A markdown-readiness quiz that gives retail buyers value before the sales call
Merchandising leaders ignore demo requests in season. A short self-assessment gives them a useful answer and gives sales the context for the first call.
- Challenge
Retail buyers would not take a cold sales call about inventory problems.
- Approach
A markdown-readiness quiz with targeted invitations, a peer-readout incentive and scored follow-up.
- Result
Buyers share their inventory gaps, and sales calls start from their answers.
The situation
Retail analytics vendors often ask merchandising leaders for a demo before the buyer has a reason to give one. Heads of merchandising and planning are stretched in season and ignore generic outreach. The calls that do happen start cold, with sellers guessing whether the pain is stock-outs, aged stock or late markdowns. Without an easier first step, pipeline depends on the few buyers who already know they have a problem.
The question that mattered
How can the company get merchandising leaders to share their inventory problems before a sales call, in a way they value?
What we did
- 1
Frame a meaningful buyer question
Build a markdown-readiness self-assessment around a question planners already ask: are we cutting price too late? Items cover aged stock, sell-through visibility and store-level gaps.
- 2
Acquire the right audience
Invite named merchandising, planning and allocation leaders at target retailers through email, LinkedIn and retail trade newsletters, timed outside peak trading.
- 3
Host the quiz and set the incentive
Run it on a short, mobile-friendly page that returns an instant readiness profile. Completers also receive an anonymised peer readout when the campaign closes.
- 4
Turn answers into sales context
Capture role, category and planning tools with each set of answers in the CRM. Score respondents on fit and urgency, and give sellers a pre-call note on the weakest area.
What we delivered
The evidence and working documents the team kept.
- Markdown-readiness self-assessment with question logic and scoring
- Readiness profiles with practical next steps for each result band
- Invitation list of merchandising and planning roles at target retailers
- Anonymised peer readout for everyone who completes the quiz
- CRM field mapping and pre-call notes for sellers
The outcome
Merchandising and planning leaders
engaging before any demo request
Answers and context
captured against named accounts
Respondents scored
on fit and urgency for follow-up
Sales calls
opening with the buyer's own markdown gaps
Sellers open with the buyer's answers on aged stock and markdown timing, not with a product tour.
What changed in the GTM motion
The company now has a first step that asks little of a busy buyer and gives something useful back. Marketing runs the assessment as a standing entry point, and sales treats a completed quiz as the brief for the first call.
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