Transformative Scenario Planning & CAP Do

In my Lean Sales and Marketing work, I have become quite intrigued with the CAP-Do Cycle and Scenario Thinking. You can find out more information on the Lean Sales Method page and Planning with Scenarios. Both of these methods have taken traditional Lean thinking, and we might say turned it on its head. Instead of Read More …

My Marketing plan, any questions?

The traditional marketing outsourcing strategy is that you will find someone or an agency that has done wonders for friends of yours or can produce an outstanding portfolio of accomplishments. You will interview them, and those items of brilliance will be demonstrated. You will hire one, and they will probably deliver outstanding content. You may Read More …

Lean Sales and Marketing Workshop – Engagement

Sales and marketing can no longer operate in a vacuum. It has become a process output that intertwines across many of the departments within the organization. As companies have become flat, their decision making is increasingly being done by committee. As a supplier, you must mimic your customer decision-making path and as a result your Read More …

The Kipling Growth Strategy Map

We played around today looking for an exercise to use in an upcoming workshop. We wanted something that demonstrated working from you core value proposition and using an incremental growth strategy. I have been influenced by Chris Zook’s work, which is outlined in Repeatability: Build Enduring Businesses for a World of Constant Change and Profit Read More …

Value Stream Mapping should be left on the Shop Floor

Show a little respect for your customers and don’t use value stream mapping in the sales process. The problem is mapping becomes a prediction of what someone might do. We typically take that “prediction” and that “might” and turn them into a guide and should do. We end up trying to manage our customer through Read More …

Lean Sales Method CAP Do

Lean Sales Methods allow us to start adapting and understanding our customer needs during the sales learning cycles. We no longer can think about control and manipulation that occurs in the traditional sales funnel.  Our focus has been backwards when we have tried to improve sales from the inside-out. We must learn to focus our Read More …