STRATA:G® Financial Calculators

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More "Conversation Starters" with Retailers

Use when sitting with a retailer, in person or virtually.

Non-threatening, engaging tools prompt questions, and insights.

And the beginning of a new business connection!


 Try these "Conversation Starters" for yourself, take a "TEST DRIVE" with someone in your office.

Financial Strength Rater

Here is another unique retail financial conversation-starter tool: the Financial Strength Rater. Once again, it reflects the Retail STRATA-G focus on the Balance Sheet (a contrast to the typical retailer's focus on "top line sales" and "the bottom line.")

When sitting with a retailer (or meeting via video conference), use this tool to explore how resiliant their business might be. How much adversity might it withstand?

  • Quickly see the trend of the "vital signs" of their business; is each one up or down, slightly or substantially?
     
  • What does that mean? Get a score of 1 to 5 for each one, pinpointing areas of strength as well as potential trouble spots.
     
  • And, see what the overall total suggests about the resilience of the business moving forward.

To see it in action, just go to the Retail Benchmarks section. Choose a specific retail vertical, and use the most recent two years of their ratios. 


ℹ️ more info on The ROI site

Retail SALES Potential

Here's another example of a non-threatening "conversation starter" with a retailer. Given their average inventory level throughout the year, how do their sales compare to other retailers in their vertical?

The Index of Sales Potential has the answer. Just enter their average inventory @cost for the year, choose a retail segment to compare with, and find out!

Then, be prepared for the ensuing discussion, when asked "What does this mean?"

You and your client wil not only see annual sales volume for other retailers, but also the Gross Margin % and Inventory Turmnover rate for the median performing retailer.  

See how quickly some important financial drivers of a retail business have surfaced? 


ℹ️ more info on The ROI site



Growth & "Bankability" Rater

Here is a fast, simple, and extremely telling measure of a retailer's financial viability!

Calculating GMROI enables any retailer to quickly assess their effectiveness at managing their largest asset: their inventory.

Now, thanks to our unique GMROI Growth & Bankability Rater, any retailer can see how their productivity compares to the average performing retailer in their segment. Get a quick comparison of retail financial viability. 

This proprietary tool works for any retail operation, from $2 million to $2 billion, no matter the merchandise they sell.

What It Can Reveal

GMROI Higher than Average?
Retailers whose GMROI is higher than the average for their segment are managing their inventory more efficiently and achieving greater productivity than their peers. 

These retailers are financially stronger than the others in their segment.

GMROI Lower than Average?
Conversely, a retailer whose GMROI is lower than the average for their segment is very likely to be in a cash crunch, or approaching one.

Reminders

  • GMROI is best used as a comparative measure; compare stores, or departments, or even vendors.
  • GMROI reflects both margins and turns, and therefore reflects the financial dynamics in retailing.
  • There is no one right answer for what GMROI "should" be. Given the variety of margins and turns between retailers in different segments, there are significant differences in average GMROI between specific retail segments.

Quick • Verifiable • Sophisticated • Uniquely Retail


ℹ️ more info on The ROI site

10 MAR
2023

"Test drive" the Conversation Starters

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Using the "Conversation Starters"

The best way to use these tools is with a retailer to literally "start a conversation" based on their financial statements. 
If you want to try them out first, sit with someone else – anyone else – in your office. Even the most senior pros will see how these make numbers on a financial statement start to come alive.

 

1. Look at the "RETAIL KPI BENCHMARKS" tool

  • Choose any retail vertical from the dropdown menu. 
  • Now, choose another one. 
  • And another. 

"Well," a retailer would ask, "what are MY ratios?" 

Bingo! Find out quickly with the KEY RATIOS Calculator. Just use that retailer's financial statement for the inputs. 

(For your "test drive" demo, go online to get the financial statements of a publicly-traded retailer.)


2. Go to the KEY RATIOS Calculator

  • From the retailer's P&L and Balance Sheet, enter numbers on the INPUTS tab for the most recent year available.

Note what questions come up when searching for those basic Input numbers on the financial statements. How easy is it for any of your clients to find these basic numbers on their financial statements?

  • Go to the RESULTS tab; see the key retail ratios for that retail operation.
    • PROFIT %
    • GROSS MARGIN %
    • Inventory TURNOVER
    • GMROI
    • CURRENT Ratio
    • DEBT-to-WORTH Ratio

Once you open the RESULTS tab, invariably retailers will ask, "Are these good?" Another good question!

For immediate perspective, just compare to their vertical, using the built-in benchmarks

To answer their question more fully, use the Financial Strength rater: How are they trending?


3. Scroll down to the FINANCIAL STRENGTH RATER

  • In the left-most column, enter the ratio results for the most recent year you just calculated.
  • In the next column, enter the ratio results for the prior year

Then, take your time to review what this tool shows.

  • Note the "Trend" and the "Score" of each ratio
  • Click the "Info" button for each ratio, for background, as questions arise
  • Finally, see the Financial Strength score 

These are business-discussions-waiting-to-happen. How is this retailer trending: up, down, or sideways? Where are they particularly strong? Where might be areas of vulnerability? 


Now You're Talking! 

Again, the point is not that the "Financial Strength score" is an absolute. No! 
But it does prompt discussions. Questions. Quibbles. "Yeah, but..." And new insights.  
All driven by the financial statement of a retail business!
 
For the senior management of any retail operation, these are powerful conversations to have; powerful insights to gain.  
 
True, we call these tools "Conversation Starters." But they really are empowering new business relationships!
 

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The STRATA:G® Financial Calculators are offered as on-demand tools for professionals to assist business owners with some of their toughest management challenges: profit planning and cash flow. While we encourage the regular use of all of our calculators, we shall be held harmless and not be liable for any recommendations by any users of these calculators or decisions any business person chooses to make as a result of these pro forma calculations.