CBAP · Question #341
A local manufacturer that serves about 1000 retail stores is experiencing a slow yet steady decrease of its customer base over the last couple of years. Attributing the situation to increased…
The correct answer is A. Perform market research to identify on which competitive advantages the sales team should focus. When engaged to investigate a stalled sales situation, the BA's first step is to perform market research to understand the competitive landscape and identify actionable advantages for the sales team.
Question
A local manufacturer that serves about 1000 retail stores is experiencing a slow yet steady decrease of its customer base over the last couple of years. Attributing the situation to increased competition, management has hired a team of sales representatives to attract new clients and promote the manufacturer's products. However, after four months there is still no progress. Management has engaged a business analyst (BA) to investigate this issue. What should the BA do first?
Options
- APerform market research to identify on which competitive advantages the sales team should focus
- BCreate a training program to close potential skill gaps for the sales team
- CReview historic sales and related data to understand what is happening to the customer base
- DIdentify appropriate training providers and send out a request for proposal
How the community answered
(29 responses)- A72% (21)
- B17% (5)
- C3% (1)
- D7% (2)
Why each option
When engaged to investigate a stalled sales situation, the BA's first step is to perform market research to understand the competitive landscape and identify actionable advantages for the sales team.
Performing market research directly addresses management's identified root cause - increased competition - by revealing which competitive advantages the sales team should be leveraging. Without understanding the competitive landscape, the BA cannot determine whether the problem lies in product positioning, pricing, messaging, or another factor. This analysis provides the evidence base required before any corrective action can be recommended.
Creating a training program presupposes that skill gaps are the cause of the sales team's underperformance, which has not been established through any analysis.
Reviewing historic sales data provides only internal trend information and does not address the external competitive dynamics that management identified as the driver of customer loss.
Issuing an RFP for training providers is a procurement action that is premature because neither the need for training nor the type of training required has been confirmed.
Concept tested: BA initial investigation and problem analysis approach
Source: https://www.iiba.org/standards-and-resources/babok/
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