Robert Tripp | A Master Black Belt Explains Organizational Change and Operational Excellence
Robert Tripp got involved in Six Sigma early in its adoption within American businesses. Since then he has integrated the Lean philosophies and worked with organizations large and small on focused projects as well as company-wide deployments. In our conversation, he […]
Charles Chen | How Systems Thinking Influences Sales Organizations
Many past guests have come from engineering or similar careers… they’re attracted to Lean and Six Sigma because they know success requires data and systems thinking. Once they are touched by how scientific approaches work in sales, they are never the same again. Charles Chen is no exception. A Master Black Belt in Six […]
Adrian Figueroa | A Foundation for Excellence
Adrian Figueroa says the human element is one thing too many people trying to implement lean principles don’t pay enough attention to. He shares the ‘soft skills’ he uses to get buy-in from everybody from the assembly line to the sales and marketing department. As a Lean Facilitator at Cadence Aerospace, Adrian is no […]
Greg Helfrich | Building the Sales Process Into the Company, Rather than the Salesperson
Greg Helfrich, national operations manager at Elrus Aggregate Systems, had a simple question: His salespeople were good a what they did. So, why were some able to sell at list price, while others couldn’t? That kick-started an ongoing journey to create improvement. They already had decent sales training. But sales training is general, not […]
Andrea Fabbri | Creating Your Brand Scientifically
Say the word brand and most people think of iconic companies like Nike or Apple with flashy slogans or logos. But in the B2B context, brand is very different. And, as Andrea Fabbri of Branding Business explains, creating a brand identity is not some vague, touchy-feely process. An effective brand that can guide sales and […]
Burke McCarthy | How to Grow (Relative to Your Competitors) During Any Recession
Too often, says Burke McCarthy, companies focus on their product… the technology they’re offering, as well as the price. But prospects and customers don’t care about that. No, they’re looking for value. And that exists only between their ears, not in your product. This recognition fundamentally changes how you approach sales and marketing. Burke reveals […]
Bob Apollo | Structural and Cultural Prerequisites for Sales Improvement
In his second appearance on the podcast, Bob Apollo highlights the three things the sales team as a group must understand about their prospect to sell effectively, efficiently, and profitably. Bob points out that the “silos” bedeviling many organizations can’t be avoided without disseminating this knowledge from the frontline to the back. Tune in to […]
Bill Zeeb | Strengthening Your Leadership Muscles
Before you can lead others, you have to lead yourself effectively, says Six Sigma expert Bill Zeeb. 20+ years as a six sigma trainer and master blackbelt led Bill to analyze specific areas where leaders fall short. He uses a structured approach for incremental improvement that takes the emotion out of the process and sets […]
Bob Apollo | The Art, Science, and Engineering of Sales Management
Where do many organizations plateau – or even see a decline – in sales? Bob Apollo, of Inflexion Point, says scalability can’t happen when sales are based on individual efforts rather than a structured approach. But that doesn’t mean Bob is a huge fan of process in sales… at least the rigid way many organizations […]
Frank Swiatek | The Cure for the Common Cold Call (Part 1)
In this edition we have a unique opportunity to hear from sales consultant Frank Swiatek about how he’s helping the local branches of a national organization to transform their sales process. Following a rigorous method, he’s showing salespeople how data they collected reveals small improvements they can’t see on their own. We get to walk […]
