Starting Point for Lean Sales & Marketing

My best approach has been to simply start with developing a culture of PDCA and teamwork through a mini – Hoshin Kanri type plan or the use of the The 4 Disciplines of Execution. I have included a step by step guide called, My First PDCA. This guide can be used by one leader with multiple teams, multiple leaders with their own teams, etc. Following 4DExectution strategies, you want this effort to encompass only around 10% of anyone’s time. The remaining 90% should be spent on doing what they normally do. However, people must be held accountable for this 10% and it cannot only be done when there is time. A recent blog post describes the methodology, 4 Disciplines of Execution – Lean Simplified

I caution you not to jump into the fray with immediate thoughts of waste reduction, data collections efforts and rigid procedures such as scripts and standard work. You first must bridge the gap between operations (supply side thinking) to the sales and marketing side (demand side thinking). It is not the same.

Start with an isolated segment as a prototype. That segment can be a particular value stream, a geographic area or one specific goal (this may include to many people) that has been decided on from your annual Hoshin. The successful ingredient in this equation is that we address specifically one or two goals that can be addressed in the next 90 to 120 days. I recommend not addressing problems but rather aspirations; using the Appreciative Inquiry method of Discovery, Dream, Design and Destiny. When you are dealing with Sales and Marketing, it is important not to be problem solving initially and trying to achieve buy-in but rather taking a positive spin and looking at how to stretch goals and/or increase market share or revenue. This is the language of Sales and Marketing.

Are you ready to get your Sales and Marketing team off and running?