Generated by All in One SEO v5.0.0.1, this is an llms.txt file, used by LLMs to index the site. # Sales Performance Consultants Make your sales funnel flow faster with Lean process excellence ## Posts - [Discussion: Concepts that Change People's Thinking](https://salesperformance.com/spe_ch3/) - Why the "black box" theory of sales and marketing is wrong. Thanks for visiting this page. I want to explain why (for me) chapter three is the most important in the book. For ages (literally), we’ve been taught to believe: Whatever happens between someone’s ears is “subjective” rather than objective. (Since words they use can - [Discussion: Bringing Process Excellence to Sales](https://salesperformance.com/spe_ch2/) - How can a scientific approach improve sales and marketing productivity? To improve my effectiveness selling MRP/ERP systems many years ago, I earned certification with the American Production and Inventory Control Society (A.P.I.C.S., now the Society for Supply Chain Management, A.S.C.M.). It was rewarding to be around people applying scientific theories and succeeding. One fellow literally - [Discussion: A New Perspective on Sales and Marketing](https://salesperformance.com/spe_ch1/) - Why process excellence isn’t just something you “try.” Perhaps you recognized some of the alarming management errors described in chapter 1? You likely hope to avoid similar situations. Or you may just want to make managing your firm less difficult. Regardless, if a book is to be of value it must explain and simplify things. - [Professional Members Discussion Chapter 12](https://salesperformance.com/spe_ch12/) - Do You Need More Leaders (at Every Level)? Get the assistance you need from our staff and members of SPIF. Here is the summary from Chapter Twelve. One point of the book is that process excellence is the pursuit of values, whether as an individual or as a company. What do you think about that? Discuss - [Professional Members Discussion Chapter 11](https://salesperformance.com/spe_ch11/) - Improve Your Management System Get the assistance you need from our staff and members of SPIF. Here is the summary from Chapter Eleven. Has your management team defined and discussed your company's management system? Tell us your thoughts about this in the comments section below. [AnythingPopup id="12"] - [Professional Members Discussion Chapter 10](https://salesperformance.com/spe_ch10/) - Need to Develop Your Channel Partners? Get the assistance you need from our staff and members of SPIF. Here is the summary from Chapter Ten. Channel partners offer lots of leverage and strategic potential. What challenges have you seen in channel partners, and what has worked for your company? Discuss your thoughts in the comments section - [Professional Members Discussion Chapter 9](https://salesperformance.com/spe_ch9/) - Need to Improve Your Customer Service (and Your Sales Too)? Get the assistance you need from our staff and members of SPIF. Here is the summary from Chapter Nine. Service is a uniquely powerful area. For example, the entire function of sales and marketing can be seen as a service. Your website definitely should be - [Professional Members Discussion Chapter 8](https://salesperformance.com/spe_ch8/) - Improve Your Sales Management Get the assistance you need from our staff and members of SPIF. Here is the summary from Chapter Eight. Getting people, especially salespeople, used to new approaches can be challenging. What have you experienced? To what extent were CAP-Do and measurement a help, or a hindrance? We would love your point - [Professional Members Discussion Chapter 7](https://salesperformance.com/spe_ch7/) - Need to Improve Marketing Operations? This essay will provide more observations from our work since this book was originally written. COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY INSTRUCTIONS - [Professional Members Discussion Chapter 6](https://salesperformance.com/spe_ch6/) - What Problem Are YOU Trying to Solve? Get the assistance you need from our staff and members of SPIF. Here is the summary from Chapter Six. The respectful agreement achieved in chapter six (through active use of CAP-Do) enables problems to be identified. Addressing them is sometimes trivial, sometimes incredibly difficult. What problems have you - [Professional Members Discussion Chapter 5](https://salesperformance.com/spe_ch5/) - What Might Improve YOUR Sales Production System? Thinking of sales as a production system does not come naturally. In this essay I want to address ways the systems thinking mindset and the traditional sales mindset are different, and what that means. Coming soon. - [Professional Members Discussion Chapter 4](https://salesperformance.com/spe_ch4/) - What VOC Do You Have, and How Could You Use It? From my perspective, the view of VOC presented in chapter 4 is one of the most important characteristics of the book. Voice of Customer is coming into your organization from many, many directions all the time. How well does your company use VOC you - [A Repeatable Approach to Sales Process Design Increases Sales Productivity 40% in Six Months Case Study](https://salesperformance.com/category-newblog-sales-process-design-case-study/) - BackgroundA