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Case Interview Types: Master Common Ones Before Your Interview

• Last Updated January, 2024

Rebecca Smith-Allen

Former McKinsey Engagement Manager

On Case Study Preparation , we described what a case interview question is and how you should approach answering one. You can think about that page as your Consulting Case Interview 101 course.

But if we could tell you how to ace your consulting case interview in just one page, Bain, BCG, McKinsey, and other top consulting firms would give out a lot more offers than they do every year.

On this page, we discuss the most common types of case study interview questions . We’ll take your understanding of how to answer these to the next level by outlining the key issues to consider when structuring your answer.

Let’s get started!

Here are the types of cases you might come across during your case interview :

• Profitability Cases 1.1 Profit Optimization 1.2 Revenue Growth 1.3 Pricing Optimization 1.4 Market Entry 1.5 M&A 1.6 Cost Optimization 1.7 Startup / Early-Stage Venture
• Non-Profitability Cases 2.1   Lives Affected 2.2 Retention 2.3 Industry Landscape and Competitive Dynamics
• Market Sizing Questions (also called dinner conversation cases)
• Case Interview Math (also known as consulting math) 4.1 Consulting Math Example 4.2 Summary of Key Things to Remember on Consulting Math Questions

How To Make the Most of Case Interview Practice Time

Help with case study interview preparation.

Nail the case & fit interview with strategies from former MBB Interviewers that have helped 89.6% of our clients pass the case interview.

Profitability Cases

On this page , we discussed case interview  frameworks   that can help you structure your answers to case study interview questions, we introduced the profitability equation. It’s 1 of 2 basic business frameworks you can use to answer any type of case question. 

This formula can help ensure you address all the key aspects of straightforward profitability cases like the following:

A sports apparel retailer has experienced declining sales in its stores over the past year and declining profits. How would you recommend they address their profitability problem?

A cell phone manufacturer is experiencing declining profitability despite strong sales. What should they do to improve their bottom line?

For more detail on the components in this formula and an example of how to use it to solve a case interview question, see our  Case Interview Frameworks  page . Below, we’ll discuss types of profitability problems that go beyond the basics.

Profit Optimization

Perhaps a company is profitable… just not profitable enough . 

Maybe its margins are lower than those of an industry rival. 

Maybe they’ve dipped below its own prior-year performance. 

Perhaps management sees an opportunity to launch a new product, leapfrogging the competition, but needs to generate more cash to invest in development. 

Any of these can be reasons to improve the performance of an already profitable company. 

Sample questions:

A nationwide fast-food chain failed to meet Wall Street expectations on its latest investor call and as a result, its stock price fell significantly. Management wants help identifying opportunities to improve the bottom line.

The CEO of a regional hospital chain is concerned that his company’s profitability is half that of the market leader. How can the company grow its net income?

Use the Profitability Equation

In structuring your analysis of a profit optimization case, you should touch on all 4 components of the profitability equation to understand what the company is doing well and where things have taken a turn for the worse. 

But the underlying problem in this type of case may be more subtle than in a basic profitability question. 

Instead of a big jump in costs or the loss of a large customer wiping out a significant chunk of revenue, the company may be experiencing a couple of small problems that add up to bad news for the bottom line. 

Benchmark Relative to Competition of Past Performance

For example, if our client is a TV manufacturer and we find out that our cost of producing a TV has increased overtime while our prices have remained the same, we can see that rising costs is the reason for our profits declining. 

To turn around the situation, we could look into what the competition is doing to reduce costs. For example, if a competitor is sourcing the same materials as us but from a cheaper supplier, we want to see if we can lower our cost by sourcing from the same supplier.

Benchmark One Business Segment to Another

Another way consultants benchmark performance on revenue and cost levers is by comparing the performance in one business segment or type of end-customer to another . 

Continuing with our TV manufacturing example, we might find that the client has seen costs rise on components in its high-end models but remain constant for its low-end models. 

We can look into what is being done differently in the low-end product group: low-cost sourcing, process improvement, etc. to find opportunities to improve the cost position in the high-end segment.

Use Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

The company may also need more disciplined business processes and a system for measuring key performance indicators . 

Our TV manufacturer might institute a system for measuring cost per unit on a weekly or monthly basis in order to ensure they have an early warning system to monitor if costs are getting out of line.

To go with these KPIs, a regular process for reviewing the costs and taking necessary action could be instituted. Disciplined processes and performance indicators will help to fine-tune operations over time, taking them from good to best-in-class.

Key concepts to consider when addressing a profit optimization case:

The profitability equation including all its components,

• Benchmarks of cost and/or revenue relative to best-in-class competition and prior year performance.  
• Benchmark the company’s performance segmented by product or type of customer .
• Opportunities for business process improvement and key performance indicators that will allow management to monitor profitability more closely. 

Revenue Growth

Revenue growth case questions focus on companies that, while already profitable, still want to grow. 

They can do this by increasing market share, by selling their existing products to new markets, by selling new products to their existing customers, or by pursuing a combination of these opportunities. 

They can also capture more revenue by increasing prices.

A national chain of fitness centers wants to leverage its brand equity by selling additional products and services to its client base. What incremental products and services can profitably grow revenue?

The president of a printer and ink manufacturer thinks there is an opportunity to provide after-sale service to its customer base. What might be the impact on revenue from entering this market?

Capture Additional Market Share

As its name suggests, this type of case study focuses on the first half of the profitability equation — revenue = price x quantity of units sold. in examining units sold, you should consider the company’s ability to capture additional market share for existing products in the markets it already serves. , what is the company’s current share of the market that of its largest competitor what would it take to capture additional share product improvements a shift in marketing and promotion.

If a chain of fitness centers was our client, for example, we’d look at whether the primary competition was 1 or 2 large chains or a number of small, single-location gyms and tailor our strategy to increase market share accordingly. 

If the competition was single-location gyms, we could promote flexibility for members to use our facilities in multiple locations to bring in new customers. We could also leverage the client’s greater size to outspend the small gyms on advertising.

Branch into New Products or Markets

Also, consider the new products and/or markets the company could branch into . What products do competitors sell that the company doesn’t? Does the company have capabilities that would help them  succeed in other markets?

Our fitness center client could consider selling new products like fitness apparel or vitamins. They could expand into new markets, such as towns and cities adjacent to ones currently served.

Offer Services to Existing Customers

In addition, consider  services that can be sold to existing customers . Post-sales support for equipment, for example. Or consumables used with their products, like ink for a printer manufacturer. Our fitness center client could look into providing personal fitness coaching services to members.

Review Pricing

Lastly, consider the company’s  flexibility to raise prices . Where do their prices stand relative to competitive products or services? Do their products or services have higher quality or value-added capabilities that would command a higher price?

For more examples of revenue growth case interviews, see our  Revenue Growth Case article. 

Pricing Optimization

A company must have a solid product or service offering to be able to take a price increase without seeing a significant loss of sales to competitors. 

If their products or services are strong, then optimizing price can be an important lever to grow revenue.

A manufacturer of kitchen knives sells a range of products, from low-end to professional, to customers at different price points. They’ve developed a new line of knives in collaboration with a celebrity chef and would like help setting the prices for these products.

The airline industry has experienced significant changes in its pricing model over the past few years, with some airlines charging separately for checked baggage, meals, and beverages. A global carrier has asked us to help optimize the pricing of the additional services it provides to customers who fly with them.

Elasticity of Demand

When prices rise, demand for a product goes down and when prices fall, demand rises. You’ll remember this from Economics 101, or perhaps just from common sense. Pricing optimization is all about how much . 

If you can raise prices with demand going down just a little, you can improve a company’s revenues by raising price. If a change in price has a big impact on demand, then raising price could be a big mistake.

The term for this is Price Elasticity of Demand . If demand for a product or service changes a lot in response to a change in price, it’s said to have price elasticity. Products with many substitutes or ones that consumers can easily do without are the most sensitive to price changes. 

For example, if McDonald’s raised the price of the Big Mac, more customers might go to Burger King, Taco Bell, or just eat lunch at home. McDonald’s hamburger sales would fall dramatically.

Substitutes

For some products, demand is relatively insensitive to changes in price. This can be the case for luxury goods, for products that have few substitutes , or for when there are large switching costs. When the cost of home heating oil rises, some customers consider switching to natural gas to heat their homes. But if doing so will require buying a new furnace to run on gas or paying for pipes from their house to the gas distribution network, they won’t make the change unless the change in price is dramatic and/or expected to persist for a number of years. 

3 Methods for Setting Prices

Competitive-based pricing — Setting prices based on the prices of other similar products in the market. This is the simplest method for setting prices. Companies who use competitive-based pricing are price takers.

Cost-based pricing —Setting prices as a function of the cost to provide a good or service plus a profit margin. Cost alone can’t be used to set pricing because if a company’s costs are out of line with its competitors, it may price itself out of the market.

Value-based pricing — Setting prices based on the value provided to customers. Luxury goods are priced well above the cost of their production because customers of these products value association with the prestigious image the product conveys. Products that provide significant value to customers in terms of saving time or providing features not found in other products can be priced higher because they are worth more to customers.

Value-based pricing the best pricing method but it can only be used for products and services that are sufficiently differentiated in the eyes of the customer that they will not change their buying behavior in response to higher prices.

Market Entry

Significant start-up costs will be incurred to develop and manufacture a new product, to launch the marketing campaign, or to build the sales force needed to find customers. 

To ensure that spending money on start-up costs are worthwhile, due diligence needs to be done to estimate the size of the market being considered and the cost of successfully entering it.

A teen fashion retailer has seen its sales boom in the North American market for the past 5 years. They’re considering expansion into international markets. They’d like help identifying which markets provide the best opportunities for their line of clothing.

A not-for-profit organization has been successful at hiring the long-term unemployed to manufacturer furniture made from pallets and other recycled items. They’ve not only designed and created beautiful pieces of indoor and outdoor furniture, but also helped to improve the lives of individuals in one city. They’d like to expand to other products and potentially to other cities and have asked for our help in assessing their options.

There are  4 parts to any market entry case : market size, market attractiveness, costs of entry and capabilities required. Let’s look at each.

Market size

Market sizing is sometimes used as a case interview question on its own. See below for more details . It’s also usually the first part of a market entry case. It addresses how large a market is in terms of annual revenue, number of units sold, or both. The underlying issue is whether there is enough opportunity in a market to make it worth the up-front cost.

To determine whether the amount of sales revenue or unit volume is “enough,” estimate the size of the market based on the information provided by your interviewer or by using factors you can reasonably estimate about the market. You can then consider profit margins and what portion of the market the company must capture to break even.

Market attractiveness

The market a company is thinking about entering may be huge, but it can still be unattractive. Key questions include: What is the profit margin for companies already in the market?  What does the competition in the market look like? Large firms with huge marketing budgets or small companies? 

Costs of entry

Will new technology, equipment, sales staff, or something else be required to succeed in the new market? If so, what will it cost? The greater the investment required to enter a market, the more difficult it will be to recoup the initial investment.

Capabilities

Does the firm being discussed have what it takes to succeed in the new market? In some markets, the key to success is marketing expertise and distribution. In others, it’s low costs and disciplined business processes. Identify the key attributes of success in the market and whether the company possesses those attributes.

To learn how you can structure and break down a case such as these, visit the  Case Interview Frameworks  page can help you think through important factors in this type of consulting case interview question.

Above, we looked at how to analyze a market entry case. 

If a market is attractive but the client does not have all the capabilities required to succeed in it, it may decide to buy the right capabilities through a merger or acquisition (M&A). 

They could also consider M&A opportunities if they need to enter the market fast rather than build capabilities over time.

The number 3 competitor in the cellular phone services market is at a disadvantage relative to its larger competitors. Providing cellular phone service has high fixed costs—for the equipment that transmits calls, the retail stores that sell phones and provide in-person customer support, and the marketing spend that is key to customer attraction and retention. The CEO is considering acquiring a smaller competitor in order to gain market share. He would like our help thinking through this decision.

The president of a national drug-store chain is considering acquiring a large, national health insurance provider. The merger would combine one company’s network of pharmacies and pharmacy management business with the health insurance operations of the other, vertically integrating the companies. He would like our help analyzing the potential benefits to customers and shareholders.

When you get this type of case, ask your interviewer why the company is considering the merger or acquisition. They may provide key information on the size and attractiveness of the market the target company is in. Assuming the target company is in a large, attractive market and has the critical capabilities required to succeed in that market, then you should consider whether it is better to build the new business internally or undertake a merger or acquisition. 

If two companies are considering a merger, they still have to persuade their shareholders that the 2 companies would be more valuable working together than on their own. The value the companies can create by working together is called  synergy .

Synergies from a merger or acquisition can be on the cost side, the revenue side, or both. Cost synergies include leveraging fixed costs across more business or cutting costs duplicated in both firms’ operations. Revenue side synergies include selling a broader range of products through the existing sales force or distribution channel. 

The synergies created by the merger or acquisition must be greater than the premium that must be paid to secure the deal in order for the transaction to make sense.

Integration

Mergers and acquisitions are large and complicated transactions. They require  integrating  the talent, systems, policies, and processes of the 2 organizations. Synergies that look good on PowerPoint slides do not always accrue in real life. In addition, key employees may quit during the disruption and uncertainty the M&A activity causes. Even if substantial synergies are identified, a company should consider whether it can successfully undertake the integration.

Regulatory Approval

Lastly, mergers of large companies in regulated markets (financial services, telecommunications) and concentrated markets (ones with only a few large competitors) can require government approval . The possibility of the government blocking the merger or acquisition should be considered in this type of case.

Cost Optimization

A top-3 home improvement retailer has seen price increases from several of its vendors, squeezing its bottom line. The company wants to know how it can cut costs to restore its margins to their previous levels.

The head of an automobile manufacturer has seen its production costs rise over the last several years. She wants your help in turning around this trend.

The most important thing to understand when addressing this type of case is what is going on with fixed costs and variable costs . The costs can be broken down and compared to competitors’ costs or costs in prior years to identify opportunities for improvement.

As a reminder, here are the definitions of fixed and variable costs:

Fixed Costs

Costs that you incur just because you are in business regardless of how many units you sell. Examples: factory rent, equipment depreciation, compensation for salaried employees, and property taxes. A way to think about fixed costs is that a cost that does not change over the short-term, even if a business experiences increases or decreases in its sales volume.

Variable Costs

Costs that only incur when you begin to produce units (if you sell nothing you have no variable costs). Examples: sales commissions, credit card transaction costs, and sales taxes. A way to think about variable costs is that a cost that does change over the short-term. More sales volume will mean more variable costs.

Startup / Early-Stage Venture

Startup and early-stage venture cases have some similarities to market entry cases. 

Ensuring that the market the company is going after is big enough and has high enough margins to be attractive is important, as is understanding their competition. 

Startups are small, nimble companies with only a handful of key employees and limited access to cash. These factors need to be taken into account.

A student from Iceland studying in the U.S. has determined there’s a big opportunity to bring Icelandic-style yogurt to this market. How would you recommend he proceed?

A software company has developed video technology that can be used to quickly and easily create short videos that can be sent to a colleague in place of typing a long email. This disruptive technology will take advantage of the cameras built into cell phones and laptops as well as consumers’ preference for watching a video rather than reading text. The company has a small number of beta customers and is looking for advice on how to ramp up their product to attract a wider audience.

When answering this type of case, focus on the key things that help these small, fast-growth ventures move with agility as they search for the product and business model that will attract customers and investors. 

The Right People

They need the right people —ones with product savvy, marketing savvy and investor savvy to make it. 

A Minimum Viable Product

They need a minimum viable product . This is an initial version of their product offering that will attract paying customers, allowing them earn money and to collect feedback that can be used to improve the product. It will also serve as a proof-of-concept to investors. 

