The Secrets to Selling the C-suite on S&OP’s Value

If it seems like sales and operations planning (S&OP) can never seem to gain traction in the C-suite, it could be more about the approach than the value that S&OP provides an organization.

Carol Cunningham, senior sales and operations planning manager at Energizer Holdings, held court at the recent Association for Supply Chain Management’s Connect 2023 conference in Louisville, Kentucky. Her theme? S&OP from the executive’s point of view.

“They’re the ones that are sponsors of S&OP,” she said, noting that to get executive buy-in to the S&OP process, planners “must make a compelling story and perspective that will get their buy-in.”

That process, Cunningham said, starts with combatting fear with confidence. There are seven steps in the process, she noted, that can help with this and position you to successfully sell the C-suite on the value of S&OP.

1. Start with fundamentals

“S&OP is a collaborative decision-making process,” Cunningham noted. The key here, she said, is to focus on the “future horizon” of at least 12 to 24 months. “Try to be fire prevention, not fire fighting,” she said.

When conducting reviews, Cunningham said to focus on volume level, not the item level, unless it is a problem. Too often, we focus on the wrong things, she said, and you lose the executive audience that is not interested in that level of detail.

Cunningham added that it is important to “learn the language” of the audience and put the data in perspective – for sales it may be dollars, but others may be interested in volumes. She also advised conducting regular monthly meetings among the S&OP department. “They are cement pillars in the ground and they are sacred,” she said.

2. Know your audience

“This is incredibly important for the executive review,” Cunningham said. “That executive team is not the same everywhere you go. People are different. Be a little bit of a detective and find out who is in your audience.”

She said to consider the executive committee your “customer.” What do they want? What are they looking for? “Meet the needs of your customer,” she said.

Cunningham suggested researching the people you will be presenting to, including their roles, background, motivations, and how they function as a group. A key, she said, is identifying the influencer, as that person is not always the CEO.

“What is their number-one problem, because if I know what their number-one problem is, then I can show how S&OP is going to help,” she said.

3. Bring the right level of data and metrics

Businesses are enamored and inundated with data today, but don’t shy away from data. Instead, identify your most valuable data and use it well. Cunningham said her most valuable metrics have come from product portfolio reviews and generating forecast value add. Create and present a streamlined view of all these metrics to the executives, but avoid sharing all the metrics – the executives are not interested in all the data, just the relevant data that tells the story of S&OP’s value.

4. Know your stuff

Cunningham said to avoid the problem of displaying all your knowledge. “You are not there to show how smart you are, you are there to communicate,” she said.

Identify what is important and “be a chameleon” by adjusting the message for the audience. Sales wants something different from S&OP than operations does. If a separate meeting is required for one department, Cunningham suggested holding that to give them the depth of the data they are looking for.

“You’ve got to be able to go into any group in the company and make them believe you are one of them. Be a chameleon,” Cunningham said. “Show people how S&OP will solve their problems.”

To do that, do collaborative analysis without criticism, attend every S&OP meeting, and listen. “Ask the questions you think the executive team would ask if they were there,” she added.

5. Turn data into insight

When presenting your data/metrics, always answer the question, “so what.” Every graph, slide, and chart should be relevant. Do not add a slide because you can, be sure it illuminates the issues and leads to a solution, Cunningham said.

Additionally, she advised keeping data visuals concise and sitck with simple colors that are consistent throughout. If you use red to illustrate a loss on one slide, be sure to use red throughout the presentation. Keep fonts consistent as well and use a 12-point font as a guideline. “If you have to go below a 12-point point, you are saying too much,” she said, adding that you should avoid eye charts. “The whole point is to help my audience assimilate to the data and [get to] the conclusions we need.”

6. Tell the story

The data and visuals are part of a storytelling mission, but like a book, if there is too much backstory, the message gets lost. Tell the executives what they need, but don’t overshare, Cunningham said. Keep slide decks simple.

7. Bring solutions, not problems

When presenting to executives, many forget this simple rule. Executives don’t want to hear about all the problems you have, they want to hear how you are solving them, Cunningham said. Tell them what you solved, what constraints you faced and how you overcame them, the options you considered and solution that was chosen.

Also, make recommendations for long-term improvement, including capital/equipment needs, and training and talent requirements. Provide the pros and cons of each.

8. Provide stewardship, not just oversight

Finally, Cunningham pointed to the role of the S&OP leader: to educate, identify pain points, align objectives with the organization’s broader goals, and help lead change management through clear communication.

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