European supplier of HVAC equipment to OEMs had grown to nearly €1 billion. However, their product managers were challenged to manage expectations and meet growth forecasts for various product lines due to differing languages and cultures around the globe. Two challenges stood out. First, the firm had been trying to penetrate a new market Sales Process Design incorporating Voice of Customer enables European manufacturer to achieve breakout growth in the US market. - [How To Turn Sales Around In The Shortest Possible Time](https://salesperformance.com/how-to-turn-sales-around-in-the-shortest-possible-time/) - This article tells you what do to if you have a sales problem, and need to solve it in the shortest time possible. The answer is probably not what you think. - [SPIF Tip #59: Changing Up a Sales Team Call](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-59-changing-up-a-sales-team-call/) - “Did that turn out better than you expected?” asked Jorge. “Absolutely,” said Steve. “Did you see Sally lean in when you described your account, Ambro? Plus, she was asking questions and wondering how to apply this to her prospect. She is usually pretty quiet when we have a group meeting.” “Yeah, it is so easy - [Bruce Hamilton | Playing As a Team](https://salesperformance.com/bruce-hamilton-playing-as-a-team/) - Mentioned in This Episode: NE Lean Conference Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership Bruce’s blog The Toast Video preview Michael Webb: Good morning, everyone. I am pleased to bring you my guest today, Bruce Hamilton. I met Bruce several years ago at a Shingo conference and Bruce has... Well, Bruce, let me just give you a chance to - [SPIF Tip #58: Getting Rid of Gnawing Feelings and the Value of Standards](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-58-getting-rid-of-gnawing-feelings-and-the-value-of-standards/) - It’s almost easier when things are just plain bad. Not that it is any fun. It is just easier when a problem is obvious. Right now, things are unsettled. Lots of issues nagging for a sales leader’s attention. How do you figure out what to focus on now and what can wait? I am thinking - [SPIF Tip #57: Converting Maps Into Action](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-57-converting-maps-into-action/) - When my joyride in the lake collided with an underwater stump, I realized I needed a better map, “a mental map.” Last time we described a method that enables getting this kind of information, called a “research meeting”. When times are challenging, changing, or both, skillfully conducted business-oriented conversations with customers and prospects is not - [SPIF Tip #56: In Uncharted Territory, How to Create a Map?](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-56-in-uncharted-territory-how-to-create-a-map/) - In the last article, I was left in the middle of a lake in little motorboat stuck on tree stumps I did not know were there. It was my first time on that lake. The fact that the trees had been there for years didn’t help me. I needed a map. Today most of our - [It's missing! Getting ahead of the evidence](https://salesperformance.com/its-missing-getting-ahead-of-the-evidence/) - It happens to all of us. Our mind (and our mouth) gets ahead of the evidence. Leslie and I recently downsized. Moving is stressful. Eliminating belongings to fit into a smaller space brings even more. While trying to organize the disarray in my new office, I heard Leslie start yelling, "Michael! Help! I need help!" - [Don Carli: Lessons from Listening to Your Customers](https://salesperformance.com/don-carli-lessons-from-listening-to-your-customers/) - As believers in process improvement, we know the importance of the Voice of the Customer and the value of reliable data. In today’s conversation with Don Carli we discuss the difference between Voice of Market and Voice of Customer, and how they apply not just to products, but to engaging prospects before and during the - [Process Excellence Makes Sales and Marketing Problems Solvable](https://salesperformance.com/process-excellence-makes-sales-and-marketing-problems-solvable/) - Sales and marketing executives in B2B companies seem to be working harder every year, yet consider some recent results: 62% of companies had difficulty making target revenues in 2014. (Forrester) 42% of all sales opportunities end in “No Decision.” (HubSpot) B2B companies are delaying contact with salespeople. (Google and the CEB) A pass bet at - [How Do You Map A Sales Process?](https://salesperformance.com/how-do-you-map-a-sales-process/) - Mapping a sales process (or designing it) is pretty simple, at least at first. The difference with a sales process is that it must benefit both you and your customer simultaneously. The key is to keep your customer in mind at all times. 