Revenue's down, or costs are up. Find out why, then recommend a fix. The most common case type you'll see, and the easiest one to structure badly, because it looks deceptively simple.
Same shape every time. The skill is in how carefully you drill down, not in memorising the tree.
The specific drop (how much, over what timeframe), and what's already been ruled out. Don't assume, ask.
Say it out loud before you go further. This is the spine everything else hangs off.
Has price moved, volume moved, or both? Within volume: fewer customers overall, or the same customers buying less each time?
Has a specific cost category actually moved, like input costs, labour, overheads, or is cost stable?
Once you know which side moved and why, brainstorm solutions aimed at that specific driver, not a generic "cut costs" or "raise prices."
Roughly size the impact of your recommendation. A number, even a rough one, beats a purely qualitative close.
Profits down 15% over the past year. Footfall is roughly flat. Average spend per customer has dropped.
Notice what didn't happen: no jump to "cut costs" before confirming which side of the equation actually moved. That's the entire skill this case type is testing.
Treating "revenue is down" as the full diagnosis. Price vs. volume are different problems with different fixes, naming the wrong one costs you the case even if your maths is perfect.
Worth knowing all four before you walk in, you won't always get to pick which one shows up.