A Business Plan

Start-up and early stage venture also need an initial business plan addressing how they will bring their product to market.

Non-Profitability Cases

Some might focus on charitable organization. Others might focus on businesses issues that don’t relate directly to profits, such as employee retention or understanding the competitive dynamics in an industry. 

An overview of how to approach non-profitability cases is found on this page .

This section focuses on key concepts to address in a few common types of non-profitability cases.

Lives Affected

Government agencies and charitable organizations don’t aim to maximize profits. Nonetheless, they do important work that affects many lives. 

They might hire a consulting company to help them improve their effectiveness, or a consulting firm might take on an important project for a charitable organization on a pro-bono basis. 

The state agency that administers the free summer lunch program for children of families under a certain income threshold wants to increase the reach of its program. How would you advise they approach this? 

Malaria is a devastating disease, affecting hundreds of millions of individuals each year. It’s transferred to humans by mosquitoes, with most of the cases occurring in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. Though drugs to treat the disease exist, many in the affected regions don’t have access to or can’t afford these drugs. The disease is a strain on the economies of several nations, perpetuating the cycle of poverty. What can be done to alleviate this disease and its adverse economic effects?

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

A detailed example of how to approach a lives affected case is provided  here .  As discussed in that case, the key to answering this type of question is to find the key performance indicator (KPI) the organization is trying to improve. In the case of the first sample question above, this is the number of free lunches served to needy children. 

Benchmarking

Once you’ve established the KPI, the case can be answered in the same way you’d answer any case question on business improvement. You can benchmark the organization’s performance by looking at trends in the KPI over time or comparing the growth of the organization’s KPI to that of other organizations serving the same target population to assess whether the agency is doing a good job meeting their mandate or falling behind. If they are falling behind, drill down into the factors that might be causing them to do so.

Cases focused on employee retention are not directly about profits, though the loss of key skills when employees depart and the cost of training new hires require hurts the profitability of organizations with high turnover. 

A fast-food chain is experiencing an increase in the already-high rate of employee turnover typical in its industry. It’s also experiencing trouble attracting qualified new employees. What would you suggest?

The school system in a middle-class suburban town is experiencing higher-than-normal rates of teacher attrition. With a tight budget, they are unable to simply raise salaries to hold onto experienced teachers. What options does the school system have for increasing teacher retention?

Conducting retention interviews —interviews with departing employees to find out why they’re leaving the organization—is a standard practice in most organizations. Because of this, there should be data available on what employees like about their jobs, don’t like about their jobs, why they looked for new opportunities and what new job they’re taking. Ask your interviewer for this information, as well as survey data on the job satisfaction of all employees. It can be used to develop a multi-pronged approach to improving employee retention.

• Look for opportunities to enhance aspects of the job that appeal to employees and change the negative aspects of working for the organization. For instance: What about the job is appealing? 
• Do employees see the work of the organization positively impacting the broader community? 
• Do employees like their colleagues, recognition they receive from management, the financial package provided? 

Industry Landscape and Competitive Dynamics

Cases focused on the landscape of an industry and its competitive dynamics are about the big-picture strategic issues that must be taken into account to compete effectively in that industry.

The traditional newspaper industry is facing heavy pressure from free online news organizations that don’t face the cost of printing a traditional newspaper and are able to leverage Internet ads as a source of revenue. The publisher of an award-winning regional paper would like your help in assessing and responding to this new threat.

The food and beverage industry faces disruption to their traditional brands as organic and small-batch products gain favor with consumers. How should companies in this industry respond to this new of competitive threat?

When analyzing this kind of case, first look for what is changing in the industry —consumer preferences, brand loyalty, barriers to entering the market, regulation, the industry’s cost structure, etc. Ensure you know what the source of change is before you begin to look for a strategy to help the client succeed in the new marketplace. 

For tips on structuring a case like these, visit the  Business Frameworks page . SWOT analysis and other frameworks include some factors to consider in this type of consulting case interview question.

Market Sizing Questions (Also Called Dinner Conversation Cases)

Market sizing cases are focused on establishing the size of a market in terms of annual revenue or the number of units sold rather than determining how to compete successfully in the market. 

Consulting firms often ask market sizing questions early in the consulting interview process or in interviews of undergraduate students who may not have a deep business background. 

They can also be one component of complicated, multi-step cases in later-round interviews. Market sizing questions focus on making logical estimates, showing creativity, and doing basic math.  

What is the size of the market for organic toothpaste in the United States?

How many golf balls would fit inside the Empire State building?

What Are Consulting Interviewers Looking for on Market Sizing Cases?

With case interview questions of this type, you’re not expected to know the answer, but instead to show a logical way of deducing it. Committing a few key facts to memory would serve you well. For example, knowing the population of the United States (or the country you live in) would give you a good place to start as you think through the size of the market for various retail goods. Gross domestic product can help with sizing industrial markets.

Key Statistics to Know for Market Sizing Case Questions:

The Population of the United States 2019 – 329 million according to the US Census Bureau .

World population in 2015 – 7.4 billion according to the United Nations DESA / Populations Division .

2018 Gross Domestic Product of the United States – $20.5 trillion according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the U.S. Department of Commerce .

Statistics like these give you a good foundation to start your market size analysis. For instance, you could begin estimating the size of the U.S. market for organic toothpaste with the US population. From there, make logical assumptions:

• How many times a day does the average American brushes their teeth?
• How many toothpaste applications are in the average tube of toothpaste?
• How much does the average tube of toothpaste cost?

These assumptions will allow you to calculate the size of the overall toothpaste market in terms of annual revenue. To get to the annual revenue of organic toothpaste you’ll also need to estimate:

• What portion of toothpaste consumers prefers organic toothpaste?

You can (and should) bring paper and a pen into consulting interviews. Use these to keep track of your assumptions as you work through them and to do the basic math required to come to a conclusion.

 Our Market Sizing Questions article has a list of the 7 steps to answering this type of question.

Key Things to Remember When Answering a Market Sizing Question:

• Ask clarifying questions. Does the interviewer want the market size in terms of dollars or units? For the United States, North America, the world?
• Use round numbers for simplicity. For instance, using $20 trillion for U.S. GDP rather than $20.5 would be fine.
• Creativity in your approach to approximating the market is important, but so is good sense. Don’t be so creative that your answer lacks credibility.
• Practice case math so you can do it quickly and correctly even under the stress of an interview.
• Give your answer a sniff-test at the end. Does it make sense? This will both show that you are careful in your analysis and give you the chance to fix an arithmetic mistake if you find you’re way off. 

Case Interview Math (also known as consulting math)

Management consulting interviewers screen candidates to ensure that they can do basic math. 

Don’t worry if you didn’t ace multivariate calculus, the math is usually basic arithmetic—addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and fractions/percentages. You may also be asked to extract data from charts and convert from one unit of measure to another.

As mentioned in the discussion of market-sizing case questions above, you can and should bring a paper and pen into the interview. It’s fine to write out your calculations.

Consulting Math Example

In each step, we’ll provide a sense of how we are making the estimate so that the interviewer knows we’re not just grabbing a number out of the air. We want our answer to be as grounded in fact as possible. 

The population of the United States: 329 million. We’ll round to 330 million for simplicity.

The number of times the average American brushes their teeth – 2 times per day. Some people brush at lunchtime too, but that’s probably offset by people who only brush once a day.

330 million people brushing 2x’s per day gives us 660 million toothpaste applications/day.

To get to an annual number of toothpaste applications, we need to multiply by 365. That’s 241 billion toothpaste applications. We’ll round to 240 billion for simplicity.

A tube of toothpaste usually lasts me about 2 months. That means we need to divide by 120 toothpaste applications per tube to come up with the number of tubes sold annually (2 months x 30 days/month x 2 applications/day). 240 billion toothpaste applications / 120 applications per tube = 2 billion tubes of toothpaste sold in the U.S. every year.

The cost of toothpaste ranges from $1 for inexpensive brands to $4 for expensive brands, but the average cost is probably about $2. This means the total revenue for toothpaste sold in the U.S. is 2 billion tubes x $2 or $4 billion.

The percent of the toothpaste market that’s organic is a little tricky to estimate. In the grocery store I shop in, there’s 1 aisle of organic goods in a store that has 20 aisles – that means organic products make up 5% of shelf space (and presumably also of sales). 

I think that people would be less likely to buy organic toothpaste than organic food, because you eat organic food, but you spit organic toothpaste out into the sink. Organic products always cost more and organic toothpaste doesn’t seem quite as important to your health. 

Conclusion: Based on that, I’ll say that 1% of the market for toothpaste is organic, so if $4 billion in toothpaste is sold in the U.S. every year, $40 million of it is organic toothpaste.

Is our answer right? 

Probably not exactly. There are different sizes of toothpaste tubes, a complication that we did not consider in this analysis. There might be some people who don’t brush their teeth every day. That would mean that we overestimated consumption. 

But our estimate of the market size for organic toothpaste is reasonable and grounded in logical assumptions. We could sniff-test our answer by comparing it to a market size we know, or to GDP, one of the facts we suggested having in your back pocket for market sizing case questions. 

U.S. GDP was about $20 trillion in 2018. Our estimations suggest that the overall toothpaste market is $4 billion. That means toothpaste is 1/5,000 of the U.S. economy, and the market for organic toothpaste is 1% of that. 

That sounds plausible. If your answer showed that the market for organic toothpaste was larger than U.S. GDP, it would be a clear indication that you made a mistake somewhere along the way.

For the 4 types of math problems you’ll be asked to compute as part of case studies, read Case Interview Math.

Above, we’ve provided you with 11 different types of case interview questions you might be asked during your consulting interviews. We’ve also told you that you need to get great at doing case math. 

Overwhelming? It can be.

But it doesn’t have to be.

The best way to prepare for your consulting case interviews is NOT to spend hundreds of hours reading every case study question and answer you can get your hands on. Instead, see our page on Case Interview Practice  to find out how to make the most of your interview prep time. In addition, check out this video where Davis Nguyen, Founder of My Consulting Offer, talks about how mastering the case interview is made easier when you focus on the most common types of cases. 

Here in an online workshop he conducted for  Columbia University, NYU, and Cornell students, you can see why this approach is so effective:

After studying the information on this page, you have an in-depth understanding of the types of cases you could be asked to analyze in consulting interviews. From Davis’s video, you know why this is so important to focus on the main types of cases. You’re well prepared to find a case study practice partner and begin practicing.

As you prepare for case interviews, you should use this page in conjunction with  Case Interview Examples , where you’ll find links to sample case study questions and their answers. Remember that while it is important to discuss all the appropriate aspects of a business case, it’s important to structure your analysis and your answer. Refer back to our page on  Case Interview Frameworks   to ensure that you’re not just practicing more cases, but doing them better.

If you still have questions, leave them in the comments below. We’ll ask our My Consulting Offer coaches and get back to you with answers.

• Market Sizing Questions
• Cost Reduction Case Interview
• Case Interview Workshop Video
• Written Case Interviews
• Market Sizing Cases
• M&A Case Study
• Revenue Growth Case Interview
• Pricing Case Interview
• Financial Services Cases
• The Healthcare Consulting Case Interview
• Supply Chain Cases
• The Social Impact Case Interview
• Case Interview Formulas

Thanks for turning to My Consulting Offer for advice on case study interview prep. My Consulting Offer has helped almost 89.6% of the people we’ve worked with get a job in management consulting.  For example, here is how Thomas was able to get a BCG offer with just a short time to prepare..

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Back to Black: How to Combat a Decline in Sales

Learn how to handle a business downturn with these strategies.

Table of Contents

Marble Slab Creamery has been in business for 40 years and has locations in more than 15 countries worldwide. To reach this level of success, it had to learn how to adapt at the first sign of trouble.

One such instance occurred a few years ago. For roughly five years, Marble Slab Creamery experienced a significant sales decline. The company knew it had to do something to increase business sales . The strategies it implemented are helpful for any business experiencing a downturn. 

However, before we look at those strategies, let’s examine why your business’s sales may decline.

Reasons for a decline in sales

Several forces can conspire to weaken a company’s sales. Here are a few examples.

Sales team issues

Sales team missteps can harm your company’s bottom line, including hiring the wrong sales associates, failing to provide them with training opportunities, and providing poor compensation or incentive packages. When building a sales team , hiring the right people can make or break your business.

Conducting a sales audit is a way to identify sales and marketing weaknesses because it reviews sales team member’s contributions.  

“The actual work completed by the sales team is crucial to your sales audit,” said Amit Vyas, CEO of Nexa. “This information needs to detail the interactions between the sales team and the marketing department, as well as the prospective customers.”

Senior-level or brand missteps

Hourly or salaried employees aren’t the only causes of sales trouble. Darren Nix, founder of Steadily Landlord Insurance, says a sudden threat to a company’s reputation or a prominent company figure’s reputation can lead to a sales decline. These reputation hits could come from an executive’s heinous actions or society’s recognition of culturally insensitive branding. This occurred when Uncle Ben’s, a rice company, came under fire for racial stereotyping in its name and logo. 

“Many shoppers care about what their spending represents, and that will only continue to trend upwards,” Nix said.

Lackluster reporting

Sales reports are critical tools that help management understand a business’s fiscal health and profit trends. When your reporting is lacking, your data may not yield critical insights. Vyas said that with deeper and more enhanced reporting tools, such as what you’ll get with customer relationship management (CRM) software reports, you’ll have more valuable insights and data. 

“The tools used for tracking need to effectively capture information and be updated,” Vyas said. “This is where having robust analytical software, often included with CRMs, can be helpful.”

Seasonality

Reduced interest in your products or services due to seasonality is another possible reason for a sales decline. Ryan Craver, CEO and co-founder of Mallary by Matthew, says that all companies are prone to seasonality – whether it’s a clothing company suffering through the ebbs and flows of the retail calendar or a pool chemicals company with an inherent high and low season.

When you’re suffering from a seasonal sales decline, it’s best to focus on what you can sell. “The best one can do is push products that are seasonally appropriate while simultaneously marketing any and all products that are season-agnostic,” Craver said.

Poor customer service

Subpar customer service is one of the most common reasons for a sales decline. Customers don’t want to shop at places where they don’t feel welcome or deal with rude employees. 

“Customer service is key to providing an excellent customer experience, which directly affects sales,” said Alex Mastin, founder and CEO of Home Grounds. “If a company experiences a poor Customer Effort Score and a poor Net Promoter Score, sales are likely to make a steady decline as satisfaction depletes.”

This combination of low sales and an indifferent sales staff can create a vicious cycle: Lower revenues prompt a business to cut down on staff training, thus alienating even more customers and further impacting the bottom line. 

How to combat declining sales

Many companies have found themselves in a predicament where sales are declining, especially after a recession. These are three ways to combat a sales decline, no matter what circumstances you’re experiencing.

1. Improve your customer service.

No matter what your business is facing, improving customer service is key to boosting sales. For example, to increase sales, Marble Slab Creamery set its sights on becoming better than the competition by improving the overall customer experience and boosting customer loyalty .

In his book The Thank You Economy , Gary Vaynerchuk explains how to adopt a company culture that genuinely values the customer. “You have to be no less than a customer concierge, doing everything you can to make every one of your customers feel acknowledged, appreciated and heard. You have to make them feel special, just like when your great-grandmother walked into Butcher Bob’s shop or bought her new hat, and you need to make people who aren’t your customers wish they were.”

A lot goes into ensuring customers have the best possible experience. Employee satisfaction is big, but proper training and appropriate compensation contribute to a team of employees who genuinely want to present the best possible experience for their clients. 

2. Increase the value, not the price.

Another way to combat declining sales is to consider how your product pricing can bring more value to the customer. This may initially sound absurd, but Marble Slab Creamery swears by it.

