Most AVN prep starts too late because it's treated as one task instead of five s
By Ant Finch · October 5, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
Most AVN prep starts too late because it's treated as one task instead of five stages.
I built this process because the knowledge kept disappearing between cycles. Here's the timeline that works, worked backwards from the negotiation window..
8-10 weeks out: Prep & data pull.
Net PPM, sell out trend, cost to serve, CRAP risk, current terms breakdown, all pulled ahead of the amon negotiation.
6-8 weeks out: Baseline review.
Test current terms against actual your own margin. Review margin at sku level and identify risks and mitigating actions.
4-6 weeks out: Negotiation prep.
Model the negotiation, score every ask, yours and theirs, on priority and likelihood of delivery. Agree the non negotiables separately from the would likes. Map the relationship and identify escalation routes
The negotiation window: Negotiate & lock.
Anchor on your own target close date, not Amazon's.
Expect the opening ask to sit well above where it lands.
Document concessions and their P&L impact
Immediately after close: Cascade & document.
Write up what changed and what it was traded for activity and ROI.
File it where next year's owner will find it. Diarise the review point before next cycle starts.
Most vendors are strong on stage one and improvising by stage three.
Which stage does your team currently skip?
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