What General Managers Ask About Sales Process Excellence – #1 How Does It Work?

General Managers have asked us asked us a lot of questions about Lean process excellence over the years. 

We’re counting down the top five questions, and providing the answers. Last week we answered question #2 How Do I Get Support And Buy-In To Apply The Lean Process Approach in Sales?

This week, we deal with the most popular question:

#1 How Does Lean Process Thinking Work In Sales And Marketing?

Sales (and marketing) often seem happy in their chaos, allergic to data collection or being constrained to a process. Process leaders are like the little fairy-tale girl thrown into the dungeon room full of manure. Instead of giving up, they want to dig through the stinky pile because they know “There has got to be a pony in here somewhere!”

This is reflected in questions like “What are the differences between traditional sales process and the Lean approach to sales?”, “How do we implement a visual management system in sales?”, “How does sales add value through all stages of the process?” and “How does Lean help salespeople make their numbers more consistently?” 

So, where is the magnificent pony in sales and marketing manure pile? 

Most people are simply looking in the wrong place. Don’t even bother with sales training or CRM until you face these facts. The Lean process approach is systemic, and this is entirely different than other sales methodologies.

By: Michael Webb

Process excellence separates the men from the boys in business. For a complete guide, visit www.SalesProcessexcellence.com.