1. Prepare to map the process. Despite the stories about salespeople out - [SPIF Tip #54: I Was Wrong](https://salesperformance.com/i-was-wrong/) - I was wrong. Once. Okay, once that I am going to talk about today. It was during my first year working for a sales training company. My boss was trying to get me to deliver a presentation in a way that felt like a gimmick to me. Ultimately, he had to say, “Mike, this is - [SPIF Tip #55: Taking A Ride Without A Map](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-55-taking-a-ride-without-a-map/) - I love the stories of my wife’s childhood summers with her Aunt Dean and Uncle Lou on tiny Wixom Lake in Michigan. On my first visit there, she showed me the little motorboat they all had so much fun in. Lou suggested I take it for a spin. What a delightful idea. The water was - [Tripp Babbitt | The Deming Philosophy is a Way of Learning](https://salesperformance.com/tripp-babbitt-the-deming-philosophy-is-a-way-of-learning/) - The core of Dr. Deming’s teaching is to continually update and innovate the way we think about work, products and management. For it to happen effectively, people need to understand the system they are in and contribute to improving it. Today Tripp Babbitt takes us into the philosophy of Dr. Deming and some contrasts - [SPIF Tip #53: Finding Gold in Your Teams](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-53-finding-gold-in-your-teams/) - Most of us are reeling from the current and projected impact of COVID-19. Where will the dominoes stop falling across our customers, channel partners, and salespeople? Much less in your personal life? The uncertainty of the future and being hampered by isolation is maddening. There is a silver lining, however. This can be an opportunity - [Drew Locher | It Takes Energy From Leaders](https://salesperformance.com/drew-locher-it-takes-energy-from-leaders/) - Drew Locher brings several different perspectives to helping organizations improve. He began his career in engineering. He was introduced to quality management in a management development program which later lead to specializing in organizational behavior. Today, he talks with us about several aspects of making and sustaining change in an organization. The importance of energy - [Oscar Trimboli | The Cost of Not Listening](https://salesperformance.com/oscar-trimboli-the-cost-of-not-listening/) - Mentioned in This Episode: oscartrimtoli.com/whitepapers, oscartrimboli.com Michael Webb: B2B sales and marketing works to find the highest quality prospects, reach decision makers, and sell value. Operational excellence uses data and systems thinking to make changes that cause improvement and eliminate waste. My name is Michael Webb and this is the Sales Process Excellence - [Brian Carroll | Connecting to What The Customer Cares About](https://salesperformance.com/brian-carroll-connecting-to-what-the-customer-cares-about/) -  Respect For People is one of the important themes in working toward Sales Process Excellence. Often, we think of it in terms of employees, but it also applies to how we approach customers and prospects. In both cases, it is looking from another person’s perspective. As a senior leader, you can’t be involved in - [Cliff Ransom | A Wise Individual, Who is Still Learning from Others](https://salesperformance.com/cliff-ransom-a-wise-individual-who-is-still-learning-from-others/) - Today’s guest is Cliff Ransom. Cliff holds a unique position between the investment community, corporate management and the lean community. He has spent years following very successful companies and watching executives and front-line folks work. And, is very open with us about several lessons he has learned. In our conversation we talk about: Examples of - [Bill Bentley | Finding the Tipping Point](https://salesperformance.com/bill-bentley-finding-the-tipping-point/) - The past few episodes have talked a lot about the importance of mindsets in engaging employees and aligning with customers. Today we are going deeper into how data works in the feedback loop that make the job of sales easier. Before you click to the next email in your inbox, here are a couple of - [Bud Hyler | Aligning Sales and Marketing Through Feedback](https://salesperformance.com/bud-hyler-aligning-sales-and-marketing-through-feedback/) - The purpose of marketing goes beyond creating awareness and stimulating interest. It is also to serve the needs of sales channels and individual salespeople in connecting with their customers. Bud Hyler shares examples of how marketing can get closer to customers and sales. And, the kind of feedback they should be looking for to - [Bob Lambert | Helping Customers Through the Buying Process](https://salesperformance.com/bob-lambert-helping-customers-through-the-buying-process/) - What does it take for a salesperson to be excellent in the eyes of a buyer? And how does it tie back to what research and experience show about how buyers make a decision? Bob Lambert’s career spans sales and marketing. He has been a salesperson, sales manager, run a marketing agency, sold customer - [Tiffani Sierra | Yes and… and Other Lessons For Salespeople and Leaders](https://salesperformance.com/tiffani-sierra-yes-and-and-other-lessons-for-salespeople-and-leaders/) - Today we look at sales and leadership from a different angle with Tiffani and Adrian Figueroa. Watching an Improv show, we have all marveled at what the actors can make up and do it so quickly. Turns out there are techniques that are the foundation for how they work that make it easier to react - [Frank Swiatek | The Cure for the