This is a transcription of the Business901 Podcast, Leading the Way in Iowa Quality Training with Steve.

Leading the way in Iowa Quality Training –

About: Steven C. Wilson founded Wilson Consulting and Training Services,Inc (WCTS, Inc) as a process improvement consulting firm.  He has dedicated himself to this cause by training over 600 Six Sigma practitioners in over 70 companies in the state of Iowa. His training focuses on quality to  include  Lean, Theory of Constraints, Supply chain, Problem Solving and  Six Sigma Green Belt and Black Belt  training. Recently, he has developed new approaches to a blended learning platform and is piloting them in his Leadership and Data-Driven Problem Solving Courses. In the podcast with Steve, I came away with a feeling that he looks at his practice more from a training perspective than consulting.

Related Information:
Steve’s website: Wilson Consulting and Training Services,
Marketing your Black Belt
Sustaining Lean using Continuous Improvement: The Toyota Way
Continuously improving thru PDCA

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The Six Sigma Marketing Institute is hosting a discovery call for interested parties that are looking to join their network. Founder of the Six Sigma Marketing Institute and creator of the 5Cs of Driving Market Share, Dr. Eric Reidenbach will outline the Licensing program and the Certification process. The first discovery call will be held on Wednesday, October 20th at 3:00 PM EST.

Six Sigma Marketing is a fact-based, disciplined approach for growing market share in targeted product/markets by providing superior value. The Six Sigma Marketing Institute is dedicated to the advancement and deployment of Six Sigma Marketing. At the heart of SSM is a modified DMAIC process that provides the architecture for growing top line revenues and market share.

For more information, please go to http://DrivingMarketShare.com or to the registration page: Six Sigma Marketing Certification.

Dr Reidenbach says, “Turning the power of Six Sigma outward and focusing on growing market share will provide infinite number of value laden projects for the Six Sigma Black belts and it will help Chief Marketing Officers reject agenda-based programs that have no accountability and instead allow them to adopt a systematic disciplined approach to growing market share based on the voice of the market.”

If you are a Consulting Organization or a Six Sigma Black Belt within an organization you may want to join this discovery call to discuss this new opportunity.

A Licensed Six Sigma Marketer will receive:

• Right to sell and conduct the 5 Cs of Driving Market Share
• Right to engage in Six Sigma Marketing Value Programs
• Comprehensive Packet of Marketing Materials for lead generation
• 4 hours of training on the 5Cs of Driving Market Share
• 8 hours of Statistical Training
• 8 hours of training on the Value tools utilized in the 5Cs of Driving Market Share.
• Directory Listing on the Driving Market Share Website.

Advance Training will be offered after completion of above:

• 2 day intensive on the 5Cs of Driving Market Share.
• Certification as a Master Six Sigma Marketer
• Web page on the Driving Market Share
• Participation in the Lead Generation Program

Dr. Eric Reidenbach is the Director of the Six Sigma Marketing Institute, the leading organizations and authority of Six Sigma Marketing. His consulting services are absolutely unique. They are filled with proprietary measurement and management techniques designed to help you grow market share and top line revenues.

Disclamer: Business901 assists in the management of the program and will be the host of the Discovery Call.

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1. Comprehensive knowledge or skill in a subject or accomplishment.
2. The action or process of mastering a subject or accomplishment

Mastery, why don’t we spend more time learning about it? I have always been convinces that it is not how many tools you have in your bag but how many tools you use well. The old saying is that if all you have is a hammer then everything looks like a nail is not always a bad thing. If you are a wizard with a hammer, it may be amazing how creative you may be in fixing problems outside of a nail because of your ability to adapt and modify. In the long run you may have arrived at a solution while others are still contemplating HOW!

Michael Gerber states in the E-Myth Mastery: The Seven Essential Disciplines for Building a World Class Company that “knowing how to do the work of a business has nothing to do with building a business that works”; that entrepreneurs learn their skills through practice, practice, practice; and that anyone willing to adopt that same kind of discipline can be successful too.