Like many other ice cream shops, Marble Slab Creamery previously weighed each customer’s ice cream to determine the price. The more toppings a customer added to their ice cream, the more it weighed and the more it cost. Because of this method, customers added fewer toppings because they didn’t want to spend more money, ultimately leaving them slightly disappointed with their purchase.

To provide more value to the customer through pricing, the creamery introduced an unlimited mix-ins campaign. Instead of paying more for the weight of each topping, customers paid only a flat rate based on the ice cream cup’s size. Customers could get all the toppings they wanted without worrying about the price, leaving them more satisfied than ever with their purchase.

After successfully restructuring prices, Marble Slab Creamery decided to go a step further and provide even more perceived value. Instead of charging customers more if they wanted their ice cream in a waffle cone, the creamery offered free, fresh-baked waffle cones as part of their purchase. 

3. Refocus your advertising strategy.

Another adjustment Marble Slab Creamery made was to focus advertisements on how its ice cream is homemade in every store, using only premium ingredients. While higher-quality ice cream was always part of the company’s business plan, many customers had no idea the ice cream was freshly made right in the store. 

By focusing ads on the product’s homemade aspect, customers realized they were getting a much higher-quality ice cream than competitors offered.

4. Invest in sales training.

Your employees may know your product, but do they understand how to sell it? If your onboard training needs improvement, consider returning to the basics of building a sales process . 

Look at your company mission and what processes help you stand out. While you focus on training new employees, don’t forget your veterans. Otherwise, your tried-and-true employees might rush through the sales process and not give customers the best experience possible.

If you are still experiencing a sales slump after revised training, you should boost morale. While motivation is essential to increasing sales, automating tasks and investing in new technology can remove repetitive tasks that cause your team burnout.

5. Analyze your competitors.

When you think about your competitors, ask yourself the following questions:

• Do your competitors have a superior product or service?
• Is your pricing too high (or too low)?
• Do you have enough data and insight into your target audience?
• Could your purchasing process be more streamlined?

While doing an internal analysis is wise, remember the advantage of considering the competition . You will likely have direct, indirect and future competition. Taking note of what works for your competitors and what does not can help you trim your marketing budget, understand your unique business characteristics and retain valued employees.

Building a relationship with indirect competitors offers a group of mentors when times get tough. Meet regularly to “check-in,” talk about your pinch points and celebrate your successes.

Can your business reverse a sales decline?

While the strategies listed here may sound great in theory, you may wonder whether they’d work in the real world. For Marble Slab Creamery, these methods were successful. After two years of implementing these improvements, Marble Slab experienced a 5.8 percent increase in same-store sales, a 4 percent increase in transactions and a 9.8 percent increase in average unit volumes.

Your business could also see improvements by implementing similar measures. Ask yourself these questions:

• Can you bring more value to your customers by restructuring prices?
• Can you offer a free product to increase the perceived value of your product?
• Is there an aspect of your product that is being overlooked and needs to be advertised?
• How can you improve a customer’s experience and beat your competition?

A sales dip doesn’t have to be a dire experience for your business. Adapt by properly training employees, adding value to your products or services, and restrategizing your marketing efforts.

Julie Thompson contributed t0 this article. Source interviews were conducted for a previous version of this article.

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Selling After the Crisis

• Frank V. Cespedes

Like perishable goods in grocery stores, sales models have a sell-by date. As product standards evolve and new entrants emerge, buyers have more choices and demand more in terms of quality and performance across vendors. Firms that fail to adjust to changing customer expectations lose advantage. Building and maintaining a relevant sales model—that is understood by everyone from executives in the C-suite to sales reps in the field—is the most important way that companies respond to market changes. As firms emerge from the pandemic crisis, they should take a fresh look at their sales models. This includes revamping customer selection criteria, increasing clarity about the customer buying process, and making more effective use of selling metrics.

The complete Spotlight package is available in a single reprint.

Senior executives must understand how dramatically the process needs to change.

The pandemic and resulting recession have brought cascading business bankruptcies, higher debt loads, tighter budgets, and more-prolonged purchasing decisions for the foreseeable future. In recovering from the crisis, the effectiveness of sales efforts will be of strategic importance for companies. Yet many senior leaders are out of touch with the activities of customer-facing colleagues and don’t recognize that their sales models are badly in need of updating.

• Frank V. Cespedes is a senior lecturer at Harvard Business School and the author of Sales Management That Works: How to Sell in a World That Never Stops Changing (Harvard Business Review Press, 2021).

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Diagnosing Sales Decline for a Well-known Apparel Store

• A store of a well-known apparel brand was located at the periphery of a well-known town.
• The store was witnessing declining sales for quite sometime and wanted to diagnose the reasons for the same.

Finding Facts:

• Wanted to understand the reasons for declining sales.
• Wanted to figure different segments coming to the store.
• Wanted to understand the impact of competition environment.

Solution Implemented:

• Reasons for the declining sales basis location, assortment, brand perceptions, promotions, service & consumer cohorts.
• An understanding of the shopper at the store : attitude and behavior; 5Ws and 5Hs.
• Reasons for the loyalists to stick & reasons for the lapsers to move out.
• Existing consumer segments for the store & their respective segment sizes.
• Basis an understanding for declining sales client could develop a strategy to arrest sales.
• Basis the segmentation, client could develop a product mix for different segments.

Usage & Attitude Study for a Brand Wishing to Enter Indian Market

User experience study for cooktop & chimney, more case studies.

TESTING OF A NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT – MOBILE PAYMENT APPLICATION WHICH WOULD FUNCTIONS IN A NON CONNECTED ENVIRONMENT.

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Cracking the Sales Code: Lessons from 8 Sales Case Studies

Note: Some of the recommended resources (tools, vendors, books) may include affiliate links. I only promote solutions I use myself or businesses I support personally.

While HubSpot’s sales report shows a decent close rate of 29%, the lower win rate of 21% suggests inefficiencies. This gap indicates that unqualified leads are likely slipping through the cracks, requiring a closer look at lead qualification and potentially a sales process refinement to improve conversion rates.

Challenges in selling may have many reasons:

• Selling has become more challenging with the changes in consumer behavior.
• Salespeople’s selling techniques are not as effective anymore as they were years ago.
• The supply of products and/or services offered has saturated the market
• The sales distribution has spread thinly among individual salespeople.

The journey from prospect to conversion is a maze of challenges, and within these challenges lie the keys to mastering the art of sales. 

To address these challenges and others, sales case studies offer valuable insights. Let’s delve into eight specific sales scenarios—selling something readily available for free, navigating crowded markets, approaching small and medium businesses with high-value solutions, tackling overseas sales, engaging with informed consumers, navigating long sales cycles, introducing emerging technologies, and overcoming price objections.

Each case study offers valuable lessons to be learned and applied to improve your sales strategy. The book, “ Built to Sell Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Built to Sell: Creating a Business That Can Thrive Without You ” provides essential guidance on transforming a business into a sellable asset by focusing on scalability and systematization. Integrating insights from this book into sales case studies offers valuable perspectives on how strategic planning and operational efficiency can lead to sustainable growth and increased valuation for businesses.

Now, in this exploration of sales case studies, let us delve into the dynamic process of sales and let us discuss challenging sales case studies and how to deal with them.

1. Selling Freemium Solutions Some products that are being sold have some free alternatives that people can get to. Examples include paid content and their free content alternative, CRMs, project management tools, and others. However, some businesses can sell these products and make good business out of it. Charging for something that could be obtained for free is feasible. That’s why services and products vary immensely – from smartphones to finding a carpenter or looking for apartments in the same area. So, how do you sell something that people could get for free? Let’s take the case of selling a Bottled Water. In a world where water is freely available, selling bottled water faced the challenge of convincing consumers to pay for something they could obtain at no cost. First, you need to identify the alternative options and how it presents an opportunity for your product. Let’s review what the options are if you want to gather water for free. Roughly speaking, you can either drink tap water or go to the nearest mountain or lake with seemingly good water. Tap water is known to contain certain chemicals like chlorine and aluminum sulfate. Pesticides and herbicides can also be found in some tests of tap water. This could cause asthma or different forms of skin damage, along with weakening the cells and a number of known and unknown problems (that add up with time). It’s dependent on the region, your neighborhood, the building, and the pipe installation in your home. Filtering is not a top priority for many since tap water wasn’t meant to be consumed orally in the first place. Some safety mechanisms are in place, but that’s not nearly enough. Plus, if you visit relatives or friends, there’s no way you can test the water upfront (every time). Spring water is somewhat clean as it’s being filtered through rocks. That said, you can’t rely on the structure of the water in different pools or rivers as it depends on different factors – like the flora or fauna living there, how far the stream is from the source, and the like (there are studies out there that explain everything more scientifically). You also need to determine what makes your product better. This will help convince people to pay a premium. Showcase the unique value proposition, emphasizing standards, safety, and convenience. The Bottled Water Case Study unveils the mastery of transforming a freely available resource into a premium, standardized product. Standards and Safety: Bottled water positioned itself as a safer, standardized alternative to tap water. Compliance with government regulations and quality standards reassured consumers about the purity and safety of the product. Convenience: The convenience of having access to clean water on the go became a significant selling point. Bottled water addressed the inconvenience and potential health risks associated with alternative sources, emphasizing the ease of carrying, accessibility, and reliability. Environmental Factors: Some brands further elevated value by promoting eco-friendly practices, contributing to the sustainability narrative. This additional layer of value appealed to environmentally conscious consumers. The Bottled Water Case Study demonstrates that by strategically emphasizing standards, safety, and convenience, a product can be transformed from a freely available resource into a premium solution with perceived value. All things considered, there are good reasons why bottled water is priced when people can obtain it for free. The filtering process is different and is standardized across brands. It’s more widely available than public sources (except for tap water), and it’s easier to carry small bottles whenever needed. Other goods, resources, tools, or services follow a similar process. Professional vendors invest in different activities to improve the quality of a product or a service – leading to higher demand and an actual business model. Free products and services always come with limitations – a premium provider can invest in customer support, the convenience of delivery, or anything else that is of value to the buyer. To sum it up, identify pressing problems that free alternatives face (in this case, lack of standardization and possible health risks) and turn the narrative in your favor. 2. Selling Products With Too Many Competitors

Is your business one of the many vendors selling different flavors of the same product (or in a niche with many competitors)?

This is where storytelling comes into play. People need solutions to problems in their specific industries.

Storytelling allows for putting those features to work by defining practical scenarios. Each business is unique in a way – there is a company mission, and there are business goals. And the company culture.

There’s a backstory to starting the business and an ideal subset of problems that are uniquely solved by a solution.

Stand out through storytelling. Examine the strategies of iconic brands like Nike and McDonald’s. Learn how they leveraged storytelling to create a unique identity and connect with their audience.

What Makes You Different?

If you are entering a saturated market, the question is: what makes you different?

There are tons of supermarkets, design agencies, and dentist offices. Yet, each one of them profiles in something unique or has some vibe attuned to the energy of their ideal audience.

• Nike sells sports equipment. But aside from the notorious “Just do it”, they’ve positioned themselves with multiple influencer-baked stories through athletes like Michael Jordan, Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, and lots of football players.
• McDonald’s spent $2.3 million in 1967 for a national advertising campaign, building a solid brand, pioneering outstanding customer service, and innovating in the “Happy Meals” department. Since then, they’ve created hundreds of incredible campaigns, including “love story” journeys with marriage proposals in their stores, responses to international events, and pivots in takeaway products (among others).

Businesses operate in different manners and follow various business processes . Some focus on quality, others – on price.

Each market has value for a specific audience. To build the bond between your business and your market, you need a story that serves as the bridge between you and your customers.

The mastery of storytelling by Nike and McDonald’s highlights the power of creating a unique brand narrative. By going beyond features and connecting emotionally with consumers, these brands established themselves as leaders in saturated markets.

3. Selling High-Value Solutions to SMEs

Selling high-value solutions to SMEs involves addressing specific challenges faced by smaller businesses that may not have the resources of larger enterprises.

The thing is, most small and medium business owners provide services or products that are not completely digital. Those that sell online goods and services would do fine through on-site and online sales and marketing .

Most “outstanding” solutions fall into one of the following categories:

• Those that would bring a ton of new customers to a business.
• Solutions that depend on someone who will manage the process, configure parameters, and talk to support staff to leverage the solution (after the onboarding/training process).
• Automation tools that will simplify the process (and possibly grow the traffic or bring new leads).
• Software that promises everything but won’t commit to a “money-back guarantee” if something goes wrong.

If I receive a hard offer for something that would yield a good multiplier on an annual basis and I’m 100% confident that this would work, I’ll pay the right amount. But that’s never the case.

For instance, if your software truly promises 3x growth of the business in a year, a company may not be able to cope with hiring and training in order to accommodate that growth.

And some businesses do prefer to stay small. Not every company aims to be the next Facebook or Airbnb.

Other tools depend on team members who are heavily involved in operations, maintenance, and adherence to a process. A business may be unable to allocate the resources required for the job. A small team only employs so many decision-makers and managers capable of allocating a good chunk of their time to something new that may or may not work.

Categorize solutions and tailor offerings to bring new customers, simplify processes, or promise growth. Understand the nuances of guaranteeing ROI and the importance of building a convincing case.

• Customer Acquisition Solutions: Tailor solutions that attract new customers to help SMEs expand their client base.
• Process Simplification Tools: Develop solutions that streamline processes, ensuring efficiency and ease of operation for SMEs.
• Growth-Promising Software: Offer tools that promise growth, providing SMEs with the means to scale their operations.
• Building a Convincing Case: Understand that SMEs often need reassurance about the return on investment. Build a compelling case by showcasing success stories, emphasizing long-term benefits, and offering flexible payment plans.

Successfully delivering high-value solutions to SMEs requires a nuanced understanding of their needs. By categorizing solutions and addressing specific pain points, businesses can establish trust and demonstrate the tangible benefits of their offerings.

All in all, if you build the right case and warm up a lead enough, you may be able to close a (new) client with the right proposition. 

4. Selling Overseas

Expanding sales overseas involves navigating diverse markets, understanding cultural nuances, and overcoming logistical challenges inherent in international business.

Navigate international waters through a mix of digital marketing, local hires, social media, and strategic partnerships.

• Digital Marketing Abroad: Leverage digital marketing strategies tailored to specific international markets. This includes localized content, targeted advertising, and SEO optimized for regional preferences.
• Local Hires for Market Insight: Employ local sales representatives who understand the cultural, economic, and business landscapes. Their insights can guide effective market penetration and relationship building.
• Social Media Engagement: Utilize social media platforms to engage with international audiences. Create content that resonates with diverse cultures and encourages dialogue with potential clients.
• Strategic Partnerships: Form strategic partnerships with local businesses. Collaborations can provide access to established networks, facilitate smoother operations, and enhance credibility in the target market.

There are plenty of ways – some traditional, others – creative.

Are you selling services or products, digital or physical, B2B or B2C?

Do you target a single country or worldwide?

What are the demographics of your target audience?

What techniques do competitors use for selling?

For B2C sales (less expensive digital products/services), digital marketing and advertising work well. 

Here’s what else you need to consider as a set of strategies for multinational sales penetration.

• Influencer marketing is a good investment, albeit long-term (it takes a while to work with multiple influencers on targeted campaigns).
• Hiring a local salesperson in each area is also a great idea. Selling more expensive products in a specific country (say, the US) may justify hiring a local salesperson there. Attending conferences, trade shows, meetups – and meeting prospects locally.
• Social media works in all cases, along with a well-maintained blog. The latter takes a while and is contingent on your content strategy and keyword research.
• Personal branding online could help you land podcast appearances and other interviews. Being able to position yourself in the right media outlets (that your prospects read) may yield good results.
• Consider partnerships, too. This is extremely valuable if you team up with a business managing a portfolio of “ideal” clients providing other services (complementing yours).