Common Cold Call (Part 1)](https://salesperformance.com/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 - [Robert Tripp | A Master Black Belt Explains Organizational Change and Operational Excellence](https://salesperformance.com/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 - [Christian Maurer | Respecting the Value Salespeople Create](https://salesperformance.com/christian-maurer-respecting-the-value-salespeople-create/) - I feel a special kinship with Christian Maurer. We both have had experience in sales and sales training early in our careers. And we both saw how things were amiss in how many of our peers were approaching both. These days - [Claude Bardy | Are You Asking the Right Questions When Coaching Your Salespeople?](https://salesperformance.com/claude-bardy-are-you-asking-the-right-questions-when-coaching-your-salespeople/) - Managers often miss chances to coach their team during sales reviews. It is easy to focus on the status of opportunities in the pipeline, and miss what matters more. Claude Bardy has seen it happen. Claude came to sales with an engineering background. Today, he helps new businesses developing their sales process and sales - [Webinar Video](https://salesperformance.com/webinar-video/) - And while your here, join our mailing list.You’ll get early access to every new strategy article we publish. - [Adrian Figueroa | A Foundation for Excellence](https://salesperformance.com/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](https://salesperformance.com/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 - [Charles Chen | How Systems Thinking Influences Sales Organizations](https://salesperformance.com/charles-chen-how-systems-thinking-influences-sales-organization/) -  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 - [Andrea Fabbri | Creating Your Brand Scientifically](https://salesperformance.com/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](https://salesperformance.com/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 - [Steve Hollingsworth | The Systems Thinking Approach to Business Problems](https://salesperformance.com/steve-hollingsworth-systems-thinking-approach-to-business-problems/) - When things are going wrong in a business, it’s the tendency of many managers and owners to blame employees. But, says Steve Hollingsworth, principal consultant at Ottimizzi, you should focus on the processes and needed changes there, not the people stuck working in those processes. This is especially true in sales and marketing – - [Jeff Galas | The Mindset Shifts You Need to Boost Sales](https://salesperformance.com/jeff-galas-mindset-shifts-you-need-to-boost-sales/) - Do you know who your ideal prospect is? Are you sure? Jeff Galas, founder of On Purpose Growth, maintains that too many companies are wasting their marketing dollars and misusing their sales force because they don’t actually know. But Jeff gives you the tools to find the right answer too… and make sure your whole - [Rich Piech | The Toyota Factory Floor Sales Secret](https://salesperformance.com/rich-piech-the-toyota-factory-floor-sales-secret/) - When independent consultant Rich Piech starts working with a company that’s struggling to scale up… he often finds that they have a fundamental flaw: They’ve defined “sales” the wrong way. This has a domino effect, impacting the whole company. And, no, the sales department isn’t to blame, stresses Rich. What is sales… really? And who - [Todd Youngblood | The Golf Pro’s Secret for Better Sales](https://salesperformance.com/todd-youngblood-the-golf-pros-secret-for-better-sales/) - Success in sales is all about personality and relationships, right? That’s part of it, says Todd Youngblood of the YPS Group. But if that’s all you have, you’re seriously limiting your potential. Todd is a big believer in a methodical approach for continuous improvement in sales – for both individuals and the rest of the - [Tobia La Marca | The Dangers of “One-Sided” Prospect Conversations](https://salesperformance.com/tobia-la-marca-dangers-of-one-sided-prospect-conversations/) - Tobia La Marca is spreading the gospel of sales process excellence in Italy. As a business development rep for a tech company, Tobia has found that building structure in all his interactions with prospects – as well as seeing things from their perspective – has allowed him to create more value for his customers, his - [Michael Darrish | The #1 Cause of Sales Sabotage](https://salesperformance.com/michael-darrish-the-1-cause-of-sales-sabotage/) - Pricing, contests, relationships… for years sales, departments could get away with relying on those elements to meet numbers. But in today’s super-competitive environment you have to use a more scientific approach, says Michael Darrish. Michael’s background as an IT developer made him receptive to instilling logic in sales. And these days, as a process improvement - [Dave DeSantis | Negotiating From Both Sides of the Table](https://salesperformance.com/dave-desantis-negotiating-from-both-sides-of-the-table/) - At the end of the day, sales success is about having prospects and customers trust you – and never betraying that trust. There are some obvious ways of doing that… but