Malcolm Gladwell in Outliers: The Story of Success discusses the need to have 10,000 hours of practice before they become a master of their art, profession, etc. That amounts to  3 hours a day for 10 years.

When companies are looking at implementing Continuous Improvement efforts such as Lean or Six Sigma or even a Marketing System are they really considering the commitment that they are making. In today’s world most improvement efforts have to show short term results, less than a year to be continued.  Management is usually blamed for lack of commitment for most failures. I believe that the expectations of a quick fix may be the number reason for failure. Let’s face it, is anyone telling a company that it will take 10 years to master Lean or Six Sigma? You can probably accelerate this process by  proper coaching or having you own Sensei, we know they have 10,000 hours and it  is the best way to improve your chances. You also have to have talent and experience on your side. However, it does take a little luck to be successful as described in this light-hearted look at Talent. Now, there are a couple of fowl words in the video, so you have been forewarned.

An old book, Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment ( a list in the Amazon  review section of questions is outstanding) describes 5 keys to long-term success and fulfillment as:

1. Instruction
2. Practice
3. Surrender
4. Intentionality
5. The Edge – Push the envelop

Michael Gerber made a point in his book cited above that left an ever lasting impression on me. Laying in bed one morning my wife asked me what I was thinking about it and I replied: Gerber made this comment if I really did not feel like going to work today, do you think anyone else does ( meaning my employees). That morning I decided to sell that business and pursue what I enjoy, what I really love because if you do not, seldom will you ever have the patience to develop those skills.

As an organization, are you willing to take a path of continuous improvement? Can you develop the mastery of your profession or product without it?

Related Posts:
Has Technology Killed Time?
Who is your Lean Rock star?
Marketing your Black Belt

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1. Why VOM instead of VOC?
2. Why is VOC/VOM so important to manufacturers?
3. What is the state of VOC/VOM in SS today?
4. What are the impediments to using VOC/VOM in SS?
5. How do you overcome these impediments?

Dr. Reidenbach is the author of over 20 books on marketing and market research. His most recent books include, Amazon Links:

Listening to the Voice of the Market: How to Increase Market Share and Satisfy Current Customers
Six Sigma Marketing: From Cutting Costs to Growing Market Share

Related Posts:
BEST IN MARKET USING SIX SIGMA IN MARKETING
SHOULD WORK CELLS BE USED IN SALES AND MARKETING?
MARKETING YOUR BLACK BELT

This is part 1 of a 2-part podcast.

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Marketing your Black Belt: Every 2 weeks  on Friday. Marketing your Black Belt is based specifically on addressing these issues: Customer Acquisition, Marketing, Customer Retention and Communication & Collaboration.

Get Clients NOW – 28 Day Program: Program starting on first Monday of every month: 3:00 PM to 4:00 PM (GMT-0500).Program Structure and Agenda: During the first three sessions you will receive all the tools and training needed to design your individual 28-day marketing action plan. The listing above is the starting date for the program. You have signed up to start on that Monday this listed and for the following 28 days.

Lean Marketing Assessment: First Wednesday of every month. This program will allow participants to gain a clear snapshot of their present marketing conditions and practices. The participants can use the assessment to determine areas in need of improvement and develop a plan accordingly.

Value Stream Marketing: Thursday, March 11, 2010 from 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM (ET) (New). We want our participants to learn how to utilize a Sales and Marketing Value Stream which is an entire different procedure than your typical Marketing Funnel.

Lean Your Marketing thru Referrals: Monday, April 05, 2010 at 12:00 PM (GMT-0500). These groups are the most affordable way for you to crank up your marketing and build your business. Learn new techniques, create a Referral Message that will resonate with your Customers, Not other Marketers!

How many times has a good idea failed because of a poor plan or execution? For start-ups and established organizations alike, Business901 provides effective but easy to use methodologies. It is flexible enough to allow you to apply your own ideas, while giving you guidance before, during and after. We will provide practical, information-rich, immediately applicable direction that can have immediate impacts on the success of small and mid-sized businesses. Our experience includes numerous start-ups, several turnarounds in variety of industries to include manufacturing, retail, and professional services to include marketing.

