| Continuous improvement is a philosophy that stresses | | | | customer relationship where your sales person is |
| the need to constantly look for improvement | | | | viewed by your customer as a true partner in their |
| opportunities in all dimensions of an organization, an | | | | business. This level of customer relationship takes |
| enterprise wide approach. The standard tools to | | | | time to achieve and typically, your best salespeople |
| achieve continuous improvement are found in Lean | | | | (as measured over several years) are the ones to |
| and Six Sigma. Lean focuses on elimination of waste | | | | successfully develop these types of customer |
| and redundancy through the concept of a value | | | | relationships. Value added solution selling can lead to |
| stream where all activities are classified as value add | | | | customer centric innovation when the customer |
| or non value add (waste) from the customer | | | | needs assessment process is integrated into a Value |
| perspective . Six Sigma focuses on reducing variability | | | | Stream Map as outlined below. |
| to increase quality of products and to thereby | | | | So begin by looking closely at how those salespeople |
| achieve high levels of customer satisfaction. | | | | sell when the environment is conducive to selling |
| Both Lean and Six Sigma stress the need to satisfy | | | | solutions. Begin to understand how those salespeople |
| customer expectations by eliminating waste, reducing | | | | conduct a customer needs analysis and begin also to |
| cost and raising level of quality while providing a | | | | compile information on what those customers are |
| consistent product or service to the market. Quality | | | | expressing as their needs or problems - both today |
| is defined as not just quality of products or services | | | | and in the future. Future needs are the 'wish list" that |
| provided for sale but also quality of all interactions | | | | customers begin to identify as your salespeople |
| with customers such as invoicing, responding to | | | | conduct a formal needs assessment - some of these |
| service related questions, product support etc. | | | | needs possibly can be fulfilled with your existing |
| So Lean and Six Sigma have a common philosophy | | | | products through new applications or modifications. |
| which is that continuous improvement is driven from | | | | These applications and modifications can open the |
| the customer perspective. All continuous | | | | door to new markets with minimal investment. Other |
| improvement activities including elimination of waste, | | | | needs will require more extensive investments which |
| reduction in non value add effort, increase in | | | | lead to the product and service innovation that keeps |
| productivity and reduced cost are undertaken to | | | | you ahead of the competition. You will also begin to |
| benefit your customers. Understanding this | | | | understand the problems your customers are faced |
| fundamental concept that value is defined by the | | | | with. Your organization may possess the capability to |
| customer is critical to successful implementation of | | | | solve some of those problems through your products |
| the Lean and Six Sigma philosophies. The concept of | | | | and services. |
| customer defined value is manifested in the Value | | | | To thoroughly analyze and understand your own |
| Stream Map process within Lean. A properly mapped | | | | sales process, conduct interviews with your best |
| value stream identifies all activities around a process | | | | sales people. This exercise will help you identify the |
| that produces some output which ultimately leads to | | | | challenges and barriers they face on a daily basis. |
| external exchange - products and services sold in the | | | | Accompany these sales people in the field as they |
| marketplace. The most accurate Value Stream Maps | | | | call on their best customers to understand their |
| capture the essence of why customers want or | | | | approach to conducting customer needs analysis |
| need the seller's offerings. The ability to define | | | | information gathering and how that information gets |
| customer expectations and integrate that into a | | | | synthesized. Focus on understanding what type of |
| Value Stream Map serves to bring into focus those | | | | formal process, if any, a sales person uses to input |
| value add activities that provide the ability to | | | | customer needs information back within your |
| leverage opportunity in markets. | | | | organization. How is this needs analysis information |
| To be comprehensive in defining the value stream, a | | | | translated into potential solutions which can be |
| company must strategically link its sales force to the | | | | presented to the customer? |
| value stream so that customer expectations are fully | | | | Concurrently, as you accumulate information on the |
| captured and managed to maximum benefit of both | | | | selling process in the field begin to identify the key |
| parties. Key to this effort is looking beyond today's | | | | activities around understanding customer needs. |
| customer needs. It begins the process of | | | | These key activities or steps must be integrated into |
| understanding the customer expectations and needs | | | | future sales training initiatives to focus training on |
| for tomorrow, which leads to product and service | | | | critical skills that have been proven to be successful |
| innovation. This ability to forecast tomorrow results | | | | for your organization. |
| from growing customer relationships over time and | | | | Is there an opportunity to develop a formal |
| becomes the basis for staying ahead of the | | | | consistent process for linking customer needs |
| competition while developing future high margin | | | | information back to your product development, |
| products and services with confidence that the | | | | marketing and service organizations? If so, the |
| market will adopt those new products and services. | | | | customer linkage process should be integrated into |
| Development of a strategic plan which links the sales | | | | your Value Stream Map to provide a visual tool of |
| force into the Value Stream in a proactive fashion | | | | how customers integrate into your internal processes. |
| provides competitive advantage to those | | | | If this can be accomplished, you now have |
| organizations that can build such a strategy and | | | | established a clear link to what feeds your production |
| successfully execute it. | | | | and service operations and how customer value is |
| The first step to developing a sound strategy to link | | | | defined on the front end of your internal operations. |
| your sales force to your process for innovation is to | | | | After you have accumulated knowledge on your |
| formally define the typical steps in your current selling | | | | selling process as it relates to customer needs |
| process. You might think this is a relatively easy task | | | | assessment and solution selling, replication of that |
| and that the selling process is fairly clear. However, | | | | capability should be integrated into your overall selling |
| there are some pitfalls here. What needs to be | | | | strategy. Additionally, capturing the needs expressed |
| understood and concisely defined is the aspects of | | | | by these customers and integrating this into your |
| the selling process where your best salespeople | | | | Value Stream process is fundamental to gaining |
| interact with customers and prospects to help them | | | | maximum benefit from the Value Stream Mapping |
| define their needs and identify selling opportunities | | | | process and to achieving competitive advantage |
| based on what is commonly referred to as value | | | | from your Lean Six Sigma effort through customer |
| added solution selling. The opportunity to apply value | | | | centric innovation. |
| added solution selling comes about from a strong | | | | |