Triumph in international sales requires a multifaceted approach. By combining digital marketing, local expertise, social media engagement, and strategic partnerships, businesses can overcome the complexities of global markets and achieve success beyond borders.

5. Selling to “Informed” Consumers

In the age of information, consumers are more informed than ever before. They research products, read reviews, and compare options before purchasing. This shift in consumer behavior poses a unique challenge for sales professionals—how to engage and persuade individuals who already possess a wealth of information about the products or services they seek.

Adapt to the evolving consumer landscape by focusing on informed selling. Understand the preferences, knowledge, and expectations of modern consumers to tailor your approach.

Selling electric vehicles (EVs) in a market where consumers are becoming more informed about environmental issues and sustainable living was no easy feat for Tesla. But, Tesla strategically positioned its electric vehicles as not just cars but as a sustainable lifestyle choice. The company leveraged the increasing environmental awareness among consumers, emphasizing the benefits of EVs for reducing carbon footprints. 

Elon Musk’s transparent communication and updates on Tesla’s advancements in battery technology and autonomous driving also contributed to winning over the informed consumer. 

Acknowledge and respect the knowledge consumers bring to the table. Here’s how you can do it:

• Embrace Transparency and Honesty: Be transparent about your product or service, providing comprehensive information that complements the consumer’s understanding. Consequently, you build trust by being honest about your offerings. If a product has limitations or certain conditions, communicate them openly. Consumers appreciate authenticity.
• Tailor Your Pitch: Recognize that informed consumers seek personalized experiences. Tailor your sales pitch to address their specific needs and concerns. Showcase how your offering aligns with their individual preferences.
• Become an Advisor: Position yourself as an advisor rather than just a seller. Offer valuable insights, additional information, and industry knowledge. By adding value, you position your brand as a trusted resource.
• Leverage Digital Platforms: Meet informed consumers where they are – online. Utilize digital platforms, social media, and informative content to engage with your audience. Share educational content that goes beyond the basic product features.
• Understand Their Requirements: Practice active listening. Understand the specific requirements of the consumer, and align your pitch with what matters most to them. This demonstrates that you value their individual needs.
• Incorporate Consumer Feedback: Showcase that you value consumer opinions. Integrate feedback into your sales approach. Highlight improvements made based on customer input, demonstrating a commitment to continuous enhancement.
• Stay Up To Date: The consumer landscape evolves rapidly. Stay current with industry trends, consumer preferences, and emerging technologies. An adaptable sales approach ensures you resonate with the ever-changing informed consumer.

Adapting to the informed consumer landscape is not about circumventing their knowledge but aligning your strategies to complement it. 

Understanding their preferences, acknowledging their expertise, and offering a personalized and value-driven approach can help you navigate the challenges of selling to a well-informed audience with finesse.

6. Selling Over Long Sales Cycles

Extended sales cycles can test the endurance of sales professionals. Today, the B2B purchasing process involves an average of seven decision-makers. Navigating through intricate decision-making processes, especially in industries with long buying cycles, requires a strategic and patient approach.

Cultivate patience and resilience. Learn effective strategies to nurture leads, build relationships, and stay top-of-mind during extended decision-making processes.

Here’s how you can go about it:

• Long-Term Relationship Focus : Shift the focus from immediate transactions to long-term relationships. Understand that building trust and rapport takes time, especially in industries where decisions are intricate and involve multiple stakeholders.
• Segmented Lead Nurturing : Divide your leads into segments based on their position in the sales funnel. Tailor your communication and engagement strategies according to each segment’s needs. Provide targeted content that addresses specific concerns at each stage.
• Continuous Education : During prolonged sales cycles, prospects may seek deeper insights. Provide educational content that addresses industry challenges, emerging trends, and potential solutions. Position your brand as an authoritative source of valuable information.
• Stay Top-of-Mind : Stay relevant in your niche . Regular, non-intrusive communication is key. Utilize newsletters, informative emails, and personalized updates to stay top-of-mind. Consistency in communication reinforces your commitment and interest in the prospect’s journey.
• Adaptive Approach : Be adaptable in your sales strategies. Understand that client needs and priorities may shift during extended sales cycles. Stay informed about any changes in their organizational goals or challenges, and adjust your approach accordingly.
• CRM Integration : Implement a robust Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to track and manage interactions. Leverage automation to streamline communication and ensure that no prospect falls through the cracks during a lengthy sales cycle.
• Timely and Relevant Follow-Ups : Timely follow-ups are crucial. However, ensure that your follow-ups are not perceived as intrusive. Instead, provide value with each interaction, offering additional insights, case studies, or information that aligns with the prospect’s needs.
• Internal Resilience Training : Equip your sales team with resilience training. Extended sales cycles can be emotionally draining; having a resilient mindset is crucial. Train your team to bounce back from setbacks and remain focused on the long-term goal.
• Proactive Relationship Management : Anticipate potential concerns that may arise during a prolonged sales cycle. Proactively address these concerns, demonstrating your commitment to understanding and overcoming obstacles.

IBM often deals with complex B2B sales cycles, especially in the technology and enterprise solutions sector. The good thing is that IBM understands the need for patience in enterprise-level sales so well that IBM is the seventh largest technology company by revenue and the 49th largest overall as of 2022 and is also one of the world’s largest employers, with over 297,900 employees worldwide in the same year.

The company focuses on relationship-building through continuous communication, providing valuable insights, and showcasing the long-term benefits of their solutions. IBM invests in educational content to guide prospects through the decision-making process, recognizing that major IT decisions take time and careful consideration.

Patience is not just a virtue; it’s a strategic advantage in navigating extended sales cycles. Staying adaptive to changing dynamics positions you for success in industries where patience truly pays off.

7. Selling Emerging Technologies

Challenge: Introducing and selling emerging technologies.

Navigating the uncharted waters of selling emerging technologies presents unique challenges. The market for these products is often undefined, and potential customers may be unfamiliar with the benefits or hesitant to adopt new, unproven solutions.

Embrace the unique challenges of selling cutting-edge products. Explore ways to position your offerings as solutions to emerging needs, targeting early adopters.

When Amazon introduced its voice-controlled virtual assistant, Alexa, it was a relatively new concept in the consumer market.

Amazon strategically targeted early adopters by emphasizing the convenience and futuristic aspects of voice-activated technology. They rolled out frequent updates, continually expanding Alexa’s capabilities, and integrated it with a variety of smart home devices. By positioning Alexa as an innovative solution for smart homes, Amazon effectively captured the early adopter market and set the stage for widespread adoption.

How can you do the same?

• Identify Innovators and Early Adopters: Recognize that early adopters are key players in the technology adoption lifecycle. Understand their characteristics, motivations, and risk tolerance. Tailor your marketing and sales strategies to appeal to this audience.
• Employ Informative Content Marketing: Develop comprehensive content that educates potential customers about the benefits and applications of the emerging technology. Use webinars, case studies, and whitepapers to showcase real-world scenarios and success stories.
• Collaborate with Industry Influencers: Partner with influencers, thought leaders, or industry experts who can vouch for the credibility and potential of your emerging technology. Their endorsement can significantly impact early adopter confidence.
• Offer Pilot Programs: Mitigate the risk for early adopters by offering pilot programs. Allow them to test the technology in a controlled environment, gathering feedback and addressing concerns before a full-scale launch.
• Personalize Messaging: Craft messaging that speaks directly to the pain points and challenges early adopters face. Showcase how your technology provides innovative solutions and addresses their specific needs.
• Iterate Product Development: Adopt an agile approach to product development. Leverage customer feedback to make continuous improvements and updates. Early adopters appreciate the opportunity to influence the direction of a product.
• Establish Thought Leadership: Position your company as a thought leader in the emerging technology space. Publish insights, research, and predictions about industry trends. Build trust by demonstrating your commitment to staying at the forefront of technological advancements.
• Participate in Industry Events: Attend and actively participate in industry events, conferences, and meetups focused on emerging technologies. Networking with potential early adopters provides valuable insights and establishes your presence in the community.
• Highlight Early Success Stories: Showcase success stories of early adopters who have experienced positive outcomes with your technology. Peer testimonials and success narratives can be powerful motivators for others considering adoption.

Effectively selling emerging technologies requires a balance of innovation, education, and strategic partnerships. Remember this to successfully navigate the challenges associated with introducing cutting-edge products to the market

8. Selling Over Price Objections

Price objections are a common hurdle in the sales process. Customers may perceive your product or service as expensive, leading to hesitancy or the exploration of more budget-friendly alternatives.

Entering a market dominated by established razor brands, Dollar Shave Club needed to justify its subscription-based model. Dollar Shave Club addressed price objections by focusing on the convenience and cost-effectiveness of its subscription service. 

The company highlighted the quality of its razors, the simplicity of doorstep delivery, and the overall savings compared to traditional razor purchasing. By providing additional value through a hassle-free experience and high-quality products, Dollar Shave Club successfully attracted customers despite initial price objections.

Highlight the value proposition beyond price. Showcase the long-term benefits, unique features, and additional value your product or service brings to overcome objections.

• Emphasize Comprehensive Value: Clearly communicate the holistic value your product or service provides. Highlight not only the immediate benefits but also the long-term advantages, cost savings, and positive impact on the customer’s business or life.
• Highlight Unique Selling Points: Identify and emphasize the unique features or attributes that differentiate your offering from competitors. Showcase how these distinctive elements contribute to a superior customer experience or enhanced outcomes.
• Provide ROI Demonstrations: Offer concrete demonstrations of the return on investment (ROI) that customers can expect. Use case studies, data analytics, or testimonials to illustrate how your product delivers tangible value that surpasses its cost.
• Create Value-Added Bundles: Package your product or service with complementary offerings to create additional value. Bundling allows you to present a more attractive overall proposition, making the price seem reasonable in comparison to the bundled benefits.
• Introduce Flexible Pricing Models: Explore flexible pricing options, such as tiered plans or subscription models. This allows customers to choose a pricing structure that aligns with their budget while still accessing essential features or services.
• Share Customer Success Stories: Leverage the power of customer testimonials and success stories. Showcase how other customers have overcome initial price concerns and achieved significant value and satisfaction over time.
• Offer Free Trials or Samples: Provide customers with the opportunity to experience your product or service through free trials or samples. Allowing them to test the offering firsthand can alleviate concerns and demonstrate its worth.
• Educational Materials on Value: Develop educational content that specifically focuses on the value derived from your product or service. Highlight the unique attributes that contribute to a positive customer experience or solve critical problems.
• Transparent Pricing Discussions: Be transparent in pricing discussions. Clearly articulate the value proposition and explain how the pricing structure aligns with the benefits and features offered. Open communication builds trust and addresses concerns.

Overcoming price objections involves showcasing the true worth of your product or service. 

But here’s a great tip from Thomas McKinlay, Founder of Ariyh :

When selling premium options or add-ons, use the price difference to your advantage by stating how much more the premium option costs compared to the basic one. For example, instead of showing the full prices ($190 vs $270), highlight the difference ($80 more). This approach makes the premium option feel cheaper and can significantly boost sales.

Effectively communicating comprehensive value, emphasizing unique selling points, and providing tangible evidence of ROI position your offering as a valuable investment rather than a mere expense.

Without a doubt, the sales industry is a dynamic one that requires adaptability, ingenuity, and strategic thinking. Exploring the various sales case studies brings to light the contemporary sales process and have gleaned priceless insights from major players in the field. 

I hope these insights help you as you start your sales journey and provide you the confidence to confidently navigate the difficult sales landscape. With these lessons in hand, you’re well-positioned to succeed in the constantly changing field of salesmanship. Cracking the sales code is a quest that never ends.

Do you struggle with sales and other business challenges ? Head to this sales guide and learn more practical tips and strategies.

My name is Mario Peshev, a global SME Business Advisor running digital businesses for 20 the past years.

Born in Bulgaria, Europe, I gained diverse management experience through my training work across Europe, North America, and the Arab world. With 10,000+ hours in consulting and training for organizations like SAP, VMware, CERN, I’ve dedicated a huge amount of my time to helping hundreds of SMEs growing in different stages of the business lifecycle.

My martech agency DevriX grew past 50 people and ranks as a top 10 WordPress global agency and Growth Blueprint, my advisory firm, has served 400+ SME founders and executives with monthly ongoing strategy sessions.

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Things To Do When Sales Decline for Your Business

In the unpredictable business landscape, experiencing a decline in sales is an inevitable challenge that most companies might face at some point. It’s crucial to approach this situation strategically and proactively with tools related to SEO .

Instead of succumbing to frustration, smart business leaders take this as an opportunity to reevaluate their strategies and implement changes that can not only reverse the decline but also set the company on a path toward sustainable growth.

Why Do Business Sales Decline?

Before thinking about what to do when sales decline, it’s essential to understand the root causes of the current situation. This requires a comprehensive evaluation of sales data, customer trends, and external factors affecting your industry.

The issues could be many. From the decline of a sudden market shift, a change in consumer behavior, or many other reasons. These are some of the most common causes of a sales strategy failing or declining over time:

Poor Customer Service or Support

One of the most common reasons a business’s sales start to decline is because they need to pay more attention to what the customers are asking for. Understanding them and being aware of their needs is vital to ensure success.

Any SEO marketing strategy or planning is only useful if the organization keeps in contact with its client’s requests. Their satisfaction and sugerences must be a priority for any business to stay on top of the market and generate revenue.

Product Offers No Unique Value

In today’s world, many e-commerce provide their services and products to people worldwide. This makes the market very competitive, and sometimes, it takes a lot of work to maintain at the top. It’s all part of competition, and learning from it is necessary to return stronger.

To set a product or service from a company apart from the others, it is necessary to create a value proposition that makes clients no doubt about its quality.

Google Algorithm Changes Could Be Affecting the Sales

Another important cause for many businesses ‘ sales going down isn’t directly caused by them but by Google. Experts estimate that the algorithm of this search engine is updated around 500 or 600 times a year .

While most of these changes are relatively small and do not have an impact, some, like BERT or Passage Ranking, significantly impact all keywords.

Agencies need to pay attention to these core changes in the algorithm to understand the factors being refined or updated. For example, last year, Page Experience officialized Core Web Vitals, page speed, and mobile devices as official ranking factors, completely changing how SEO was done.

Check if Rankings Were Impacted

There are many tools that marketing agencies can use to measure their client’s business decline based on algorithm changes. Semrush, Ahrefs, and Conductor are some of the most renowned ones that allow tracking keyword rankings.

Sometimes, specialists might notice that keywords are dropping their visibility, but this sometimes happens because updates are rolled out over an entire week. After the changes are fully live, sites tend to regain their position. In case this doesn’t happen, actions must be taken.

Determine the Impacted Factors

One of the most common challenges that SEO marketing agencies face is finding and isolating the source, causing sales setbacks. Experts must look closely at every available data to make the wisest decision possible.

With more than 200 ranking factors, Google has many options that could be causing the decline of keyword rankings. Simplifying these areas into a few core zones, such as content, authority, technicals, experience and industry, can save time and make finding it faster.

Improve the Affected Pages

While the most common impact is that some pages get more affected than others, the truth is that every page will follow a declining trend. Depending on the affected factors and algorithm, recovery might require specialists to take a wide approach or a site-by-site recovery.

Marketing agencies often make general link-building efforts to recover some of the lost ground quickly, a fundamental approach to gaining time. Refining the on-page elements is still necessary for content-focused changes, where experts must prioritize the ones with higher conversion and high search volume.

What to Do to Recover from Declining Sales?