Visit the individual webinar pages for additional details

P.S.  Ask for details about our Achieving Expert Status Program

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I discovered such an advisor. Her name is Janet Switzer — and for the last 16 years she’s been quietly creating empire-building campaigns, products, promotions, deals and distribution for many of the biggest celebrity experts you’ve heard of. Jack Canfield…Chicken Soup for the Soul…David Bach…Jay Abraham…Mark Victor Hansen…Les Brown…Yanik Silver… All these stars have been her high profile clients.

I have been using Janet’s system and found it to be the quickest way to gain expert status. She has an unprecedented 21-day program to guide through each of the steps it takes to build your own empire around your area of expertise is unlike anything I’ve seen — ever.

You can experience the same advice and expertise Janet’s famous clients enjoy, when you participate in this FREE 21-Day Client Acceleration Course.  The 21-Day Client Acceleration Course is a strategies, marketing campaigns, documents, product creation techniques and other action items that have transformed the careers of clients that routinely pay this information and advice. At first I was a little perturbed, I paid for it! But the results were well, outstanding.

This is the outline, I use in developing your Expert Status. The 21-day Client Acceleration is simply a great place to start and is actually serves as a great primer for the Business901 Achieving Expert Status program.

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I have always been surprised why consultants seldom if ever develop passive income streams. They write countless articles, speak at numerous trade functions, hold workshops and webinars, all with the intent of gaining customers but miss the real reason, BECOMING A RECOGNIZED EXPERT in their field.

Speaking for myself, I never saw the complete picture nor realized how much business and revenue they were leaving on the table until I became closely associated with several of the giants in the publishing world that has reached “expert status.” If you would like to transform your career, develop passive income streams and start commanding that level of expert status, please continue.

Is it important to build an information marketing strategy? Information products are indisputably the best marketing tools for consultants, independent sales professionals, service companies and Internet businesses — because they literally do the sales work for you.

Did you have a backend product or an offer of a Free Download built into your last speaking engagement. Maybe, you receive a solid lead, maybe two from a presentation but what happened to the other twenty-five attendees. Did you give them an opportunity to acquire additional information on the presented subject matter? If you did, you may have received an additional ten more marketing opportunities. Just as important, it would be done all automatically, electronically and no additional effort on your part.

Do you need a book to be recognized as an expert? My answer: why sell your expertise for $20? Use an e-book to assist you in creating your expert status and serve as a gateway to a complete list of media products. If you do that and still want a book, publishers simply salivate when a would be author appears with an expert status, info products developed and a ready-made customer list. So which should come first? Who would a publisher prefer to publish?

Would you like to start building an expert status?

What do you get?

1. A 3-page Blogsite that I will host and create as a selling tool to include access to a shopping cart and an 8-time auto-responder series for each new signup.
2. 8 page whitepaper for download purposes – will transcribe from a phone conversation with you.
3. E-book and 2- 30 minute MP-3’s discussing your expertise and how to implement it will be created from a phone conversation with you.
4. The above book will be reproduced into printed material and CD’s if desired. Production cost not included.
5. Podcast interview and published on the Business901 Website.
6. (2)Generated News releases and released to over 50 PR services..

This program will take approximately 90 days to complete. A complete schedule will be outlined for your review. Any material requested or information needed will be transcribed and formatted from our phone conversations. I will host all services.

This is not just development of the above products. This is not a coaching program. It’s a completely integrated system that recruits new customers, sells them an entry-level product or service, and walks them through your marketing cycle. The Internet is a significant part of any revenue-producing activity for most companies. As more and more consumers go “online” looking for products, services, advice and information you and your company need to be there to meet them with information that convinces them to buy from you but more importantly with a way to buy from you immediately. This will create the activity you need to become well known and respected as an expert in the field.

ARE you interested in developing a passive income stream for life?

ARE you interested in laying the groundwork on becoming a recognized “Expert” in you field?

