Notes fromthe field.

Our frameworks applied to real questions, plus anonymised client cases. Each note answers one question and is built around one exhibit.

Exhibit 01Which segments deserve the next VND?Framework
Exhibit 02Where the value of a signed-off strategy leaksPoint of view
Exhibit 03A regional feed producer found its growth in two of seven segmentsCase · Agriculture
Exhibit 04A juice brand relaunched with one position instead of fourCase · FMCG
Exhibit 05Making marketplaces a profit channelConcept · Go-to-market

Framework

Exhibit 01

Which segments deserve the next VND?.

Put the next unit of money where the market is attractive and you can realistically win. Every other segment is a choice to defend, partner or deprioritise.

Most growth plans spread effort evenly across segments because no one has made the trade-off explicit. The Attractiveness × Ability-to-Win matrix forces that trade-off onto one page.

Score attractiveness on evidence: size, growth, margin pool and competitive intensity. Score ability to win on what you actually hold: share of wallet, brand strength, route to market and cost position. Agree the weights with finance before anyone sees the result.

Exhibit 01Which segments deserve the next VND?

Bubble size = segment volume. Illustrative output of the trade.lab prioritisation method; not client data.

The matrix makes the trade-off visible. The leadership team still makes the call, and now it makes it with the same numbers in front of everyone.

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Point of view

Exhibit 02

Where the value of a signed-off strategy leaks.

Most of the value in a strategy is lost after sign-off. Three leaks account for most of it, and each one has a simple fix.

Vague choices come first. A plan that keeps every option open gives the field no direction. The fix is to write down where you will not play.

Missing owners come second. A target without a KPI tree and a named owner becomes a wish. The fix is to build the tree with finance, so the plan and the budget use the same numbers.

Exhibit 02Where the value of a signed-off strategy leaks

Illustrative, drawn from practitioner experience. Not survey data.

Field adoption comes last. Sales teams and dealers act on what they understand. The fix is to turn the strategy into playbooks and a weekly review rhythm they actually use.

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Case · Agriculture

Exhibit 03

A regional feed producer found its growth in two of seven segments.

Concentrating the sales effort on two segments, and exiting three SKUs, restarted volume growth.

The client sold to every farm size with the same team and the same range, and volume was flat. We scored seven segments on attractiveness and ability to win, then focused the sales effort on the two at the top.

Exhibit 03Agriculture

Situation: Flat volume, sales effort spread across every farm size.
Decision: Concentrate on two segments; exit three SKUs.

Segment attractiveness, indexed; values withheld. Source: client data, anonymised.

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Case · FMCG

Exhibit 04

A juice brand relaunched with one position instead of four.

One clear position on pack turned a flat sell-out trend upward after the relaunch.

The brand made four claims on one pack, and shoppers could not say what it stood for. We chose one position, rebuilt the brand architecture around it, and redesigned the pack and point-of-sale material.

Exhibit 04FMCG

Situation: Four competing claims on pack; shoppers could not say what it stood for.
Decision: One positioning, new architecture, redesigned pack and POSM.

Sell-out, indexed; values withheld. Source: retail audit, anonymised.

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Concept · Go-to-market

Exhibit 05

Making marketplaces a profit channel.

Marketplace growth bought with vouchers rarely pays for itself. Three levers make Shopee and TikTok Shop profitable: a focused range, a price ladder that protects margin, and a weekly review that catches leaks early.

Many brands enter marketplaces with their full range and a heavy voucher budget. Orders grow, but each one costs more than it earns, and the discounts start to pull prices down offline too.

We treat a marketplace as a channel with its own role in the portfolio. That role decides which products go online, at which price points, and what the channel must deliver each week.

Exhibit 05Three levers that make a marketplace pay

Range: A short list of hero SKUs built for the platform, not the full catalogue.
Price: A ladder with a clear role per tier, plus rules for when vouchers are allowed.
Rhythm: A weekly review of margin per order, ad cost and stock, with one owner.

Concept illustration. Applies to Shopee, TikTok Shop and other marketplaces.

The same logic applies to any new channel: decide its role first, then design the range, the price and the review rhythm around that role.

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