After addressing where the sales issue is coming from, marketers must take action and start finding potential solutions to get the business back on track. These are some of the most common methods a team can employ to begin growing sales again:

Start Cutting Expenses

The most common and direct way for any business or organization to combat declining sales and negative profits is to cut expenses. It can help to find unnecessary things that don’t work and get rid of them, as well as organize and improve other areas.

Since raising prices or adding new products will not help increase sales due to lack of visibility, cutting expenses offers a short-term way out.

The important thing is to know where to cut. Many, in the desperation of the moment, cut back on SEO. This big mistake will only bring negative consequences for the company. 

If your company’s sales are down, that is where you should focus your efforts to make your company visible in an organic way. Otherwise, you will lose positioning, which will be very difficult to recover when you want to work on it again. 

Gather Customer Feedback and Take Action

Customers are often another source of information about what’s working and what’s not. Reaching out to them through surveys, feedback forms, or direct conversations to gather insights is very important.

This feedback can shed light on a product or service needing improvement. Marketing agency specialists can also help you address customer concerns to demonstrate your commitment to their satisfaction and identify specific areas to focus on.

Explore New Markets with SEO

Relying heavily on a market can leave a business vulnerable to fluctuations. To change this, hiring a marketing agency to conduct thorough market research to pinpoint potential markets is vital. Agencies search based on demographics, preferences, and needs, gaining a deep understanding of what’s needed.

Keyword research is a foundational step that every expert must take to start exploring new areas. This is done to identify relevant keywords and phrases that a new audience will likely use. Keyword tools gauge search volume and competition for these words, helping to optimize content effectively.

Localization is also crucial. High-quality content that resonates with the new audience is a must. Specialists need to translate or adapt your existing content to match the language and culture of the new market. This ensures that the message is clear and relatable to the new customers.

Employing multilingual SEO can also be of immense help. Hreflang tags can indicate language and regional targeting to search engines. Depending on the situation, experts can use country-specific domain extensions (ccTLDs) , subdirectories, or subdomains to indicate your business targeting clearly.

Evaluate Your Competitors

A competitive analysis of competitors made by specialists from Kala can help to understand your company’s challenges, issues, and strengths and why sales are declining. This leads to new opportunities and knowing what is necessary to acquire new potential customers.

Considering the competition between each market is important. Regional, national, and international levels have their characteristics and challenges. Also, competitors are divided into three other groups:

• Direct: These companies are very similar to your own. Their products or services are the same or vary only a little.
• Indirect: While their products or services are from another market, these companies could provide specific relief to the potential customers interested in your favor.
• Future: It refers to those companies that could expand their services and start competing with your company.

Planning and addressing these types of companies is of high importance not only to start gaining visibility again but also because it can alert of unknown competitors.

Rate and Address Customer Loyalty

While measuring customer satisfaction only helps a little to know if a customer will keep buying from a company, some factors can be taken from it to see if they’re potentially loyal.

Doing a complete survey is the best way to acknowledge this situation. Rating their recent purchases, their frequency and the amount of money spent can provide vital information to know where to focus and start working on declining sales.

These surveys can be done in many ways, such as a formal customer survey, informal feedback, or simply as a purchase analysis. Doing this regularly can help marketers evaluate how well your revenue is improving or declining and its profitability.

There are many things to do when sales decline. It is challenging, but approaching the situation with a strategic mindset and implementing strategies allows one to navigate through the downturn and emerge stronger than before.

Remember that every challenge presents an opportunity, and a well-executed recovery plan can lead to restored sales, increased resilience, and a more robust business overall.

In addition, hiring some of our experts from Kala can be a very beneficial boost not only to revert this situation but to boost visibility and reputation. Our team is competent to carry strategies that will ensure the complete growth of your company in the desired market.

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How to structure and identify the root cause of a drop in sales volume?

I would like to seek your input on how to “structure” and identify the root cause of a drop in sales volume. I've frequently got stuck at this stage within a profitability case. 

As you can see in the below, there are so many possibilities that drives a sales volume drop. What is the best way to structure the issue tree (being MECE but more concised)? Many people recommend using internal / external, but it's hard to explain what factors are “internal” vs. “external”, and there are a lot of factors that could fall under each bucket. 

• Pricing / positioning
• Environmental
• Competition

Frankly: starting with generic “buckets” of reasons like internal/external is not very good. What is extremely important to understand in order to craft super strong structures: the purpose of a structure is not to provide a list of things you want to look at.

The purpose of a structrue is to clearly explain how you will answer the precise question that has been asked by the client. 

For example, if the client's question is

"How to determine the cause of declining revenue?"

Telling the client what you want to look at does not address this question. Frankly, you may look at whatever you want, but this does not help the client understand, HOW you will answer his concrete question. In order to address this question, you have to outline the LOGIC according to which it can be answered. And this is fundamentally different from just defining buckets and topics. (And to anticipate your next question: yes, the solutions provided in popular case books and even on the MBB websites are oftentimes very very weak.)

Instead of falling for such weak thinking, you should outline a clear logic that will ultimately and invariably lead to the root cause of the revenue problem.

• For this, you first need to isolate what (sub-)driver causes the decline. Revenue is too high level, you need to find out whether it is an issue with pricing , or the product mix , or the quantities . If, e.g., lower quantity is the problem, then you drill deeper to understand the concrete numerical driver (e.g., the a verage number of items per purchase has not changed, but the number of purchases has gone down --> then you drill deeper to understand what is driving this (the "sub-driver") --> e.g., the number of customers has not changed, but their average frequency of purchasing has gone down --> this is the numerical problem driver! You isolated it just by means of a driver tree).
• Once you have isolated the problem driver (WHAT is the problem?), then you check on the qualitative reasons that might have caused this very problem driver to develop negatively (WHY does the problem exist?). You exclude all other areas of the tree because they are not relevant! This is how you run effective and efficient diagnostics. This second step of qualitative analysis might indeed require some extra structuring once you reach it!

What aspect that is very important (and usually violated in Case Coaching books) is the principle of first isolating the numerical problem driver, before asking qualitative question. Never start your analysis with asking qualitative questions ("First I would like to get a general understanding of the market development" and such phrases)! This is practically the very definition of "boiling the ocean", i.e., working in an extremely inefficient way. First, you should seek to narrow down the area that you need to qualitatively understand - and this can be done very quickly by doing a numerical analysis as described above. Once you know where the problem comes from, THEN you can start to understand the qualitative reasons that underlie the negative development of this driver, and this analysis will be far more focused and concrete than if you would have tried to do it at the start.

Cheers, Sidi

_______________________

Dr. Sidi Koné 

(Former Senior Engagement Manager and Interviewer at McKinsey | Former Senior Consultant and Interviewer at BCG)

Thanks, Sidi, I usually adopt the overall structure that you mentioned. But I suffer especially in the second step "identifying root cause" , and I'm specifically referring to this section. Any tips on how to quickly map out a "mini structure" for this part in probably only less than 20 seconds? It's a bit challenging to be "MECE" and "specific" within the time frame.

Yes! You need to understand that you can only create a proper structure for the second part once you understand what came out of the first part! You sould NOT attempt to do this at the start - this would be the worst "boiling the ocean" imaginable! Instead, your task is to explain to the interviewer that you will address this task once you know what the task is about. What you should do at the beginning is to just give ONE example of how this could look like (e.g., "If we for example find out that the numerical root cause is that we have lost 25% of our customer base, then we can start to assess the qualitative reasons for this. For example, have we cahnged the features of our product and the customers don't like it anymore? Or do we have new competitors? Or has the underlying need of our customers disappeared? These are just a few examples - we need to address this systematically once we identified the actual numerical problem driver."

Hello there, This issue tree is more focused and comprehensive than the previous one, and it covers a broader range of possibilities. It is also more specific about the types of factors that can affect sales volume. This will make it easier to identify the root cause of the problem and take corrective action: Market Factors

• Changes in customer preferences, needs, and behaviors
• Increased competition
• Changes in competitor strategies
• Regulatory changes
• Changes in quality, features, or benefits
• Customer perception and satisfaction
• Pricing changes
• Product positioning relative to competitors
• Changes in marketing strategies
• Promotional efforts
• Changes in distribution channels
• Product availability
• Sales skills and training
• Motivation and compensation
• Sales process and tools
• Leadership and vision
• Planning and execution
• Culture and values
• Manufacturing and supply chain
• Inventory management
• Customer service
• Changes in disposable income
• New products and services
• Changes in customer expectations
• Changes in lifestyle and values
• Changes in demographics
• Sustainability concerns
• Regulations
• Political instability
• Changes in government policies

Remember that these categories can sometimes overlap, and that's okay. The goal is to provide a concise yet comprehensive way to systematically investigate the root causes. Hope this is useful!

You're absolutely right - there are a ton of factors!

Use the clues/context in the prompt itself and your clarifying questions to figure out the best structure

RULE 1: Never ever ever make your entire framework about root cause.

If your spouse loses their job, is the only solution for your household to get their job back? Of course not! You could 1) Get their income back up in general 2) Increase your income 3) Cut expenses

Same applies for profitability .

RULE 2: Never ever have 1 generic structure for any case type that you squeeze into every single prompt .

GENERAL PROFITABILITY APPROACH  

You need to  understand the industry + company context from the prompt itself to figure this out ...cases and case types cannot be memorized...you have to adjust every single time!

Example: LOOKING FIRST at Economy/Industry

In my Hot Wheels case, you're a Korean OEM with falling profits. You operate in the US and Japan.  The FIRST thing you have to look at here is the general market AND how competitors are doing. Otherwise, you will never learn that US OEMs are doing well in the US while Korean OEMs are NOT doing well in the US.  Then, you'll never solve the crux of the case which is that transport times+costs are prohibitively like (Just in Time delivery is the #1 product characteristic).

If you don't look at economy/industry first here, you will not solve the case in a time effective manner.

https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/candidate-led-usual-style/intermediate/hot-wheels-186

Example NOT looking at Economy/Industry

Take my "Chinese Airline During Covid" case example.  We know that the airline is in trouble due to covid. We can make the deduction that this is caused by a reduction in demand. As such, we don't really need to look into rest of market/industry

So, we want to "repair" existing revenue streams as much as possible. So, first let's see what we can do. Then, whatever "gap" is remaining, we want to fill it with alternative revenue streams. Finally, whatever we can't make up for, we have to fix through cost cutting (ideally cutting unused capacity). See the logic here?

And it'll change every time based on the case itself...think critically!

https://www.preplounge.com/en/management-consulting-cases/candidate-led-usual-style/intermediate/chinese-chess-airline-business-during-covid-19-191

GENERAL PROFIT DRIVERS

Volume Down:  Competition reduced prices or improved their product (outcompeting you), competition just launched effective marketing, regulation has slowed you down, economic decline, environmental disaster, tarrifs, suppliers disrupting your production, your product no longer applies to the customer (i.e. decline has been happening for a while)...and so on and so forth...

Price Down:  We're in a price war, costs have gone down so we're realising this, regulation has created a price cap, we ran a discount program

Variable Costs Up:  Raw materials costing more, inefficient contracts, ageing workforce, deteriorating workforce, regulations, quality control

Fixed Costs Up:  Recent large investments

================================================

REVENUE ISSUES/IMPROVEMENTS  

Remember, you need to  apply your revenue improvement ideas to the specific case at hand .  You cannot be generic.

That said, some major ways companies boost sales include:

• SAAS (software as a service)
• Get people onot subscription plans (i.e. Netflix)
• When people  enter  Prime membership, they actually actively spend more than they did before
• I.e. sell a few things together
• Sell products similar to the current one
• Get someone in with a super cheap/good deal, then, now that you have them as a customer, sell additional, higher-margin products (insurance companies do this, for example)

==================================================

COST ISSUES  

In general, for determining cost issues, you need to  break down the problem into a tree/root-cause analysis and ask the highest level  (but specific) questions first! In this way, you essentially move down the tree.

How do you identify where to look? Well, you need to look into whichever of the following 5 make the most sense based on where you are:

• What's the  biggest ? (i.e. largest piece of the pie...most likely to change the end result)
• What's  changing the most ? (I.e. could be driving the most and most likely to be fixable)
• What's the  easiest to answer/eliminate?  (i.e. quick win. Yes/No type of question that eliminates a lot of other things)
• What's the  most different ? (differences between companies, business units, products, geographies etc....difference = oopportunity)
• What's the  most likely?  (self-explanatory)

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/structure-breakdown-for-costs-7963

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/inventory-costs-how-to-segment-6861

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/direct-and-indirect-instead-of-fixed-and-variable-6272

https://www.preplounge.com/en/consulting-forum/when-should-i-break-down-costs-as-fixed-and-variable-as-opposed-to-over-the-value-chain-5990

Major Costs - Areas to Cut

• Labour (salaried employees)
• Transport (if we own the trucks, etc.)
• Utilities (for the office, warehouse, etc.)
• Cbsolescence (wrong word...this is amortization/depreciation)
• Stolen objects (but shocked you heard this in a case)
• Labour (hourly employees)
• Transport (if we pay a company per load)
• Fuel/truckers (if we own our own trucks etc. for transport)
• Utilities (if you need more energy to make more widgets)
• Raw Materials ( why wasn't this included? Big one to miss)

Seems like you have a couple of good framework suggestions here (plus the factors you originally mention are relevant themselves!). I would advise you to use the context provided in the prompt to guide you in narrowing down your framework, making it less generic, and more MECE. It's good to have all these factors in the back of your mind, but they are not always going to be relevant to every single case, so you can be judicious with what you include based on that. Similarly, make sure you're not just talking about ‘customer’ and ‘competition’ in general, but more specifically about what those factors present in the context of the case.

The reason why your internal/external approach does not work is because you are thinking about it as “laundry list” where you want to include everything - instead of thinking about it in a step-by-step / “break it down one level” way.

Internal vs. external means: something you did vs. something someone else did. That's the first step breaking down the problem.

Let's think about the external part.

So this is something someone else did. So how to break this down one level more?

Well, it can be something your competition did vs. something changed in demand.

Then you break down one level more each one of these.

If it is something competitors did, you think about changes in Product, Price, Promocion or Place (4 Ps). 

If something changed in demand, you can think about consumer trands, macroeconomic factors, or substitute products.

I can go on an on on this issue tree, breaking down each step into 2 or 3 other steps. If you use this method, it will always be MECE, and it will cover all the possible explanations - may not be at the detailed level (that depends on how deep you went), but it will be MECE and you will show that with enough time you would get to the answer.

Contentwise, you're looking at most of the right topics. 

But the structure isn't great. 

The main issue is that it's too generic. 

Consulting firms have been making huge efforts over the past few years to give candidates unusual cases because they want to test their thinking on the spot. 

So by still providing typical structures you're going against this trend. Most interviewers shut down or already label you as a below average candidate if you give them a ‘internal / external' sort of structure. 

The best structures are the ones that are creative and tailored to the client situation (while of course getting the job done). 

To create such structures you need to have the right skillset i.e., knowing how to structure from first principles. 

Sharing with you a guide you might find helpful about some of the best structuring techniques:

• Free Guide: Mastering Structuring & Brainstorming

Best, Cristian

Thanks Cristian, I understand that the structure should be improved. Especially for profitability case, there's many steps (diagnosis > root cause > idea generation) to include in the structure. I'm specifically referring to the root cause section: any tips on how to quickly map out a "mini structure" for this part in probably only less than 20 seconds? It's a bit challenging to be "MECE" and "specific" within the time frame.

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your question:

• First of all, unfortunately, even if this is only the structure of the root cause and not of the entire case study, it is not meaningful, as it is too generic.
• Moreover, assuming that you have first identified the driver(s) of the decline in sales, I as an interviewer would expect you to present a tailored structure that fits the identified driver(s).

