Interviewing for a TPM?

We offer these suggestions when conducting your interviews to be sure the TPM solution you are reviewing is fully transactional. To ensure that the Trade Promotion Management (TPM) solution you are reviewing is transactional, a general frame of process & functionalities to suss out are whether the solution can do the heavy lifting to fully: 

• Plan
• Execute
• Monitor
• Settle
• Analyze

Here are a few steps you can take to avoid making the wrong choice for your team:

1. Research whether the provider developed the solution from scratch with the goal of it being a TPM solution. If not, consider that it may be a hybrid where key elements of the TPM functionality were tacked on to a limited scope solution, such as one that only focused on predictive analytics or TPO. Make sure your understanding of the necessary framework is seamless & all functionalities are covered for your enterprise.
2. Consider during the demo of the product, you are confident the details of each of the five steps in the TPM process outlined above are supported within the service.
3. Speak to some of their current client references and ask them about the effectiveness of the solution that they have found from their experience.
4. Determine if they have support within their team that has worked on the CPG manufacturer side or with direct responsibility for managing trade spending. If they cannot take you through the process from your CPG perspective through the how & why, consider the nuances of your role and make sure you are confident in their expertise to help you navigate.

By following these steps, we believe you can ensure that the TPM solution you are reviewing is robust enough. If you are clear in a TPM’s functionalities, can determine it is capable of handling all the trade promotion management needs you may have & it clearly presents the reporting insights of your CPG brand’s needs, you are on solid ground to help your team manage an easier & smarter way to plan YOY.