others that aren't so clear says Dave DeSantis of negotiation training company Camp Systems. Dave shares his insights into the typical prospect's decision-making process - [Tim Doot | Becoming More Partner Than Vendor](https://salesperformance.com/tim-doot-becoming-more-partner-than-vendor/) - Burr Oak Tool, a leading manufacturer in the HVAC industry, has long implemented lean practices in their operations. But when Tim Doot arrived as a corporate VP he made sure that philosophy carried into the sales department as well. By examining data from every part of the sales process, the Burr Oak team was able - [Josh Pitchford | Spending Too Much Time With the Wrong Prospects?](https://salesperformance.com/josh-pitchford-spending-too-much-time-with-the-wrong-prospects/) - It's typical for 20% of the salespeople in an organization to be responsible for 80% of production, says Josh Pitchford, a consultant with Sandler Training. It's also common to not recognize what sets those superstars apart… it's a mystery even to the salespeople themselves. Josh shares strategies for distilling what top performers do into a - [Nick Katko | 5 Areas of Performance you Must Measure](https://salesperformance.com/nick-katko-5-areas-of-performance-you-must-measure/) - The shift from the mass production of the 20th century to just-in-time to on-demand to lean has forced companies to radically change the way they operate – and not just in manufacturing, says Nick Katko. As a CFO of several companies, consultant, and now president and owner of industry leader BMA, Nick has seen first-hand - [Bill Blair | The Sales Management Myth](https://salesperformance.com/bill-blair-the-sales-management-myth/) - Bill Blair, founder and CEO of Blair Business Solutions, helps his clients work through issues with leadership development, sales coaching, employee retention, and more. Every business has its own issues, of course. But, says Bill, there is definitely a common thread he almost always sees… a misconception about what an effective sales culture looks like. - [Bill Waddell | The Dangers of Good Marketing](https://salesperformance.com/bill-waddell-the-dangers-of-good-marketing/) - Many companies embrace the lean philosophy and seek business excellence. But best practices aren't just something you can plug-and-play. And it's not all about efficiency and cost-cutting for its own sake. Consultant and lean manufacturing expert Bill Waddell says before you do anything to your process, you have to look at how critical aspects of - [Dave Vranicar | 4 Stages of Sales Systems](https://salesperformance.com/dave-vranicar-4-stages-of-sales-systems/) - As a company grows, your approach to sales must change, says Dave Vranicar, founder of Redwell B2B. Even the type of sales leader you hire must change. We explore the different sales systems and methodologies you must implement in order to spur continued growth as you go from startup to well-established market leader. We talk - [Joseph Paris | Emphasizing People Over Technology](https://salesperformance.com/joseph-paris-emphasizing-people-over-technology/) - Operational excellence is Joseph Paris's specialty. With his work at consultancy Xonitek he's all about making companies more productive, efficient, and effective. We talk about the techniques and strategies he uses to give his clients a boost, including in the sales and marketing departments. Lean and Six Sigma can be part of that, says Joseph. - [Amir Ghannad | Transformative Leadership](https://salesperformance.com/amir-ghannad-transformative-leadership/) - Sales teams, manufacturing plants… whole companies. Every part of every business needs effective leadership to thrive. But what makes for a good leader? Consultant and author Amir Ghannad explains how to become the type of leader that gets buy-in from employees… and inspires them to do their very best work. It's a process that often - [George Bronten | Your Customer’s Decision Journey](https://salesperformance.com/george-bronten-your-customers-decision-journey/) - Sales and marketing management is struggling. A study from CSO Insights has the hard evidence. They found that for the last six years, the percentage of salespeople meeting their quota is declining steadily. George Bronten, founder and CEO of Membrain, has an idea what’s causing the downward trend… and how to turn it around. Management - [Bob Apollo | The Art, Science, and Engineering of Sales Management](https://salesperformance.com/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 - [Bill Zeeb | Strengthening Your Leadership Muscles](https://salesperformance.com/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 | Structural and Cultural Prerequisites for Sales Improvement](https://salesperformance.com/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 - [SPIF Tip #52: How Do You Map A Sales Process?](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-52-how-do-you-map-a-sales-process/) - Mapping a sales process (or designing it) is pretty simple, at least at first. The key is to recognize at all times that your goal always involves helping customers take the actions they want to take. With that as the “North Star,” finding your path through the woods is