Description
The Place Benchmark Tool is a powerful Excel template for teams or individuals to assess the level (from 1, low, to 9, high) of various categories related to placement optimization. It follows the criteria proposed on this website for categories ranging from channel optimization to sales enablement.
The list of topics can be easily customized, and the list of categories can be shortened or extended as required.
The application offers two different layouts:
- A horizontal layout to position the graph on a PowerPoint page with comments below.
- A vertical layout that can stand alone on a single page.
This macro-free spreadsheet provides access to all features, allowing full customization. The graphs utilize Excel’s dynamic table calculations.
Application Benefits
A key benefit of this tool is that it allows for structured discussions on multiple viewpoints related to placement. By providing this template in advance of a meeting, you enable the discussion to cover various aspects of placement, including strengths, pain points, suggestions, needs, and recommendations.
Including a Business Strategy topic as the first topic in this benchmark allows for a discussion on the business strategy elements essential for determining the placement strategy. A company’s strategy is indeed the first step in designing a go-to-market strategy. Feel free to hide this section if it is not appropriate for your context.
Multiple individuals from different businesses, regions, or functions can prepare their evaluations on the current go-to-market strategy and provide their comments, needs, and recommendations. With such preparation, meetings can become very efficient, allowing everyone to share their perspectives and contribute effectively to placement assessment and transformation.
Approach for Benchmark Deployment
Three methods can be considered:
- One-Time Meeting: In this method, everyone will discuss and discover the tool together. It requires a facilitator. Teams can be split by geographic segment, product segment, or varied team composition. Share a version of this file with each individual.
- Pre-Meeting Preparation: In this setting, everyone will receive the template a few days in advance to allow them to consider their inputs. This can help set teams on the course for a discussion on go-to-market organization, performance, and settings.
- Business Meeting Deliverable: In this approach, the graph is part of a deliverable for a business meeting where branches or business units deliver their assessment of the market and discuss the company’s approach to delivering on the market.
Features
Categories are initially set to:
- Business strategy
- Channels
- Headcount
- Territory Design
- Skills and competencies
- Sales targets
- Sales enablement.
These categories can be updated as needed. You can include your own definitions for scaling as appropriate.
The rating scale is fixed from 1 (low) to 9 (high) to ensure the scale bar on the Excel graph is always visible regardless of the bar thickness.
Two areas for comments are provided:
- Comment: For sharing comments on the selected rating.
- Needs/Recommendations: For proposals and suggestions for improvements or transformation.
Advanced Features
On the “Parameters” tab:
- The bar thickness can be updated for proper visualization.
- The Number of lines refers to the size of the table, set to 7 in this version. Update this number if you want to change the number of categories on the graph.
When changing the number of lines, the graph legends will need to be realigned. For users with Excel knowledge, it will be easy to move the graph and adjust the position to align legends as indicated in the Excel file.
Categories can also be updated as needed. Additionally, more tools on this site can be useful for assessing placement, notably tools to compare solutions based on importance and impact. If part of a workshop where individuals bring suggestions and recommendations, it can be beneficial to allow teams to share, discuss, and prioritize different solutions.
Links and References
Channel benchmarking becomes clearer when linked to the placement framework. Refer to Place Mix Strategy for context.
Usage & Licensing
Please review the Sales Conditions published on this website to fully understand your rights and the restrictions regarding the use of this product. Our products are intended for professional use only and are not designed for consumer purposes.
The products provided under this agreement are exclusively for the individual buyer or members of the same business unit. Sharing, distributing, or making them available to individuals or teams outside the designated user or relevant business unit is strictly prohibited. For software licensing purposes, a business unit is limited to a maximum of 100 employees, including full-time, part-time, and temporary staff. Additional licenses must be purchased in multiples of 100 if this limit is exceeded.
The provided download link is valid for two months and allows up to 10 downloads. Be sure to save a copy before the link expires or the download limit is reached. Users have full access to the application product, including any embedded macros, and may make necessary adjustments to suit their needs. However, all branding, trademarks, and references to marketingdecision.org must remain visible and intact within the application.
Ensure that you have Microsoft Excel and a PC running Windows before purchasing this application.
We appreciate your feedback on how to improve this application. Feel free to share your suggestions with us at contact@marketingdecision.org