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best structure any case study, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

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A Decline in Revenue: Case Analysis Case Study

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Introduction

In the past years, the International Business Machines (IBM) business organization, under the leadership of chief executive officer Virginia Rometty, has been experiencing a decline in revenue due to low sales in the market. The new management formulated strategies that were different from those of the predecessor, who based the operations of the firm around software, hardware, and services. Rometty, on the other hand, concentrated on cloud computing, mobile, security efforts, and data analytics. Following the change in management style that is from Palmisano’s tactic to the Rometty approach, IBM responded slowly as it lacked a sense of direction. Even though the Rometty method proved vital, the profit margin generated from the strategic operations was low.

Organizational Background

IBM is an international technology company operating in over 150 countries across the globe. The firm has its root in the earlier century before the aspects of electronic computers were discovered. It was formed in 1896 as the Tabulating Machine Company. In 1924, the manager known as Thomas Watson changed the business organization to IBM (“IBM at the Crossroad”, n.d.). Since then, IBM has operated as a manufacturing corporation producing different technological devices. In the early 1960s, IBM became one of the most renowned computer companies in the US where it was chosen to develop computers for the Airforce automated defense system.

The company operates in the information technology industry, offering various items and services to the market. The main products and services being sold by IBM include software, both public and private cloud computing infrastructures, hardware, and IT consulting services (IBM at the Crossroad, n.d.). In the industry, there are several corporations such as Amazon, Google, and Apple Inc. that are providing similar products to consumers in the market.

Situation Analysis

The current situation at IBM is a decline in sales since Rometty took charge as the CEO. The company has focused mainly on offering hybrid cloud computing and other software in the market, leaving other sensitive areas to be dominated by its competitors. IBM, instead of investing in producing its personal computers (PC) like its competitors, retained its mainframe computing not taking into consideration the rapid changes in the market as well as the demands of users. Rometty chose to focus on the three areas she perceived to be disruptive technologies in the future (IBM at the Crossroad, n.d.). The CEO gave much attention to systems of engagement, cloud computing, and big data and analytics. Based on the case study, the current issue facing the company is reduced sales in the market. The firm’s vertically integrated model and the focus on mainframe computing are facing a serious decline. In addition, the future problem that will likely challenge the business organization is innovation.

In the information technology industry, many firms manufacture and distribute the same products that IBM offers in the market. They include Hewlett-Packard (HP), Oracle, and Amazon. The organization’s revenue is approximately $59 billion. HP is well known for its ability to turn research and developments into effective market technologies. Oracle is a renowned company in the industry. The business organization has a net income of about $185 billion. Oracle has established an essential platform that allows the integrating of complementary entities through acquisition. Its distribution channel is strong and it provides satisfactory services to its clients.

The other active player in the sector is Amazon, which provides Amazon Web Services (AWS). Based on this segment, the corporation offers services such as machine learning, storage, analytics, and artificial intelligence. Amazon’s specialization in disruptive technologies enables it to capture a large market share. Over the past years, the company has been experiencing a rise in sales making its total revenue to be about $475 billion (“Yahoo is part of the Yahoo family of brands”, 2022). Its ability to diversify and invest in various segments is giving the firm an added advantage over others.

Competitive Analysis

Table 1: IBM SWOT Analysis

In the industry, IBM leaders maintain a competitive advantage by investing in innovation to develop new platforms that meet the needs of business organizations. Furthermore, the company provides services directly to its clients, thus promoting a close relationship with customers (Mengxi, 2021). The managers tend to form a merger with other small firms to enable them to build their expertise thus enhancing smooth operations in the company.

Porter’s Five Forces

The information technology industry contains a significant number of companies offering the same products and services to consumers. The market share of the firms is not distributed equally. In other words, some organizations have a larger percentage of the sector. To add value to the commodities, the corporation must invest heavily, thus allowing only firms with adequate funds to improve their services. Similarly, the cost of accessing materials and operating the entities is high, making it a challenge for the firms.

The Threat of New Entrants

The entry of new players in the industry poses a significant threat to the already existing firms. The incoming business organizations lower the profit margin as most of the sales reduce. There is no cost for consumers to switch from one entity to another (Wellner & Lakotta, 2020). The aspect makes it easier for the upcoming brands to obtain adequate market share. However, the newcomer must invest a significant amount of money in an advert to compete with an already established brand in the market.

Buyer Power

Generally, the number of buyers in the industry is higher than that of companies. Similarly, consumers do not incur charges while switching firms. The product and services offered have the potential to increase the performance of buyers. Before purchasing some of the products, they require important details on how to use them. These facets give corporations an advantage to manipulate prices and increase them without the influence of clients.

The Supplier Power

In the industry, companies can switch suppliers quickly when they do not obtain the best offers. Labor, materials, and services are standardized to allow the firms to have proper bargaining power. Furthermore, the information technology industry is an essential customer to the vendors. Most business organizations invest heavily in products to enhance efficiency in their operations (Wellner & Lakotta, 2020). The aspect makes the enterprises high bargaining power over suppliers in the sector.

Threat of Substitutes

Substitute is a major concern in the industry because they can lower costs. Most IT products have almost equal prices and their functions are similar. Consumers do not have to incur costs to switch to the other product. These aspects limit the threat of substitutes in the industry and clients are only able to buy and use the available products and services at the prevailing market prices.

PESTEL Analysis

Based on the IBM case study, the issue is the business strategy being used by the firm which depends on cloud computing, big data analysis, and system engagement. The focus limits the ability of the firm to focus on other active areas that should generate business profit. The probable long-term effect will be a significant decline in the company’s total revenue since the three areas are unable to provide adequate sales.

Alternatives

Manufacturing own pc.

To overcome the challenge, IBM should expand its operation to include producing its PC. The approach will enable it to increase its production in the market thus improving sales. The firm’s reputation will allow the product to sell easily.

Expanding its mergers and acquisitions

By increasing its subsidiaries, IBM will be able to cover a large market and increase its awareness. The approach will make it easier to provide the three services to many clients across the globe leading to improved sales.

Manufacture microprocessors

In the industry, the market for microprocessors is performing due to the high demand for the products. By utilizing its research and development capabilities, IBM has the potential to develop effective microchips that can be supplied to its competitors in the sector.

For the firm to implement the above-mentioned alternatives, it must consider the capital required to facilitate the production process. In addition, the company must assess the level of competition in the commodities and how the players perform in the market. At this point, IBM should value picking another approach to enable it to regain its profit margin. The decisions are not optional for the organization and each must be weighed accordingly to make a proper judgment.

In a competitive business environment, a company must link its innovation activities with the business plan. Having such alignment is essential in enabling the firm to work effectively towards its goals. IBM should encourage teamwork and participation of its employees to facilitate the generation of new ideas that have the potential to create value for the enterprise (Das, 2019). Innovativeness, therefore, enables the company to have an array of techniques that can be used to complement the strategic plan. As per the alternative solutions, ethical practice is needed to improve the relationship between IBM and its subsidiaries.

Recommendation and Implementation

In relation to the issue, IBM is facing, the most effective alternative to enable the company to increase its profit margin is the manufacturing of microprocessors. The approach will create an element of diversification in the firm’s operations. Instead of depending on the three core areas, IBM will have the opportunity to generate additional revenue from the sales of microchips. According to the results of the SWOT analysis, IBM has strong research and development techniques that will make it easier to produce effective products for other firms in the market.

In a fast-growing and competitive industry, it is essential for business organizations to formulate effective strategic plans that would allow them to remain proactive and profitable in the market. The choice of IBM CEO to invest heavily in cloud computing, big data analytics, and system engagement was appropriate though it deprived the company of having the ability to compete with its competitors in the industry.

Das, D. K. (2019). Exploring perspectives of the information technology industry in a South African city . Sustainability , 11 (22), 6520. Web.

IBM at the Crossroad . (n.d.). Case study.

Mengxi, W. (2021). Business culture and strategy–Take IBM as an example. Journal of Sociology and Ethnology , 3 (5), 124-130. Web.

Wellner, S., & Lakotta, J. (2020). Porter’s five forces in the German railway industry . Journal of Rail Transport Planning & Management , 14 , 100181. Web.

Yahoo is part of the Yahoo family of brands . (2022). Finance.yahoo.com. Web.

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Bibliography

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10 Surprising Things That Explain a Decline in Sales and How to Resolve It

by Staff Writer | Jul 14, 2020 | Management and Operations

Sales play a pivotal role in any organization. This is what they call measurable success. Another important role of sales is connecting the customer’s needs to the products and services that a business offers.

Sluggish sales growth can put a company in hot water, with the worst case scenario being bankruptcy. Yet some business owners aren’t aware of why their company is failing. That’s why it’s important to understand every piece of the sales process.

Sales performance results from different factors in the business, like the marketing strategy, the product or service itself, the management, customer service, or the market.

All elements of the business must be perfectly in sync. However, no matter how hard you try to keep the business as smooth as possible to get great sales performance, there could still be overlooked issues having a direct impact on revenues. You may not even be aware of some of them.

Reasons Behind a Decline in Sales and How to Reverse It

Here are some easily overlooked reasons for low sales performance that can help you increase sale volume.

1. Not paying attention to the customer’s needs

Understanding customers and being aware of what they need is pivotal to the business’ success. Planning is useless if businesses lose touch with their customers and fail to identify what they really need.

Understanding the customer’s buying behavior, getting feedback and doing a sales growth trend analysis will get business owners some answers. • Are they satisfied with your current products or services? • Are they asking for more features? More benefits? • Do they still love your products?

Finding out the answers to these questions will help you improve or change your marketing strategies.

2. Poor working conditions

One of the most important and sometimes overlooked factors is poor working conditions. Employees must be happy and comfortable in their working areas, otherwise it will hinder productivity which, in turn, impacts your sales performance.

An example would be providing recreational opportunities for employees. Toyota has worked to humanize their production environment since it was founded, as have many Fortune 500 companies such as Google.

3. The product or service has no Unique Value Proposition

There is an e-commerce site called “Pipcorn” where they sell mini-popcorn online. There are so many types of popcorn in the supermarket, some that you can even make at home. What makes Pipcorn’s popcorn so special that you have to order it online?

What sets them apart from other popcorn is that they are small and easier on your teeth and to your stomach. They also claim to be the freshest and the crispiest. They are so successful that they have full distribution across the United States with staff and their own factory.

These are things that set the company’s product apart from anyone else’s, essentially creating its value proposition.

4. Mismanagement or leadership failure

Business decisions should be in line with the vision of the company. One wrong decision could cause the business to spiral down and fail. A lot of business fail because of poor management .

Improper delegation, poor employee management, financial mishaps, unhealthy culture, not being receptive to change, not expecting the unexpected; these are just some examples of poor leadership.

5. Scaling when you’re not yet ready

Let’s say a business is doing great for two months. It’s gone better than expected and revenues have doubled over projections.

So, you hire more people and you get more merchandise. Then after six months people are no longer buying the product. It wasn’t ready to scale to that level just yet. You only scale when you’re ready.

6. Marketing and sales are not aligned

Sales and marketing should collaborate on every move, otherwise it affects sales.

Sales depend on marketing efforts and strategies. A solid marketing strategy that focuses on monthly targets and qualified leads helps to drive sales.

7. No organic web traffic to support sales

The company’s digital presence plays a huge role in the modern age of doing business. Web traffic can supply a steady stream of leads or potential customers.

For example, if the business has no social media account and most of their customers are to be found there, how will people know they exist? Understand where to get unique, organic traffic that is built on relationships so that you can move those relationships into sales.

8. Not paying attention to the competitors

Your competitor might have just launched a new product with great features that tops all current competitors, yet you had no idea this was happening.

You need to know how your competitor moves at all times so that you can take immediate action and develop strategies that can keep your business competitive in the marketplace.

9. Poorly trained staff

Resources and training should ensure the staff’s competency and effectiveness. For example, customer service representatives without adequate training won‘t be able to communicate with the customers properly.

Allow time and resources for proper training in all areas of your business.

10. Disregarding customer loyalty

Customers who always patronize the business should be treated well. Customer relationships should be of the utmost importance. One unsatisfied customer could have a detrimental effect on the company, especially if that customer takes it out on social media.

Offer loyalty cards or discount coupons for regular customers to know they are valued.

Final Thoughts on a Decline in Sales

Sales volume that’s trending down is a warning flag that something isn’t quite right.

Evaluate each of the mentioned points in your business and see where you might be costing yourself sales. Make this part of your monthly sales checkup.

Simple tactics that uncover cash that's hiding inside your business.

How to calculate the best selling prices for your products and services.

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Why sales might decrease but brand equity does not

Partner BMROI, Analytics Practice

In an earlier article, we identified that “repeat purchase” and “advertising retention” are an important part of understanding the long-term effects of advertising. We showed that quantifying long-term results is tricky for several reasons, but most importantly comes down to a limited understanding of brand equity and its relationship to sales. We zoomed in on our first scenario, where sales are increasing and brand equity declining, and outlined possible reasons and solutions.

In this article, we investigate the scenario where sales are decreasing, and brand equity is increasing or flat. There are two possible reasons for this (outside of a seasonal decline in brand and category sales.)

1. A price increase

Higher prices might lead to a reduction in sales volume, but they can also build perceptions that increase brand equity. Price increases may be part of a strategic plan to become a “premium” or “higher-quality” brand or it may just be the business passing on higher costs to its customers. As a marketeer, one needs to assess the potential implication a price increase could have on sales volume. The question is: would you like to attract a succession of price-sensitive, one-time consumers, or would you prefer ones who stick with your brand and continue to be “repeat purchasers”? An increased price could lead to a loss in consumers and therefore sales, but the brand still has strong equity, which in turn could lead to higher profits.

2. A reduction in media pressure

Low quality/weak creative, reduced media weight (reducing share of voice), or changes in media flighting/phasing could result in a decline in sales, but brand equity may stay the same (at least in the short-term.) To better diagnose why this might be the case, it’s important to look at sales as “base vs. incremental” when comparing to brand metrics.

As we know, incremental brand sales reflect the short-term response of the brand, whereas base brand sales reflect the long-term equity of the brand; stronger brands are usually able to sustain base sales despite a change in strategy. Signals of short-term and long-term sales impact (effectiveness drivers) typically reside in different brand KPIs, varying by category involvement, brand status, and competitive activity. This gives us a view on which brand perceptions drive short-term volume and which drive long-term brand predisposition or both.

At Kantar, our experience has led us to a set of short- and long-term metrics that are indicative of “base vs incremental” movements in sales.

Short-term metrics: Drivers of mental availability or salience e.g. communications awareness, top of mind, unaided awareness, rational brand associations.

Long-term metrics: Brand affinity, emotional brand associations, purchase intent/consideration.

Short-term vs. long-term metrics often turn out to be complementary, not contradictory.

A decline in sales is always a cause for concern

Sales could be dropping due to a decline in short-term brand metrics (while long-term metrics are holding up), as changes in the strategy may not have translated to equity changes. The good news is this can quickly be reversed by identifying the cause and addressing the problem. For example. if it’s a creative issue, it would be essential to change elements within the creative, the message, or the execution itself. It could be due to a decline in long-term brand metrics (while short-term metrics are holding up or even increasing). This is a bigger cause for concern, as it might reflect changing attitudes to the brand (despite the growing awareness) which will in time translate into (more) declining sales.

A large beverage brand faced a challenge in understanding this disconnect between brand tracking metrics and sales. Sales for this brand were declining, but brand metrics were not. As a first step we identified the core brand KPIs that best represented its “base and incremental” sales. Using short- and long-term brand KPIs as part of a broader modelling framework, we determined that the “premiumness” of the brand was getting eroded slowly over time (Figure 2), and this was not being reflected in its overall brand equity scores (Figures 3 and 4).

