Value, Value Stream, Flow, Pull, Perfection

Guest post by: Todd Youngblood
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“The future is here. It’s just not evenly distributed yet.” - By Todd Youngblood

Right off the top... If you already know that "Lean" management concepts don't apply to sales, STOP reading right now and delete this newsletter.

If you're still with me, you have at least a vague inkling that a visceral understanding and application of Lean principles can have a dramatic effect on sales effectiveness. (...and, oh baby, can it!!!) Think about your sales process in terms of the 5 Lean basics:

Value - Answer two questions about each activity you perform. What value does it provide to the customer? What value does it provide to your company? If your answer to both is something like, "not much," stop wasting time on that activity.
Value Stream - Write down the key milestones that must be reached to win a deal. Take it from identifying a potential opportunity through verifying that the customer is satisfied with what you delivered. Put them in the proper sequence. (In other words, write down the stages in your sales funnel.) Consistently follow the steps in sequence.
Flow - Identify the major factors that keep an opportunity from flowing smoothly and continuously through your funnel. Work with your colleagues to figure out ways to reduce the impact of those factors.
Pull - Identify a few situations where it was the customer that drove your sales process. Why did that happen? What caused it? What can you and your company do to re-create those circumstances? Does this thought process suggest any changes that should be made to your value stream?
Perfection - Repeat the above four steps until your sales process is perfect. (Obviously you will never attain perfection, but you just might achieve excellence if you do it well and keep at it long enough.)

As soon as you get comfortable with "Lean" thinking applied to your sales process, start applying it to the customer business processes affected by your products and services. Your customers already familiar with lean will be impressed. You'll be one of the few sales reps with that kind of knowledge. Those not already familiar with lean will see in you a whole new source of value. They will see a sales rep that genuinely adopts a customer perspective and is dedicated to making them more efficient and effective.

Pick up a copy of "Lean Thinking"by Womack and Jones. Read it. Apply its principles. Become more valuable to your customers.

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“The future is here. It’s just not evenly distributed yet.” - By Todd Youngblood

About the Author: Todd Youngblood

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Todd Youngblood is passionate about sales productivity. His 30+ year career in Executive Management, Sales, Marketing and Consulting has focused on selling more, better, cheaper and faster. He began his career in 1976 as a Marketing Representative with the IBM Corporation and for fifteen years progressed through a wide variety of field and staff assignments. He then founded and operated an Information Technology Outsourcing firm providing Software Development and Maintenance Services. In 1994, he joined an electronic commerce firm serving the insurance and healthcare industries, as Vice President of Sales & Marketing. He established The YPS Group, Inc. in 1999 based on his years of experience in Sales Process Engineering ï¿½ that is, combining creativity and discipline in the design, implementation and use of work processes for highly effective sales teams. Todd has worked extensively with firms in the Distribution, Manufacturing, Insurance, Services, and Telecommunications industries. He is the author of two sales management books, The Dolphin And The Cow and Think About Itï¿½ He is married, has two daughters, enjoys cycling, is a second degree black belt in Choi Kwang Do and serves on the board of the Cobb Symphony Orchestra.
Click here to visit Todd's website.

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Value, Value Stream, Flow, Pull, Perfection

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