much easier. Prepare to map the - [SPIF Tip #51: Three Question Strategies That Make Your Sales Funnel Flow Faster](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-51-three-question-strategies-that-make-your-sales-funnel-flow-faster/) - When your company is well synchronized with market needs, prospects buy and money flows. Unfortunately, few companies can maintain a constant flow. Salespeople churn out demonstrations, samples, and proposals. Marketing departments churn out newsletters, ad copy, and brochures. But not enough prospects close. What makes the sales funnel flow faster? The key is coordinating your - [SPIF Tip # 50: How to Avoid the Four Most Common Problems of Sales and Marketing Management](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-50-how-to-avoid-the-four-most-common-problems-of-sales-and-marketing-management/) - Visiting a Chicago building materials company several years ago, I overheard a sales manager giving a pep-talk to four or five of his salespeople. It wasn’t a bad talk. If you are in sales, you’ve heard these talks countless times. Your manager confirms how hard you’ve been working. He reminds you about the year-end promotions. - [What's Wrong With Six Sigma?](https://salesperformance.com/whats-wrong-with-six-sigma/) - By Michael J. WebbSales Performance Consultants, Inc.February 2005 At a conference not long ago a speaker (who happened to be a friend) raised objections to applying Six Sigma in sales and marketing. The objections were oddly tangled, with some based on legitimate concerns and others based on misunderstanding. This article examines these concerns and misunderstandings - [How to Avoid the Four Most Common Mistakes of Sales Process Mapping](https://salesperformance.com/how-to-avoid-the-four-most-common-mistakes-of-sales-process-mapping/) - The most common mistakes of sales process mapping, and how to avoid them. - [Can Six Sigma Work in a Sales and Marketing Environment?](https://salesperformance.com/can-six-sigma-work-in-a-sales-and-marketing-environment-by-paul-selden/) - by Paul Selden Originally published in the ASQ Six Sigma Forum, 2001 William Latzko, a professor at the Fordham University Graduate School of Business and a colleague of W.E. Deming, remarked to me not long ago that the great opportunity for quality in the twenty-first century lies in sales process improvement. Indeed, quality thinking offers - [Generating Support For A Sales Quality Initiative](https://salesperformance.com/generating-support-for-a-sales-quality-initiative/) - By Michael J. Webb Quality initiative in sales - an impossible dream? With the right proposition and simple techniques, not only is it possible but it can also be a successful venture. - [Book Review - One Small Step Can Change Your Life](https://salesperformance.com/one-small-step-can-change-your-life/) - Dr. Robert Maurer wrote a book about applying kaizen to one's personal life. This is extremely appropriate to sales environments. - [Customer Value Mapping (Business Value Mapping)](https://salesperformance.com/customer-value-mapping/) - How to make B2B sales and marketing easier: A step-by-step approach to mapping customer value. Value is about much more than just the product. - [How Customer Value Maps Make Marketing and Selling Easier](https://salesperformance.com/customer-value-mapping-aka-business-value-mapping-1/) - Companies lose their edge because they focus on their products, rather than on their customers. Customer value mapping is a great way to keep your eyes on the ball. - [Financial Impact](https://salesperformance.com/financial-impact/) - Sales processes can be studied like any other business process. Hard data enables financial insights so managers allocate sales and marketing resources better. - [Three Key Changes To Realize Quick Sales Improvements](https://salesperformance.com/three-key-changes-to-realize-quick-sales-improvements/) - Lean process excellence enable leaders and managers to identify and gather data, distinguish value from waste, and fix sales and marketing problems quickly. - [What is the Purpose of the “Sales Process” in Your Company?](https://salesperformance.com/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-sales-process-in-your-company/) - Three huge management mistakes that prevent B2B companies from improving sales process results and sustaining the gains. This article discusses characteristics of a true sales process and why every organization needs one. - [How Does Lean Process Excellence Conserve Resources In Sales and Marketing?](https://salesperformance.com/how-does-lean-process-excellence-conserve-resources-in-sales-and-marketing-2/) - The Lean philosophy enables companies to identify and eliminate waste in manufacturing environments, where the specification—what the customer will pay for—is known. But how does this translate to sales and marketing environments, where figuring out what the customer will pay for is the goal? - [The "Usual Fixes" for Sales Problems (And Why They Fail)](https://salesperformance.com/the-usual-fixes-for-sales-problems-and-why-they-fail/) - Unless you have identified the root causes for sales problems, your fixes probably won't stick. - [Book Review: A Seat at