The decline in sales was due to a proliferation of brands within the premium segment. This was having an immediate impact on the company’s sales, but its short-term brand KPIs were either increasing or staying the same. The premium beverage segment was under a spotlight… but the brand was being perceived as less premium compared to the other competitors.

The model helped to disprove the idea that sales activation tactics were eroding quality perceptions. It also proved that “premiumness” declines were mainly coming from increased perception of “high quality” amongst a range of other beverage brands.

The brand incorporated these learnings into new messaging, which was focused around premium quality and sophistication. This resulted in an increase in average scores for those metrics (Figure 4), which in turn drove brand KPIs including consideration, “worth what it costs” scores, and claimed recent consumption. More importantly, it reversed sales decline – in fact, sales grew by 2%.

A sales decline is always cause for concern, but to better understand the severity of the problem we recommend breaking sales down into “base and Incremental” and identifying which brand metrics best relates to each. Decline in short-term KPIs (like awareness) could well be addressed with a quick fix, whereas declines in long-term KPIs might suggest bigger issues, as we saw with the beverage case study. In the next article I will focus on the scenarios when both sales and brand equity are moving in the same direction, their possible implications, and our suggestions on how best to optimise marketing strategies.

Want more like this?

Read:  The importance of brand equity in understanding sales

100+ Case Study Examples for Sales and Marketing

Browse through a wide range of case study templates from various industries.

Imagine you come home after a long, tiring week of work, and you decide to satiate your taste buds by ordering a delicious, exotic dish. What would be your further course of action? Let us guess - you pull out your phone, log in to your favourite on-demand food delivery platform, search for the dish you're looking for, and hit the order button. Oh, wait! We missed out a crucial action that most of us perform while ordering a palate from a new food outlet – Rating & reviews!  

The first instinct that each one of us has when we subscribe to a new product or service is to get validation or proof from others.

In this post, we talk about one such crucial marketing collateral that provides  proof  to your prospects – Case Studies.

What is a Case Study?

Case studies are an indispensable tool for providing proof of quality and utility. They help demonstrate exactly what you have done to help other customers or clients attain their goals. They're sure to draw potential clients because they establish the factor of faith in the ability of your products or services.

To some, case studies may seem dull and boring, but it remains an integral part of a content marketing strategy for almost every B2B company. A content marketing report states that 70% of B2B marketers believe case studies are an effective tool for the content marketing mix.

How long should your case study be? 

If you type this query into the Google search bar, the answer that pops up on your screen is 500 to 1500 words. Although this is fairly ideal, it is important to note that there is no hard and fast rule for the word limit of a case study. Like everything else in Marketing, the answer is - it depends. 

Depends on various factors like the industry you’re writing the case study for, the narrative you’re building, the audience you’ll cater to and the like. 

Case studies are primarily built to generate an in-depth understanding of why exactly prospects should choose your product. In today’s world, where all content consumers have an attention span of roughly 7 seconds (if not lesser) - getting them to read a case study that’s nothing less than 500 words requires skill, to say the least. 

The length of a case study depends on the following factors :

Target audience

Identifying the target audience for your case study is the first and foremost step of the writing process. Who will be reading this case study and how do you tailor it to fit their flow of reading? It’s no big secret that everyone’s attention span varies. (We hear you. Do people even have an attention span these days?) 

Thanks to the myriad of visual content available in abundance, going through a 50-word post, let alone a 500-word case study, might be an arduous task for most people. However, this massively depends on the target audience and the industry your client belongs to. 

Case studies provide deep insight into your product/service and give potential customers one, if not more, solid reasons to get onboard. 

Formulating your case study based on these parameters will result in the best outcomes. 

For example, if your product caters directly to the general public (B2C) , then your case studies have to be short, precise and to the point. It has to provide just the right amount of information to put forth about your company, the services you offer, its features and benefits. Hence, these case studies can be anywhere between 100-300 words. 

On the other hand, formulating a case study for a B2B audience will require more detailed insights, examples, solution-oriented steps, and overall contain highly compelling research. This is solely because the individuals reading our case studies will be established business professionals looking to invest a good amount in your product . These case studies can extend up to 1500 words . 

Purpose of the case study 

The second factor/question to keep in mind is, “Why are we writing this case study?”. Here we cannot help but think of the famous quote - “You can’t understand someone until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes.” 

It’s safe to say that this quote is applicable to almost every situation in life. Especially while selling a product. Or, attempting to do so. In this stage, you need to take into consideration 3 very important factors :  

At which point of the sales process are we sending out this case study?

For starters, case study content changes according to the various points of the sales process it is being sent out during. The content required for a case study at the beginning of the sales process differs from the content required for a case study when the deal is about to be closed. 

Case studies sent out at the beginning of the sales process focus on the following :

• Recognition of your company/brand  
• An insight into your company & what you do 
• A generic overview of what your product offers 

Hence, these case studies can range anywhere from 300-500 words.

Case studies sent out at the end of the sales process focus on the following :

• Presenting a precise problem faced by a client
• Presenting how your company provided a solution for the same 
• The process
• Use-case specific insights

Hence, the sky’s the (word) limit with these case studies. The length that narrates to your prospect that your company is the best solution is the length you stop at. 

What do we want our readers to take away from this case study?

The length of your case study also majorly depends on the point you want to put forth in your case study. Are you trying to simply establish brand identity? Are you talking about a new campaign run by your company? Or is it a case study showcasing the work you did for a specific client? 

What medium are we sending the case study via? 

The medium through which your case study is being sent is a key point while determining the length of your case study. 

Let us throw in a quick example here. We are in the midst of our relentless online shopping phase and our package has finally arrived. Obviously, we can’t wait to go through the contents of the package (Because which order even is this?) - Doesn’t it make the unpacking process much easier when the packaging is precise and easy to open? Who wants loads of duct tape and clunky wrapping? It instantly puts us off, and we might even decide to open it later.  Similarly, the medium via which you send your case study and the presentation of it matters a lot. 

Here are some of the methods through which you can send your case study :

A good ol’ fashioned e-mail

“I’ll send across an email” is a phrase most of us have probably used more than our names. And, that’s fine. 

Sending your case studies and other documents through email has unmistakably been the go-to method for the longest time. Even so, sending your documents and case studies via email have its pros and cons. 

If you include a number of attachments, your prospects might have a hard time going back and forth between the document and email to open it up. The best option, in this case, is to include a single case study and make it crisp & concise in order to avoid shuffling between tabs. So, we’d say a single case study, about 500 words. 

A personalized storyboard

Personalized. Pretty. Extremely easy to go through. Nothing against emails, but imagine sending your case studies in a personalized collection that is exclusive to your reader, gives them a binge-worthy experience with your case studies, enables them to pick up exactly where they left off and much more. 

With a presentation like this, we’re sure the length of your case study isn’t going to stop readers from going through the contents of your case study.

Types of Case Studies

Case studies can be broadly classified into the following categories:

1. Third-Person Case Studies

An external agency primarily publishes this type of case study. This external research & consulting firm validates the solution provided by your company to your customers and publishes the same on its website.

2. Explanatory Case Studies

Explanatory case studies are primarily descriptive studies. They typically use one or two instances of a phenomenon or event to show the existing solution. Explanatory case studies primarily exist to familiarize the unfamiliar situation to prospects and give them a brief overview of the subject.

3. Instrumental Case Study

To gain insight into a phenomenon, an instrumental case study is deployed. The focus of this type of case study is not on the results but on the phenomenon. It tries to make the prospects discern the relationship between the phenomenon and its solution.

4. Implementation Case Study

This is perhaps the most important type of case study for a content marketer. It encompasses how your business went about executing the solution of a customer's challenge.

Case studies are the best example of marketing collateral used during the consideration stage and are used to showcase the success stories of your company. They can be written as single-page or multi-page documents.

Steps to writing a case study solution

Crafting the headline.

Headlines are the hellos in the world of writing. Just as a simple hello can help gain surface-level insight into a person, a headline establishes just that about a piece of written content. 

The first step to drafting a case study is also to pick a suitable headline. 

The headline of a case study has to include the following elements :

• The name of the company
• The use case
• The results
• Quantitative data (all about the numbers)

Let’s go with a fictional take on this - 

Let’s say you have a company, “Mattleberg Associates."

Mattleberg Associates offer consultative tools and guidance to understand, buy and adopt marketing technology tools for an enterprise. If Mattleberg Associates is to write a case study on how their product benefited a client of theirs, Acme Corporation , and upped their sales turnover by 70% , 

This is how the case study should ideally be titled : 

Acme Corp’s Sales Turnover Increased by 70% - Meet the Mattleberg MarTech Tool that made it possible. 

By glancing at this case study title, the reader gets an insight into the company (Mattleberg), the client (Acme Corp), the use case (Increasing sales turnover), the industry (Sales and Marketing) and the outcome (A 70% increase). 

Highlighting the challenge/situation 

In this part of the case study, the problem is made aware to the reader. This is where we let the reader know that “Hey, there was a grave situation taking place, and this is how it played out.”. 

In this part, you have to mention : 

• The challenge that was present
• The root cause of the problem 
• Statistics about the same 

Arriving at the solution

This part of your case study has to be your company’s stellar introduction.

In this part of the case study, you will include :

• How the client arrived at your company 
• The process of how the client fixed on your company (yay!)
• The executives involved in the process 

Behold! The results

Quantitative results .

This indicates the end of the case study. This is the part you indicate that Happily Ever After was made possible. Here is where you include all of the magical numbers that were a result of your company’s product/service, the remarkable results of the process and the outcome. 

Qualitative results

Remember when Spotify allowed 6500 of their employees to work from anywhere in the world? 

Now, fast forward to a year later; Spotify has released a statement saying their turnover rate dropped and they’re doing great! 

Here’s another example of how a qualitative result approach can be included in your case studies. This is the tie between quantitative and qualitative results. They go hand in hand. 

Tying this back to the topic, while writing a case study and mentioning the end results, it is important to also mention how the process eased the lives of the team, resulting in joy in the workplace and so on. This, in return, can directly result in quantitative results. :)

Best Practices to implement while writing a Case Study

More often than not, content marketers find it a herculean task to create a case study that is intriguing for their prospects. Here are 5 easy tips to make your case studies less boring, and more engaging.

1. Incorporate visuals in your case study

Multimedia can make your case studies more engaging and provide you with a means to connect with auditory and visual learners. Here are two ways in which you can incorporate multimedia in your case study:

• Include pictures, charts, and infographics to interpret a story out of the content-heavy data.
• Incorporate videos in your case studies and use them throughout your integrated marketing communication.

2. Prioritize firsthand knowledge over second-hand evidence

Case studies are stories. And stories can be narrated aptly only when you get real firsthand insights from the customer. Hence, to write a good case study, all you need is an excellent customer interview. Refrain from writing case studies based on resources such as testimonial quotes, videos, email, and so on.

It will only make your case studies time-consuming and difficult (or dare we say boring?).

3. Use slide-in call-to-action in lieu of pop-ups

Huge pop-ups can be annoying to the readers. Hence, marketers should try to use slide-in call-to-action that does the same job without distracting your prospects.

4. Don't be keen on listing the problem statement/challenge

Get into the shoes of your prospects while writing the challenge section. Most businesses often commit the mistake of writing the problem of a case study that caters to a narrow audience. To effectively hook a broader target audience , you should address the problem by considering the perspective of different prospects and write a detailed and compelling challenge . Your case study's first sentence should always address a broad business issue, and provide the reader with context.

5. Improve the tone of the customer quotes

Being a case study writer, you should not be transfixed on strictly reproducing all the customer quotes as it is - that is what a reporter does. As a case study writer, you should embellish the customer quotes in a way that makes their point effective. However, the altered quote should not drift away from the actual customer quote and should live up to the spirit of the customer's statement.

Examples of Case Studies

Here is a list of the finest examples of case studies across each sector with our commentary on a handpicked few to further ease your process of writing a case study.

To give you a holistic understanding of different types of case studies, we have collated the best templates from each industry.

• Aviation and Defense 
• Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI)
• Energy & Utility
• Healthcare and Life Sciences
• Manufacturing
• Technology and Services
• Telecommunications

Best Case Study Examples for Aviation, Aerospace & Defense Sector

While there are over 10+ example case studies that have been handpicked for the Aviation, Aerospace and Defence sector, we are highlighting only about 2 of them for a quick reference on why it works and most importantly, we like them.

1. Electromagnetic Solutions | Leonardo

Type of case study : Explanatory

Leonardo, first, defined their electromagnetic solutions and then furnished an explanatory case study to further enlighten their target audience to the solution they offer. They provided their prospects with a lucid explanation of the phenomenon with their solution in this case study.

2. Indira Gandhi International Airport | Collins Aerospace

Type of case study: Implementation

This case study is one of the best templates you will find in the aviation & defence sector. Two reasons make it exceptional. First, Collins has tailored the case study in a way that it can collaborate with direct marketing efforts . The case study is brief, yet gives a clear explanation of how it went about executing the solution. Also, the testimonial Collins took from Delhi International Airport Ltd., explained in a nutshell, the outstanding results they produced.

Best Case Study Examples for BFSI Sector

While there are over 10+ example case studies that have been handpicked for the BFSI sector, we are highlighting only about 2 of them for a quick reference on why it works and most importantly, we like them.

1. Implementing a Complete Target-Date Fund Solution |  JPMorgan Chase

Type of case study: Explanatory

Writing a case study in the sector of financial services is tricky, to say the least. If you are looking to benchmark a case study, this should undoubtedly be the one. JPMorgan deep-dived to explain the needs of the client and listed out the top investment priorities. After that, the cast study introduced the unique solution offered to give their prospects a gist of the same. 

2. Global Inventory Management | Broadridge

Broadridge created a stellar case study by incorporating a testimonial, visuals, and an elaborate solution together. The cast study went one step ahead by talking about how it will utilize this opportunity to build Broadridge's future solutions.

Best Case Study Examples for Energy & utilites Sector

While there are over 10+ example case studies that have been handpicked for the Energy & Utilities sector, we are highlighting only about 2 of them for a quick reference on why it works and most importantly, we like them.

1. Creating Value through Technology and Innovation | Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL)

Type of case study: Instrumental

This case study focuses more on the different technologies offered by CNRL. What makes this case study unique is that the brand has included various collaborations for each technology and clearly demarcated the status of each technique. The usage of visuals and quantifiable results is spot on!

2. City of Monterey Park | Engie

Engie has produced a phenomenal template for a case study in the energy sector. Prospects could better relate to this kind of a case study because it includes multiple testimonials alongside the images of the solution which can serve as the best catalyst for prospects in the consideration stage of the buyer journey.

Best Case Study Examples for Healthcare & Life Sciences Sector

While there are over 10+ example case studies that have been handpicked for the Healthcare and Life-sciences sector, we are highlighting only about 2 of them for a quick reference on why it works and most importantly, we like them.

1. BD Vacutainer | Becton Dickinson and Company

BD did a fantastic job of quantifying its success in solid numbers. They have incorporated the same in their headline to make it a worthy read for a prospect. Furthermore, they included a separate "results" section which listed out the benefits and illustrated the same using a bar graph. These best practices help a prospect digest text-heavy content easily.

2. Helping Biopharma Companies Unravel the Many Facets of the Oncology Market | McKesson Corporation

This template is an excellent example of an instrumental case study in the healthcare sector. McKesson takes the onus on them to educate the healthcare industry on the oncology market. It provides vital insights into how the biopharma industry can leverage McKesson's resources and excel in oncology.

Best Case Study Examples for Logistics Sector

While there are over 10+ example case studies that have been handpicked for the Logistics sector, we are highlighting only about 2 of them for a quick reference on why it works and most importantly, we like them.

