causing marketplace discount pressure.
• Review open enforcement requests and status
• Reduce open enforcement request count month over month and improve average time to close enforcement requests.
• Agree any needed playbook changes and schedule their publication to the shared operational channel.
• Identify escalations that require cross-functional attention and a target resolution date.
• Re-confirm success criteria and owners
• Publish playbook revision notes for any approved changes and circulate to the operational channel.
• Raise escalations for blockers that cannot be resolved within the monthly cycle.
• Executive summary of metric trends
• Confirm whether channel gross margin percentage and promotional overlap rate meet the direction and thresholds recorded in Engagement Scope.
• Agree the top 3 prioritized operational or policy changes for the next quarter with target start dates.
• Set the reporting cadence and owners for quarterly realization tracking.
• Implement the prioritized assortment and pricing changes for the next quarter and publish implementation dates.
• Launch the agreed promotional governance changes and provide a summary of impact after one quarter.
• Deliver the quarterly realization dashboard with channel-level margin and promotional overlap metrics.
• All deliverables and dashboards are accessible and named owners are confirmed in Engagement Scope.
• Top 3 early blockers are identified with remediation actions and target resolution dates.
• Data feeds required for KPI reporting are validated or have a remediation plan.
• Provide access logs and error reports for any failing data feeds for troubleshooting.
• Publish the updated owner and escalation list to the shared channel.
• Open remediation tickets for the top 3 blockers with target resolution dates.
• Present first-period data against targets
• Determine whether channel gross margin percentage and wholesale sell-through rate are trending toward targets recorded in Engagement Scope.
• Define a short list of corrective actions with dates to close the largest performance gaps.
• Confirm the data sources and ownership for ongoing KPI reporting.
• Run a channel-level root-cause analysis for the top underperforming channel and deliver findings within 10 business days.
• Update the channel economics model inputs to reflect observed sell-through and promotional behavior.
• Publish an exceptions list for SKUs with the largest margin variance for enforcement review.
• Restate targets from Engagement Scope
• Create a documented remediation plan with timelines for each metric that is below the targets recorded in Engagement Scope.
• Confirm adoption gaps in operational playbooks and a date for a training refresh where needed.
• Establish the near-term check-ins to monitor remediation progress.
• Prioritize tickets and set remediation deadlines
• Detailed review on margin drivers and promotional effectiveness
• Present 90-day outcomes by metric
• Root-cause diagnosis by channel
• Deployment and access validation
• Process exceptions and playbook adjustments
• Document remediation plans for each lagging metric
• Prioritize enhancements and resourcing needs
• Agree corrective actions and deadlines
• Early adoption signals and usage patterns
• Confirm next quarter reporting and checkpoints
• Blockers and open issues triage
• Confirm reporting cadence and next checkpoint
• Blocker burn-down and escalation
• Review operational playbook adoption and training gaps
• Agree immediate remediation actions
• Agree next reporting milestones