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08/25/2011 05:00 PM
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How do we apply lean for Sales and Marketing functions?
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08/26/2011 03:31 PM
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The first thing is to not regard them as separate. They are an integral part of the overall flow. Sales and marketing have a direct impact on operations.
http://theleanthinker.com/2008...accurate-forecasting/
Then there is applying continuous improvement to the sales and marketing process itself.
It is a little trickier because the effect of your actions is not so tightly linked as it might be in production, but still, the key is to have a clear objective and action plan (PLAN) that is carefully carried out (DO) with verification of execution and outcome vs. the expectations (CHECK) followed by deliberate reflection and learning (ACT).
Drilling down even further, how much of a sales person's time is spent doing things other than selling? What takes them a way from their core activity? Can you eliminate the need for some of those activities?
Same for marketing. What takes people away from developing the campaigns and delivering them? Creative processes are actually full of rote, routine work, much of which stifles true creativity. Study what people actually have to do (don't just ask them) and determine how you WANT the work to proceed, develop a target, then start systematically solving the problems that are in your way.
Fundamentally, the same thinking applies here as would apply to any process. Just be sure you do it all in a way that builds people's improvement skills - because that is what you are actually "continuously improving."
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08/26/2011 03:31 PM
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If your definition of Lean is "waste reduction" and if your consider excessive use of time to be waste, you could then use lean tools and techniques to help reduce the amount of time it is taking to perform various functions. As Henry Ford said many years ago, "Time is money."
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08/26/2011 03:35 PM
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What is it you are accomplishing? Without a specific objective or definition of success, how can you decide if you are successful?
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08/26/2011 03:35 PM
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Hiten,
It all depends on what specific problems we are trying to solve. Some common applications are A3 Problem Solving, Strategy Deployment / Hoshin Kanri for linking and aligning activities, and Value Stream Mapping for process improvement.
Some things to keep in mind for Lean Sales & Marketing, however, are that the major output is information transfer, and there are many external and internal customers. Tools like Value Stream Mapping can be used as-is for very transactional parts of a process like order processing, but need to be modified or applied differently for less structured or repetitive activities like market research.
Brent
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10/29/2012 03:52 PM
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Lean is a method for increasing productivity. It assumes you have a system that is producing something, and that what it is producing is something of value.
So, the first place to start is to define the value the system is intended to produce.
Is it really information, Brent? I don't think so.
A although information may an output, information is not necessarily valuable. If I am a salesman and I give my customer lots of information, has value been created? If I am a marketer and I put lots of information in the company's brochures, has value been created?
In both cases, the answer is "not necessarily." So, to Brent's point, to figure out what problem needs to be solved, you must first define the value (to the customer).
So, like a good sensei, I'll leave you with a great question to consider:
What value does your sales and marketing create? Once you answer it, you will be on the road to applying Lean in order to improve.
Michael Webb
P.S. - if the question, interests you, here is an article on exactly this topic:
<http://salesperformance.com/wh...les-process-create>
Edited: 10/29/2012 at 03:53 PM by Lean Moderator
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10/30/2012 11:57 AM
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Michael,
I stand by my information comment for sales & marketing processes. Yes they are only part of a larger system or value stream, but providing customers useful information that allows them to make a better purchase decision is valuable to them as part of the whole customer journey. There is also value in providing sales & marketing information for internal customers so they can make better strategy, R&D, product development, and operations decisions.
Brent
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11/05/2012 11:17 AM
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"Lean is a method for increasing productivity"
Michael,
Just to clarify: Lean increases capacity; not productivity per se. A fine point, but an important one, I think.
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11/16/2012 08:53 AM
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In Sales ...i think while ordering the items u can apply Lean Techniques to avoid
over ordering ...and dont need to keep more unnecessary stock....so that u can
avoid Expire Date problems....that is one example..
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04/24/2013 11:58 AM
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Hello, I've been asked to run a CI workshop for our Marketing team to identify gaps and make improvements on how they currently run their Marketing Plan. Would you use a VSM, any recommendation?
Thanks
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04/24/2013 03:03 PM
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Audrey,
VSM is a great tool for identifying Marketing process problems, but typically I will use an A3 first to help scope the real problem(s) the VSM process is trying to solve. Is it a planning process efficiency problem? Is it a problem with the quality of the marketing plan itself? Or is it a problem with how external and internal customers interact with Marketing that leads to an ineffective plan? Jumping right into a VSM may yield some improvements, but there are many more inputs, outputs, and customers to Sales & Marketing processes, and we typically need to spend more time upfront identifying the purpose of the VSM exercise. Or you may learn that a series of A3s or strategy deployment may be more useful.
Do you have more insight into the problems you are trying to solve?
Brent
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04/30/2013 10:41 AM
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Brent,
Thanks.
It is actually a mix of both, quality of the marketing plan and problem with how external/internal customers interact. Plan is to include crossfuntional teams and our Agency team together for the VSM.
I will try to use the A3 tool as a preparation for the VSM.
Audrey
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04/30/2013 10:41 AM
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I like that breakdown. The concept is a little tricky as you said but if you stick to the principles they still work. Your example is well suited. PDCA appropriately applies here. We can clearly see that waste can be a problem in this process as well. For example, "how much of a sales person's time is spent doing things other than selling?" Eliminating wast is a key in any lean transformation.
Great post!
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04/30/2013 11:02 AM
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Michael,
That's a very interesting question about the value of information. I think that if the information is necessary as part of a process, it is value. The outcome though may be determined by other factors. Tons of info on a brochure that produces no customer or lots of information that doesn't produce a sale, could be due to inaccurate information or misplacement of marketing
Do you define the value to the customer? Or does the customer determine value? I would say a salesperson, for example can only attempt to interpret what's valuable to the customer. Example, a customer may want to buy a car. The most important thing to that customer is the color of the car, not price, not make etc. The salesperson may then emphasize everything except the color, totally missing value.
Your thoughts.
Don W.
Don W.
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