Best Practice = Marketing Plan Pro + Lean Six Sigma

Best Practice is an idea that asserts that there is a technique , method or process that is more effective at delivering a particular outcome than any other technique, method or process.  I have just completed a series of over 10 blog post showing the correlation between Marketing Plan Pro powered by Duct Tape Marketing and the Lean Six Sigma process. However, at the completion of the series I still felt there was something missing. The only sensible thing to do is to walk through the issues using Six Sigma tools. The first thing I did was map out the blog posts as shown below:

Presentation1 You can vividly see the correlations I used and maybe some of the inaccuracies in the process. I felt that the Lead Conversion system should be moved under Lead Generation and into the Develop stage. But overall, I felt the analogy used in my post made a strong case that this marketing system followed sound principles and could very well be considered as a Best Practice.

I found several ways to get acceptance as a best practice which were rather rigorous and probably not needed for small business. But more interesting, I found out how ingrained the use of the term has become in the language of marketers, salespeople and industry. So, where do you turn for better definitions, customers! Marketing Operations Partners recently polled marketing leaders to find out: Four factors that survey participants said had contributed significantly to their Marketing Operations success:

  1. Clarity and consistency across the organization—shared practices, a well-defined road map and enabling infrastructure, reinforced by clear and pervasive communications that keep everyone on the same page.
  2. Executive advocacy and support to champion the value of the Marketing Operations function in achieving the organization’s objectives.
  3. A culture of accountability and alignment that fosters buy-in at all levels and rewards productive behaviors consistent with the desired vision.
  4. Processes and technology that are fully leveraged to achieve and sustain operational excellence.

What jumps out to you when you read this poll? What I see is the need for a system or marketing practice that is definable, measurable and easy to implement. Now my polling may not be scientific, but I believe the principles of Lean(customer centric, removal of waste) and Six Sigma(quality) are also components that are needed in today’s processes. Marketing Plan Pro just about works right out of the can for these needs!

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