the Table](https://salesperformance.com/book-review-a-seat-at-the-table/) - In B2B sales, selling to senior executives and key decision makers has become the main event. But how do you get past the velvet rope? Sales trainer and entrepreneur Marc Miller’s A Seat at The Table (Greenleaf Enterprises, 2010, paperback, 186 pages) gives salespeople and their managers valuable insights and clear direction toward that destination. - [SPIF TIP #49: How is Lean Different From Other Sales Process Methodologies? ](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-49-how-is-lean-different-from-other-sales-process-methodologies/) - The Sr. VP of Sales for a high technology company asked: “How is Lean (sales process excellence) different from other sales process methodologies (e.g. QBS, Forum), in that many salespeople will quickly discard and revert if they don’t easily perceive results?” Lean (a well known variant is known as the Toyota Production System) is a management system that enables relentless increases in business - [SPIF Tip #48: Respect for Salespeople](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-48-respect-for-salespeople/) - In any organization, improving begins with open, frank discussions around crucial questions, like these: Why do we have to change? Why should we do this all alone? Why should we do this in addition to other work? What if sales problems are not caused by us? Why is this important to the organization? What are objective measures - [SPIF Tip #47: How Information Quality Impacts B2B Sales Performance](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-47-how-information-quality-impacts-b2b-sales-performance-by-bud-hyler-and-michael-webb/) - We know that poor quality in the engineering or manufacturing process impacts production performance. The same principles apply in revenue production. Poor quality impacts performance. One primary focus of sales quality should be the information the sales channel uses to close the sale. Like any other process, managing revenue production quality levels requires standards. Not following the standards results in defects - [SPIF Tip #46: Frustrated with B2B Revenues and Margins? Deep Thinking Improves Results](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-46-frustrated-with-b2b-revenues-and-margins-deep-thinking-improves-results/) - According to CSO Insights, the percentage of salespeople meeting or exceeding quota has declined for five years in a row! If you are responsible for B2B sales and marketing, that statistic should take your breath away. How can it be? There were more than 1700 B2B companies in those studies. It is not like they - [SPIF Tip #45: Beware What You Measure About Sales Performance](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-45-beware-what-you-measure-about-sales-performance/) - A recent article by an HR consultant made the following argument (summarized): If you want to increase sales by 20% – 30%, simply Rank order the salespeople by performance Divide the resulting curve into thirds Identify the characteristics of the people in the top third Replace or upgrade the people in the bottom two thirds - [SPIF Tip #44: Improving Your Value Proposition Requires the Whole Company](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-44-improving-your-value-proposition-requires-the-whole-company/) - Professional B2B salesmanship is a noble endeavor. We don’t celebrate it often enough! Great salesmanship helps people to do things they should do, and would not otherwise do. It requires the ability to listen and develop relationships at all levels of an organization. It requires facing facts, and overcoming adversity. Most importantly, it requires earning - [SPIF Tip #43: How To Double Your Sales Productivity Watching Your Kid's Aquarium](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-43-how-to-double-your-sales-productivity-watching-your-kids-aquarium/) - When she started working at PetSmart, Kira, my college-age daughter, got interested in aquariums. She now has five including a 60-gallon masterpiece in the family room. Aquariums have never interested me too much. They are messy. The paraphernalia create a chronic shortage of wall plugs. And, in return, you get to watch some beta fish fluttering - [SPIF Tip #42: Five Steps Guaranteed to Increase B2B Sales Revenue and Margins](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-42-five-steps-guaranteed-to-increase-b2b-sales-revenue-and-margins/) - So, how is your company’s sales process working? Responses to that question often paint an ugly picture: “We just don’t have the discipline to make a sales process work.” “We put it in place but the people just don’t follow it. They like to do their own thing.” “We have trouble because our sales managers - [SPIF Tips #41: How to Solve the Biggest Sales and Marketing Problem](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tips-41-how-to-solve-the-biggest-sales-and-marketing-problem/) - Improving productivity and predictability is the biggest problem in sales and marketing. The reason for it is that managers struggle with a conundrum: Should they focus their sales team on results, or on activities? Managing results When managers focus