How Sales Intelligence Can Help Your Supply Chain
- James Jacobson
- 26 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Most people think supply chain efficiency is built in warehouses and spreadsheets. But a big part of it actually starts with customer conversations. At No Waste Australia , I see the same challenges every week: excess inventory, short-dated product, missed promotional windows. And one thing has become clear- sales teams can influence supply chain performance just as much as logistics or procurement.
Where Sales & Ops Break Down...
Forecasting without fresh intel: supply chain works off outdated assumptions while sales hear the latest from retailers.
Promotions catching ops off guard: marketing launches a half-price deal and the warehouse scrambles.
Retailer behaviour surprises: last-minute planogram changes, deletions or DC cut-offs that sales know about but ops doesn’t.
4 Ways Sales Can Fix It:
Be the early warning system – share intel as soon as customers signal slower sell-through.
Build forecasts together – joint sessions across sales, supply chain and category cut down on guesswork.
Close the loop post-campaign – share results so ops can plan future demand and stock levels more accurately.
Be ahead of the game. If sales forecast potential SLOB stock, minimise the damage early by clearing it before it’s worthless. That could mean reducing inventory to a truer figure or running more promotions while the product still has value.
Why This Matters More Than Ever
With shorter product lifecycles, the pressure to launch new products (NPD) has never been greater as businesses fight to stay relevant, ahead of the pack, and give marketers material for advertising. Combine that with stricter retailer requirements and more pressure to reduce waste, and the “sell it at all costs” mindset no longer works. The brands that win will be those where sales and operations work as one team, not separate departments.
The No Waste Australia Approach
At No Waste Australia, we don’t just move excess inventory, we help businesses dig into the root causes, from forecasting gaps to promotional misalignment. Clearing stock is often the first step, but the real success comes when we work with teams to strengthen their supply chain planning. If that leads to more business with us, so be it. If not, we’ve still reduced waste and delivered a smarter outcome. How do you make sure your sales intel reaches ops before it’s too late?
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