1. Inventory Optimization Case Study | Neovia Logistics

Type of case study: Third-Person

This case study serves as a great template of collaboration with other organizations to deliver a customized solution for your customer. Neovia Logistics and SAP Service Parts Planning worked in unison to provide a top-notch solution for inventory management. This template makes a brilliant usage of coloured theme and an engaging dashboard to display the results lucidly.

2. Building a better distribution model to accommodate rapid growth | FedEx Corporation

FedEx adopts a customer-centric approach in this case study and explains the challenges faced by the customer in detail. It elaborately explains how the problems of temperature-sensitive products of the clients were dealt with. This type of case study can prove to be very useful as a marketing communication  for a client dealing in a similar sector.

Best Case Study Examples for Manufacturing Sector

While there are over 10+ example case studies that have been handpicked for the Manufacturing sector, we are highlighting only about 2 of them for a quick reference on why it works and most importantly, we like them.

1. Twilight River Cruises | Mitsubishi Electric

The testimonial and the embedded hyperlinks (that redirects to their product range) make this case study stand apart from others. Mitsubishi Electric has ensured that the client furnishes a well-crafted testimonial that makes the prospects acquire faith in their prowess.

2. Danfoss' Digital Journey and Strategic Approach to MES | Siemens

This is, by far, the best template we have discovered in the manufacturing sector. It ticks all the boxes for writing a stellar case study – slide-in CTAs (call-to-action), integration with social media, an excellent testimonial, captivating visuals, and a consistent theme. You do not want to miss this out!

Best Case Study Examples for Technology & Services Sector

While there are over 10+ example case studies that have been handpicked for the Technology & Services sector, we are highlighting only about 2 of them for a quick reference on why it works and most importantly, we like them.

1. FreshDesk - Case Study | Chargebee

The best thing about this case study is that Chargebee incorporated testimonials from different departments and individuals. The case study uses crisp headlines and explains the challenge in detail before jumping the gun to mention the results.

2. Aspire Systems Provides Data Integration Services  | Aspire Systems

For a technical product/software, it is important to know where to use technical keywords and where to use plain, simple language. Aspire Systems did a fantastic job of creating different sections for a summary (in plain language) and a tech snapshot (where they mention the suite of data management products). It also included an image of the system architecture to educate their prospects on the process and solutions.

Best Case Study Examples for Telecommunications Sector

While there are over 10+ example case studies that have been handpicked for the Telecommunications sector, we are highlighting only about 2 of them for a quick reference on why it works and most importantly, we like them.

1. Managed Network Services | Telkomtelstra

Incorporating video testimonials in the case study is one of the best practices to be followed to create a compelling case study; and, Telkomtelstra has done that precisely. The practice of integrating social media in your overall content marketing strategy never fails to fetch you brownie points!

2. Supporting the community with a mobilized workforce | Rogers Communications Inc.

Rogers Communications has adopted the strategy of assigning a dedicated page for case studies. It has also integrated social media and slide-in CTAs buttons, in this case study, for enhanced engagement. A unique practice that Rogers embraced in this case study was to mention the details of the current services with that particular client. You may want to consider this strategy while writing your upcoming case study!

Strategies to leverage the power of Case Studies 

On the same lines, let us now deep-dive into how content marketers can leverage the power of case studies to their full potential. Mentioned below are some of the strategies you can use to incorporate case studies into your organization's overall integrated marketing communications strategy.

1. Highlight the case studies on a dedicated page

When B2B customers search online for your goods and services, they will search for your company's websites as well as your rivals' websites. So make sure the case studies on your website are easy to find. Refrain from categorizing them in the section of "downloads" or "resources" list, or hiding them so profoundly that visitors need to find them on your search facility.

Offer multiple paths that will lead them directly to the stories of customers that most interest them. Feature your homepage with a recent case study. Ask your webmaster to set up a display that will generate a different case study each time the visitor clicks on a new page or returns to a given page.

Be sure to provide a link where more case studies can be found by the visitor, in case the story does not match the interests of the visitor.

2. Include case studies in white papers

Do you have a case study showing how a client used your product or service to solve a widespread problem in the industry? If so, you have the building blocks for an effective white paper . Case studies and effective white papers share the same basic structure: challenge/solution.

You will need to develop the problem section further, examine previous solutions and why they are not working, and present your solution as part of a generic class.

However, once you have described your solution, you can introduce your particular product by means of an abbreviated version of your case study.

3. Include case studies in press releases

The company press releases are the perfect platform to share customer stories with prospects, customers, partners, and employees. The case studies in your prospect press releases allow you to highlight your solutions and the different verticals that you represent.

This helps to develop trust over time. In addition, case studies are great for keeping partners informed about how customers use your solutions. You'll support their sales efforts by providing customers with new ideas that they can present. You'll also keep them excited about your partnership, as well as about your products and services.

4. Collaborate your direct marketing efforts with case studies

Many of the most popular all-time direct mail promotions start with a story. Stories are enthralling. They promise entertainment and news. Of course, they gain our attention. Hence, a well-written case study for a newsletter or a direct mail campaign can be an excellent lead material.

Moreover, with a lead drawn from a recent case study, you'll not only get the attention of your prospects right away but also establish credibility with a real-world illustration of what your company has done for others already.

5. Consolidate your SEO strategy with case studies

Case studies can be among the best content types to attract attention from search engines. Phrases of keywords are the SEO currency . And if well-written, it is most likely that your case studies will include several instances of keywords and phrases relevant to the product or service they feature.

Make sure you incorporate the links and meta tags to boost the search engine rankings. Google attaches great importance to links, so be sure to link back to your case studies from press releases, blog posts, and discussion forums that refer to them. Encourage your clients to link your website to their success stories.

Even meta tags can improve your search rankings. Ensure that the title and description tags are used well by including your target keywords in them.

6. Collaborate your case studies with your social media marketing strategy

Social media provides a range of platforms to distribute case studies to your target audience. You can post a link to your latest case studies on Twitter, LinkedIn, and other platforms. Forums are another excellent platform way to promote your customer success.

Trade associations and LinkedIn Groups provide thousands of tightly focused discussions across the entire spectrum of interests in the industry. And most of these forums will let you post links, making it easy to reach specific audiences.

Case studies are vital building blocks for your brand’s social currency. With the right balance between data and a compelling narrative, case studies go a long way in positioning your brand as the ideal choice in the minds of your prospects.

So before you rule out this collateral as mundane and boring, ask yourself again - would you order from a restaurant that is not backed by good reviews and ratings?

Other interesting blogs that might help bolster your content marketing strategy:

100+ Best Examples of Press Release Templates

100+ Brochure Examples for Sales and Marketing

100+ Testimonial Examples for Sales and Marketing

The Best White Paper Examples for B2B Marketers      

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• Marketing Collateral
• Content Marketing

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Aaron Allen » Insights » 5 Case Studies to Help You Grow in the Restaurant Industry

5 Case Studies to Help You Grow in the Restaurant Industry

With over 2,000 engagements across 100+ countries, Aaron Allen & Associates has helped some of the world’s most recognized restaurant chains, investors, suppliers, and tech companies achieve remarkable growth. We’re sharing five restaurant case studies that showcase how we’ve driven enterprise value and transformed challenges into opportunities.

These examples offer insights into how strategic actions can lead to significant, measurable results….

Our client list, as may be expected, includes many esteemed brands throughout the world. Moreover, our experience means that we have a deep knowledge of the players, market dynamics, trends, and both the micro and macro factors shaping the industry around the globe.  We are restricted by confidentiality agreements and the boundaries of our own ethical sensibilities from disclosing our clients past and present, and therefore do not provide full client lists out of an abundance of caution for discretion.  Below is a brief sampling of some of the initiatives and results we have helped our clients implement and achieve.

Restaurant Case Study #1: Casual Dining Chain Leveraging the Menu as a Catalyst for a Turnaround

Focused on reinvigorating a  casual dining  national brand through  strategic marketing , operational improvements, and executive leadership guidance during critical transition periods.

BACKGROUND AND CHALLENGE

COMPANY STATS:

• Enterprise Value: ~$2b
• Sales: >$1b
• # Units: 100-150 range

Problems identified by AA&A:

• Slow service speeds and long customer wait times
• Highest volume profit centers bleeding the most traffic
• Understaffed in peak periods
• High employee turnover
• Inefficient equipment plans and layouts
• Menu misaligned

ACTION AND APPROACH

Granted special access to extensive data, AA&A utilized advanced data science techniques to identify and address operational bottlenecks and market opportunities.

• Process flows
• Menu ideation
• Signature items
• Capacity assessment
• Productivity benchmarking
• Guest experience assessment
• Price and performance correlation
• Menu merchandizing recommendations

RESULTS AND IMPACT

• Recommendations for  changes in kitchen equipment  leading to faster service and improving returned guests statistics
• Recommendations on ”can’t do at home” items, extensions on customization ability, signature items
• A streamlined menu helped improve margins, with Adjusted EBITDA going from 23% pre-engagement to over 27%

Take Action Today

Restaurant case study #2: multi-brand portfolio strategic mid- and long-term business plan advisory .

The client was a multi-brand, multi-product platform in  Latin America .

COMPANY STATS

• The group had 10-15 brands in LATAM and was backed by one of the most important family offices in the region
• Annual revenue in the $40m-$50m range, ~10% EBITDA

Scope of work:

• 5-year plans and priorities
• Roadmap and critical path
• Budget and CAPEX parameters
• Shared services and infrastructure
• Broad-brush organizational design
• Post-pandemic growth milestones
• Identifying target growth markets
• Brand strengths  and opportunities
• Franchising vs. corporate expansion
• Business model recommendations
• Timelines for expansion

Some of the strategic advice given by AA&A that the company followed:

• M&A: Divest — AA&A recommended divesting brands to focus on the high achievers. The company exited one of the brands identified as a low-margin brand
• 5-year plans are starting to be applied, with remodels happening selectively as well as SG&A, food cost, and labor cost optimization
• Labor cost optimization opportunity in one of the countries
• Opportunity to Optimize corporate SG&A with the divestiture of low-performing brand and units

Restaurant Case Study #3: Commercial Due Diligence and Investment Thesis Validation for Foodservice Tech Company

We supported a middle-market investment group in North America with more than $200m in assets under management investing across more than 20 industries. The company was doing  diligence  for an investment in a restaurant technology company in the U.S.

TARGET COMPANY STATS

• Leading company in its category (top two by sales)
• Had raised a cumulative of close to $100m in funding at the time of the project

Support with custom research to evaluate the market, positioning, and risk of a target company in the foodservice technology space. Insights into the foodservice industry landscape included:

• State of the Industry
• Total Addressable Market
• Competitive Landscape (past, present and future)
• Timelines for Growth, Partnerships
• Consumer Decision Process, Penetration and Retention
• Adoption Rates
• Risk and Relevance for the Technology
• Disruption and Mitigation Strategies
• Forward-Looking Support with Investment Thesis

ADVISE AND IMPACT

• The diligence work from AA&A advised in favor of the investment, with a few yellow flags for competitive threats
• Three years later, the target company had its IPO and raised more than $100m in cash, giving an opportunity to exit the investment and make a return in a short time

Start a Transformation

Restaurant case study #4: qsr operations audit and sales turnaround for  multi-brand f&b group.

Illustrated comprehensive value creation through operational and financial analysis, leading to an IPO and substantial revenue growth. The focus was to streamline operations, ignite growth, and pave the way for a substantial IPO.

• ~20 brands across 15-25 countries and 2,000+ outlets
• Large operator in Food Away From Home and QSR across MENA
• Master franchisee and proprietary brands
• On-site field work, visiting every major market for each brand (1k+ photo observations)
• P&L gap analysis
• Systems gap analysis, accuracy, SOPs assessment
• Location performance cross-section assessment
• Labor analysis
• Purchasing analysis, supplier analysis
• Menu analysis, comps
• Tech stack gap analysis
• Employee survey, morale assessment

This project demonstrates AA&A’s capability to facilitate large-scale strategic overhauls and highlights our expertise in steering companies towards successful public offerings

• Sales Turnaround : Strategic initiatives, particularly in technology and operational efficiencies, led to a +12% boost in same-store sales for the leading brand
• Investment into New Categories : strategic advice to acquire brand rights for high-growth-forecast categories led to the expansion in coffee
• Service Standards : suggestions to improve service, speed, order accuracy, and cleanliness led the company to obtain accolades from the franchisor and improvements in operations compliance scores of 60%
• Productivity improvements : the year after the engagement employee productivity increased by close to 10%

Restaurant Case Study #5: Comprehensive Understanding of the Foodservice Equipment Landscape

An Original Equipment Manufacturer (“OEM”) had questions relative to commercial foodservice equipment purchases, technology/innovation, and restaurant decision-making. The company was looking to get a  comprehensive understanding  of the foodservice equipment (FSE) landscape to decide whether or not to get into the foodservice space at scale.

• $20-$30 billion range in annual revenue
• More than $1 billion adjusted free-cash-flow
• 60k-80k employees range

Insights into the foodservice industry landscape, including:

• Competitive landscape
• Deep dives into competitors’ product portfolio
• Equipment acquisition cycles for restaurant chains
• Restaurant chain typical equipment allocations
• Equipment efficiencies in labor, maintenance, food cost, etc.
• Complexity and variations by type of restaurant segment
• Cost of switching/stickiness
• Restaurant decision-making process (mind of the buyer)
• Decision-making for franchisors vs. franchisees
• Operating model OEM-dealer/distributor

Drawing on our firm’s industry experience, expertise, network, know-how, and know-who, we applied a holistic approach and combined anecdotal, qualitative, and quantitative insights to provide answers and tools:

• Audited the competitive landscape and areas of opportunity
• Surfaced white space and identified gaps existing in the offerings of domestic commercial foodservice equipment providers
• Introduced opportunities for disruption via innovation related to labor automation and alternative formats
• Recommended a dual focus on North America as the biggest segment but also a different market as the fastest-growing
• Inorganic approach to fast growth

About Aaron Allen & Associates

Aaron Allen & Associates  is a global restaurant consultancy specializing in brand strategy, turnarounds, and value enhancement. We have worked with a wide range of clients including multibillion-dollar chains, hotels, manufacturers, associations and prestigious private equity firms.

We help clients imagine, articulate, and realize a compelling vision of the future, align and cascade resources, and engage and enroll shareholders and stakeholders alike to develop multi-year roadmaps that bridge the gap between current-state conditions and future-state ambitions. Learn More.

Global Restaurant Industry Experts

We are focused exclusively on the global foodservice and hospitality industry. You can think of us as a research company, think tank, innovation lab, management consultancy, or strategy firm. Our clients count on us to deliver on our promises of meaningful value, actionable insights, and tangible results. 

Founded and led by third-generation restaurateur, Aaron Allen, our team is comprised of experts with backgrounds in operations, marketing, finance, and business functions essential in a multi-unit operating environment.

How We Help

We bring practical, relevant experience ranging from the dish room to the boardroom and apply a holistic, integrated approach to strategic issues related to growth and expansion, performance optimization, and enterprise value enhancement.

Who We Serve

Working primarily with multi-brand, multinational organizations, our firm has helped clients on 6 continents, in 100 countries, collectively posting more than $200b in revenue, across 2,000+ engagements. 

We help executive teams bridge the gap between what’s happening inside and outside the business so they can find, size, and seize the greatest opportunities for their organizations.

• Strategic Advisory
• Growth & Expansion
• M&A Advisory
• Risk & Relevance
• Private Equity
• Future of Foodservice
• Middle East
• Due Diligence
• Aaron Allen

Quick Links

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• Alternative Foodservice Formats
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