Do you know a friend that would benefit from Expert Exposure?

You must be accepted into this program. If interested, drop me an e-mail at jtdager@business901.com and mention I would like to become an expert in my field! I will send you the details!

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• Getting Started in Social Media
• Marketing your Black Belt
• Get Clients NOW!
• 7 Steps to Small Business Success aka Duct Tape Marketing
• Become Employable
• Becoming Self-Employed
• Lean your Marketing with Referrals
• The Pillars of the Lean Marketing House
• Get Hired NOW
• Lean Marketing Assessment
• Funding your Nonprofit
• Etc.

The reason I list them is there is a common theme in all of them and in Seth Godin’s Blog today he mentioned it in a slightly different way:

Seth’s Blog: First, organize 1,000

In Summary: What’s difficult? What’s difficult is changing your attitude. Instead of speed dating your way to interruption, instead of yelling at strangers all day trying to make a living, coordinating a tribe of 1,000 requires patience, consistency and a focus on long-term relationships and life time value. You don’t find customers for your products. You find products for your customers.

He also mentioned Kevin Kelly’s blog The Technium discussion on 1,000 True Fans.

In Summary:  The key challenge is that you have to maintain direct contact with your 1,000 True Fans. They are giving you their support directly. Maybe they come to your house concerts, or they are buying your DVDs from your website, or they order your prints from Pictopia. As much as possible you retain the full amount of their support. You also benefit from the direct feedback and love.

So what was my common theme: Most people know approximately 300 people on a casual basis. In fact, when not knowing, many wedding planners, funeral directors will use than number as a figure.  So if you know 300, does that mean your wife or husband will know 300 probably not but maybe a 100. What about both of your parents, your siblings, your cousins and people that know you well? Everyone knows 300 people. If you start working with just the people you know in a short time period you can effectively  be marketing to a 1,000 people. If you are a professional service provider, looking for a job or even a nonprofit. Getting to that 1,000 people plateau can be very effective.

1,000 is not that big of number! And it is a great goal for the New Year,  Go for it!.

Related Post:
Where do you start your job search?
Using the Theory of Constraints in Marketing
Another word for Marketing – How about Voice of the Customer?

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1.  Number and/or quality of targets.
2.  Number of overall leads.
3.  Number of qualified leads.
4.  Number of pipeline opportunities converted to clients.
5.  Revenue per client.
6.  Revenue retention.
7.  Growth rate per client.

The authors, Mike Schultz and John Doerr say that if you are doing an activity that will not effect one of these levers, stop doing it!

I do not necessarily agree with the complete statement as I do believe a measurement of referrals, such as mentioned in The Ultimate Question: Driving Good Profits and True Growth, also needs to be considered.  This book says the best way to gauge the efficiency of a company’s growth engine is to take the percentage of customers who are promoters (P) and subtract the percentage who are detractors (D). This equation is how we calculate a Net Promoter Score for a company: P – D = NPS.

Overall, I like the seven levers as I can see that it does provide a natural extension to measurement of a Marketing Funnel that is needed. It will highlight a specific area that is doing a great job or producing little results. The suggestion I would like to consider comes form my trouble shooting days on equipment. Seldom was the problem ever the last thing that happened. It was always a result of what happen several stages before. I can remember on the phone hearing the description of the problem and asking the customer: “What did you do right before that? Or before that?”

When problems occur it really is about finding the root cause. However, so many times the solutions are not readily apparent due to the lack of measurements. I think organization of your marketing process into a funnel, flow chart, process map or just a swim lane flow chart is a great way to start. After this step is completed, I recommend starting a Value Stream Map. Even though you will probably be unable to complete it, due to the lack of measurements you can start considering the measurements that will assist you. You may surprise yourself. If you only know three of the levers for example, it may be very simple to interpolate the remaining. After that, you can start monitoring and your numbers will start improving in accuracy.

If the authors are correct, you only need seven measurements in your process block? Pretty simple process. Wonder why we don’t do it? By the way, can you think of any other levers that might be needed?

