Frequently Asked Question

The Sales Dyno answers "what if" questions about your sales. What if each invoice had 2 lines instead of 1.8? What if Brakes made 35% instead of 30%? Set the change and the Sales Dyno shows what your sales, gross profit and GP% would have come to.

Open it from FlightDeck > Sales Dyno.

Choosing the period

The Sales Dyno starts from the dates and branches set in Current Data Filters, as that period actually happened. Choose a month to see a month's worth, or the last 12 months to see a year's. Every change is applied to that period with everything else held as it was.

Sales Levers

Net sales are made of four parts multiplied together, the same four as Why Sales Changed on FlightDeck:

Type a new value, or drag the slider to raise or lower it by up to 25%. Under each lever:

• On its own: what that change alone would add to sales.
• Comparison period: the same figure for the comparison period in your data filters.
• Last 12 months: for lines per invoice and value per line, the lowest and highest they have been in a month, and your best month. A target inside that range is one your business has already reached.

Changes to several levers multiply together. For example, 5% more customers and 10% more lines per invoice give 15.5% more sales.

Category Margins

Each category sold in the period is listed with its sales, its GP% now and the Minimum GP% set for it in Counterpoint. A GP% below the minimum shows in red.

• Type a New GP% for any category to see the profit it would add at the same sales.
• Bring below minimum up to it sets every category that's under its minimum to its minimum in one step.
• Use the search box to find a category, or Show all to list every one.

Dyno Run

The top of the page shows Net sales, Gross profit and GP%, with what they were and what they would be with your changes. Reset all clears every change.

What the Sales Dyno assumes

• Everything you don't change stays as it was in the period.
• A higher GP% is assumed to sell the same amount. In practice a price rise can cost some volume, so treat a margin result as the most it could add.
• When sales rise, each category keeps its share of sales.

These are scenarios worked out from your own figures, not forecasts. Nothing you try is saved or changes anything in CP2 or Counterpoint.

Ideas to try

• Set lines per invoice to your best month's figure, to see what selling one more item per order is worth.
• Bring every category below minimum up to it, to see the profit being given up today.
• Add 5% more customers buying, to see what winning back a few accounts would do. The Call List shows which ones to start with.