Dr. Deming on Lean in 2012

Actually, I was not able to pull that off. Instead, I interviewed what I consider one of the, if not the best source on Dr. Deming, John Hunter. John has an interesting lineage with Dr. Deming and in the interview, we talked about some of that history and why the thoughts of Dr. Deming have Read More …

Sales Process Engineering is not Lean Sales and Marketing

It is not the Process, it is the Conversation Joseph Juran observed, “There should be no reason our familiar principles of quality and process engineering would not work in the sales process.” In Management of a Sales Force, a sales process is presented as consisting of eight steps. These are: Prospecting/Initial contact Pre-approach planning the Read More …

Sales and Marketing are not Product Development or Innovation

I find it interesting to watch as people try to take their product development skills and innovation tactics and apply them to Sales and Marketing. I will admit there are a “few” similarities but what works for development and innovation does not necessarily work for established brands.  Even when you go to market with new Read More …

Mapping Customer Pains to your VP

Business model innovator Alexander Osterwalder author of Business Model Generation: A Handbook for Visionaries, Game Changers, and Challengers lays out reasons to map a product or service’s value proposition with the actual pains customers face. Using building blocks from his business model canvas framework, Osterwalder maps the relationship and discusses, with interviewer Steve Blank, how Read More …

Lean Construction with Rubrich

Larry Rubrich of WCM Associates LLC has over 35 years of experience in engineering and manufacturing in the automotive, industrial, and consumer product areas. He has held the positions of product engineering, chief product engineer, product manager, customer service manager, area manufacturing manager, continuous improvement manager, and plant manager with fortune 100 corporations. Larry spent Read More …

Jobs to be Done – Explained by Dr. Deming in 1950

John Hunter has been enlisted to write the Deming Blog and discussed this speech in great detail in a recent blog post, Speech by Dr. Deming to Japanese Business Leaders in 1950. The Deming Blog is a newly created effort by the Deming Institute. John is my guest next week on the Business901 podcast. Clayton Read More …