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Comment from Transcript: “We are actually on our customer’s sites working with them day in and day out, especially in documenting intensive services where we’re able to work with them to improve their own process proficiency and improve the service that we provide to them. We’re putting our customers first and make sure that we are working on their behalf with the solutions that we can bring to their sites.”

Lean Six Sigma Advocacy at Xerox –

Related Information:

Lean Six Sigma Advocacy at Xerox

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Marketing needs to do a better job of using statistics and especially variation. When I start talking numbers to people, and what they mean, I get looked at like someone that is just trying to complicate a creative process. Improvement is about numbers. Measurement is about numbers. The truth is, marketing is about numbers. So why not employ more of the Six Sigma methodology? I understand that achieving the quality that Six Sigma represents may be difficult but the principles and tools should, nevertheless be utilized.

Your present marketing data more than likely is flawed and ineffective. Comparing one number to another is just ineffective. Comparison is limited because numbers are subject to variation and without variation taken into account the data is distorted.

Don Wheeler starts his book by saying that comparing numbers to specifications will not lead to improvement. Specifications are the Voice of the Customer. The specification approach will not reveal insights into how the process works and as a result will not tell you where you are, how you got there and how or what to improve to get out of it.

Defining this a bit: Voice of the Customer defines what you want. Voice of the Process defines what you will get from the system. Management job is to bring Voice of Customer in alignment with Voice of the Process.

Don uses examples of Control Charts,X-Charts, XmR Charts and a few other graphs. He does a nice job of mixing practical stories and making a statistical book as easy of a read that it can be. He sums up one story by saying:

1. Optimization of the parts does not equal optimization of the whole.
2. Traditional cost accountings can hide or miss the essential figures.
3. Analysis by osmosis is very ineffective.
4. Graphs communicate the data better than the tables.
5. It is dangerous to confuse a target value with the voice of the process.

Can you start using proper data in your marketing process? The book recommends starting tomorrow by:

1. Begin to collect the right data
2. Insist upon interpreting within their context
3. Filter out the noise before considering any value as a potential signal
4. Cease to ask for explanations of noise
5. Understand that no matter how the results may stack up against the specifications, a process which displays statistical control is
   performing as consistently as possible.
6. Always distinguish between Voice of Custom and Voice of Process.
7. Help others take action on assignable causes.

P.S. I typically find that most companies are not ready to start a Six Sigma project because of the lack of measurement in their processes. Having the working knowledge of Black Belt can greatly enhance getting started down the path. It is a journey and depending upon the scope of the project, not one to hastily jump into.

BTW: I recommend reading the book first.

Related Posts:

Another word for Marketing – How about Voice of the Customer?

If you are going to Improve, you have to know your math

Six Sigma Marketing

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The purpose of Hoshin Kanri is to make it possible to move away from the status quo and make a major performance improvement. Policy Deployment deploys top management policies and targets down through the organizational tree. At each level, the policy is not only implemented but translated into policies, targets and actions for the next level down. This way top management vision can be set into a coherent, consistent, understandable and attainable policies and actions that can be applied at all levels of the company and in all functions of the company.

Policy Deployment aka Hoshin Kanri

News Release

Related Posts:

Hoshin Kanri aka Policy Deployment

How much Planning is enough – Use Lean and Standardize

Ready for Operational Excellence, How to get started!

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An excerpt from the transcript: “It’s when you decide that you want to move from being a good company to a great company. That’s when you say to yourself: “OK. We need to take this path, and this path is the path of operating excellence.”

OP-EX Transcript on Operational Excellence -

Related Blog Post:

Operational Excellence, It’s about the People not the Tools

Hoshin Kanri aka Policy Deployment

News Release

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A take-off on the old McGraw-Hill Advertisement.

Thanks to David Meerman Scott for the lead to the video.

Related Posts:

• Marketing your Black Belt
• How I would Start Marketing a Black Belt
• Overview of Marketing your Black Belt
  Seminar
• Registration Page

Webinar designed for Lean Six Sigma Consultants and Organizations.

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