The questions I get asked, answered as I'd answer them on the phone.

We already have BI. What changes?

The BI tool stays. It can only show numbers that exist somewhere, and most of the figures that matter here, like the expected return on each product or the ad spend behind each order, don't exist until somebody works them out.

Do we have to change platform?

No. It reads what you already run and nothing gets switched off. Your month-end close and the reports your team uses carry on as they are.

Can you guarantee a result?

No. I can't promise a number, because it depends on your market and on what you decide. What I can promise is that if your numbers don't justify the fee, I'll say so before you pay it.

We know our margins.

By category, usually yes. Inside one category the return rate can run from well under ten per cent to over thirty depending on who's buying and where, so a margin that's right for the category is wrong for most of the products in it.

What if our data is a mess?

It usually is. Part of the first month is working out what can be trusted, and where it can't, the definitions say so rather than guess.

When can we start?

This is one person doing the work, so clients start one at a time. Ask and I'll tell you when the next start is.

What do you need from us?

Access to the systems, and time at the start from whoever knows how your costs are booked, to agree how freight, fees, returns and ad spend get counted. After that, reading a written recommendation each month and deciding.

Our agency handles the ads.

It keeps doing so. What changes is what the budget is judged by: what each channel's orders actually make, rather than what the platform reports.

What happens to our data if we stop?

It's in your company's name already. You keep the data, the code and every definition.

Read a note on the problem you have right now, or write to me.

NotesWrite to me