About SPC, Inc.

Sales Performance Consultants, Inc. (SPC), is an Atlanta-based thought leader in the emerging field of leanA business management philosophy with two inter-related goals: continuously improving the company’s ability to eliminate waste, and practicing respect for people. processA set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result.-based approaches for sales performance and business growth. The purpose of this website is to help propagate and develop the application of the qualityThe science of defining what the customer wants, and enabling your organization to provide it to them. and productivity sciences to customerThe person who pays for and/or uses your products and services. Also known as the "end user" (as opposed to channel partner). facing business functions such as sales, marketing, and servicing.

SPC methods build on Lean platforms common to many companies, yet are uniquely designed for the challenges of global markets, highly distributed sales teams, and an increasing dependency on channel partners and complex distribution. SPC works best with companies that have a science and engineering “evidence driven” heritage and belief system, and a respect for people.  SPC was founded in 2002 by Michael Webb, author of “Sales and Marketing the Six SigmaA widely used problem-solving method that incorporates a five-step process - DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) - and often relies heavily on statistical analysis. Way.”

Philosophy

Peter Drucker said, “The purpose of a business is to create a customer.” In addition to delivering a quality product faster, creating a customer usually also requires a means of enabling customers to buy from you. When sales and marketing helps customers solve their problems faster, mutual valueThat which one (i.e., the customer) acts to gain and/or keep. Also, that which our own company acts to gain and/or keep. is created. Applying evidence-based (rather than emotionally-based) philosophies of Lean, process excellence, and KaizenThe Japanese term for continuous improvement of a value stream or individual process (AKA continuous improvement) to sales and marketing creates technically sound methods that can not only reduce wasteThat which the customer does not want. Also, that which our own company does not want., they can increase value perceived by the customer, resulting in higher revenue, margin, predictability, and faster growth. 

However, the selling problem is unlike that of most production problems. The goal is to get people you may never even meet to act for your benefit. This requires different Lean approaches and thinking frames that have taken over 10 years to develop, test, and improve, and are still evolving with changing technology. Salespeople simply will not accept standard workA set of shared knowledge and respectful agreements about the best way of doing the work or accomplishing a specified objective. Also known as a "process." that does not help them in daily selling. Yet, salespeople (as well as marketers) often starve for insight that helps them understand how to work smarter and more effectively. Thus most customer facing departments are in need of a means for making value and waste visible and measurable. They are also in need of a means for sustaining improvements. SPC’s methods are uniquely suited for helping companies achieve these objectives.

Presenting Needs of Typical Clients

• Flat or declining sales in core businesses
• Highly variable sales results to plan
• Market share erosion
• Growth initiatives faltering or failing in deployment
• New market opportunities, but inadequate sales processes for that market
• Sales training not working; limited, fleeting effect
• CRM systems not living up to productivity expectations
• Cannot determine root causes of sales wins and losses
• Cannot execute well with distributors and channel partners
• Poor sales measurement systems; lack of actionable data
• Gaps in voice of customerData or evidence indicating what the customer wants or values. Can be structured or unstructured, verbal or written communications, or observations of their actions. data collection or translation into improvement

Next: Working with SPC