“The market rarely tells you its problems through reports. It reveals them when you walk into a retailer’s shop and start listening.”
A Lesson I Learned Outside the Factory
For most of my career, I solved problems inside manufacturing plants.
When production declined, we studied machine utilization.
When quality deteriorated, we investigated the process.
When costs increased, we analyzed productivity.
Data, root-cause analysis, and structured problem-solving became second nature.
Then I was asked to work on a Go-To-Market transformation project.
I assumed the approach would be similar.
Collect reports.
Review sales data.
Identify low-performing areas.
Design corrective actions.
Simple.
Within a few weeks, I realized I was completely wrong.
The market doesn’t behave like a factory.
Machines behave predictably.
People don’t.
Customers don’t always tell you why they stopped buying.
Retailers rarely complain until they lose business.
Wholesalers develop workarounds that never appear in reports.
Sales representatives quietly accept problems because they have lived with them for years.
If we had designed our GTM strategy from spreadsheets alone, we would probably have solved the wrong problem.
That realization changed my approach forever.
Every Number Has a Story Behind It
Our initial sales reports clearly showed that one region was growing much slower than expected.
Many organizations would have immediately launched promotional schemes or increased sales targets.
Instead, our leadership team asked a different question.
“What is happening in the market that our reports cannot explain?”
That single question became the starting point of our transformation journey.
Instead of sitting in conference rooms discussing assumptions, we decided to go where the business actually happened.
The market.
Discovery Started with Observation, Not Solutions
One mistake many organizations make is falling in love with solutions before fully understanding the problem.
We consciously avoided that trap.
Our first objective was not to increase sales.
Our first objective was to understand the ecosystem.
We began by mapping the market.
Not just wholesalers.
Not just retailers.
The complete journey of how products reached customers.
We wanted answers to questions that no dashboard could provide.
- Which retailers were not selling our products?
- Why were they choosing competing brands?
- Were they aware of our complete product range?
- How easy was it for them to place an order?
- Were deliveries reliable?
- Were stock-outs affecting confidence?
- Did wholesalers have the right assortment?
- Were sales representatives spending time with the right retailers?
Every answer generated another question.
Slowly, a much clearer picture began to emerge.
Going to the Market Changed Our Perspective
One of the biggest lessons from this project was the value of spending time with people rather than presentations.
We met retailers in their shops.
We observed customer interactions.
We listened to wholesalers explain operational challenges.
We travelled with sales teams.
We discussed issues with field representatives.
We compared what reports suggested with what was actually happening on the ground.
Many assumptions proved incorrect.
Some retailers were not dissatisfied with our products.
They simply didn’t know about the wider range available.
Others wanted to work with us but experienced delays in replenishment.
Some preferred competitors because ordering was easier.
A few had stopped buying because earlier service issues had never been addressed.
The problem wasn’t demand.
The problem was accessibility, visibility, and execution. That insight completely changed the direction of our GTM design.
Mapping the Invisible Market
One of the most valuable exercises during the project was retailer mapping.
Instead of focusing only on existing customers, we expanded our view.
We identified retailers who were selling competing suiting fabrics but not ours.
Each retailer represented an opportunity to learn.
Not every retailer became a customer immediately.
That wasn’t the objective.
The objective was understanding.
Why had they never partnered with us?
What mattered most to them?
What would encourage them to try our products?
Which product categories had the greatest potential?
What support did they expect from a supplier?
This information became far more valuable than simply counting sales calls.
It helped us redesign our market approach based on evidence rather than assumptions.Discover phase resign & depicted in below infographic
Data and Conversations Must Work Together
One interesting realization was that data alone was not enough.
Neither were conversations.
The real value emerged when both were combined.
Sales data showed us where the problem existed.
Field visits explained why it existed.
Technology helped us identify patterns.
People helped us understand the reasons behind those patterns.
This combination became the foundation of every decision we made during the project.
The Turning Point
There was one moment that stayed with me throughout the project.
A retailer looked at us and said,
“Your products are good. But good products alone don’t keep my customers waiting.”
That sentence summarized the entire challenge.
Customers value availability as much as quality.
Retailers value responsiveness as much as pricing.
Channel partners value simplicity as much as incentives.
Revenue grows when businesses remove friction from the customer’s buying journey. That conversation reshaped the way I viewed Go-To-Market strategy.
What Discovery Taught Me About Leadership
Looking back, I realize this phase was not just about understanding the market.
It was about understanding people.
I learned that leadership begins with curiosity.
Not with authority.
Good leaders don’t rush to provide answers.
They ask better questions.
They observe carefully.
They listen without judgement.
They validate assumptions using evidence.
Most importantly, they remain willing to change their own thinking when the facts demand it.
That lesson has stayed with me throughout my later work in manufacturing, warehouse transformation, SAP implementation, and digital initiatives.
Technology may evolve.
Markets may change.
But the principle remains the same.
Every successful transformation begins with discovery before design.
Practical Lessons Every Business Leader Can Apply
Before launching your next transformation initiative, ask yourself:
✅ Have we visited the market ourselves?
✅ Are we solving the customer’s real problem or our internal assumption?
✅ Have we spoken with retailers, distributors, and frontline employees?
✅ Are we combining data with field observations?
✅ Have we mapped opportunities, not just current customers?
If the answer to any of these questions is “No,” the first phase of your project should not be implementation.
It should be discovery.