on results, salespeople tend to develop their own approaches to their jobs. Managers can tend - [SPIF Tip #40: The Last Thing a Fish Discovers is Water](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-40-the-last-thing-a-fish-discovers-is-water/) - A few years ago I received the following email from a reader. The issue may take a slightly different form today, but I’ll bet you’ve run into it yourself: Michael, I was recently fired from my sales job, because I wasn’t on the road “cold calling” enough … Instead, I had been working to set - [Is Your Sales Qualification Criteria Doing Its Job?](https://salesperformance.com/is-your-sales-qualification-criteria-doing-its-job/) - You probably have salespeople working overtime right now on deals your company does not want. that's because they'll be: bad business if you win them (too much trouble, not worth the revenue) lost to a competitor lost to no decision If you’ve been around professional sales for a long time, you already know that poor salespeople - [SPIF Tip #38: Sales Management Development Podcast](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-38-sales-management-development-podcast/) - I was interviewed by Todd Youngblood, who runs the Sales Management Development Podcast. He agrees with me that the vast majority of B2B companies could benefit immensely from applying lean and Six Sigma thinking to sales and marketing. We discussed why so few companies have begun this journey, and what it looks like when you - [SPIF Tip #39: How Deming's Foundational Principles Will Make Your Sales Funnel Flow Faster](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-39-how-demings-foundational-principles-will-make-your-sales-funnel-flow-faster/) - In the work-a-day world of hustling to find new customers, what good is a management philosophy used in manufacturing? If you’ve wondered about this, prepare to be surprised. Because your sales success today (and in the future) is strongly influenced by these simple, deceptively powerful ideas. Consider the state of most sales and marketing - [SPIF Tip #37: The Obstacle Even Great Salespeople Can't Overcome](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-37-the-obstacle-even-great-salespeople-cant-overcome/) - A fellow named Yves asked this great question: In all your SPIF tips I have read, you haven’t written about selecting the right people in sales. Perhaps this is the sales manager’s responsibility. Yet, plenty of sales managers should not have been promoted to their positions. How can sales work if the wrong people are - [Distribution Channel Case Study](https://salesperformance.com/distribution-channel-case-study/) - Turning Around a $100 Million Distribution Channel Background The director of distribution accounts for a large company offering water filtration systems had a problem. In the early days of the market, the company had been able to make its revenue targets by signing on additional distribution channels. Now, as a $100 million business, this strategy - [SPIF Tip #36: Unless You've Gone to the Gemba, You're Probably Fixing the Wrong Sales Problem](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-36-unless-youve-gone-to-the-gemba-youre-probably-fixing-the-wrong-sales-problem/) - I’ve often written about the sad state of affairs in sales and marketing productivity. It happens because companies have only anecdotes and no data on the causes of sales and marketing problems. But collecting and analyzing data is harder than it seems. The “information dashboards” and “control systems” guiding and controlling sales and marketing are - [SPIF Tip #34: What Sales and Marketing Can Learn From "The Martian"](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-34-what-sales-and-marketing-can-learn-from-the-martian/) - I'm sure you've heard about "The Martian," Ridley Scott’s thrilling movie about Mark Watney, an astronaut left behind on Mars when a mission to the red planet went horribly wrong. about "The Martian," Ridley Scott’s thrilling movie about Mark Watney, an astronaut left behind on Mars when a mission to the red planet went horribly - [SPIF Tip #33: Need to Improve Your Team's Sales Productivity? This Simple, Logical Approach Works](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-33-need-to-improve-your-teams-sales-productivity-this-simple-logical-approach-works/) - When markets, technologies, or personnel change, sales departments that have run well for years can have a rough time. When too many deals go to “no decision,” and no one can predict which accounts will buy, the traditional “black-box” mentality of the sales department becomes a problem that needs solving. Of course salespeople do their - [What Sales and Marketing Asks About Sales Process Excellence - #4 How Do We Start?](https://salesperformance.com/what-sales-and-marketing-asks-about-sales-process-excellence-4-how-to-start-lean-process-excellence/) - Sellers and marketers 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 #5 How Do We Sustain Sales And Marketing Improvements? This week, we deal with the next most popular question: #4: - [Selling Power TV Interview: Does Your Sales Process Create Value?](https://salesperformance.com/selling-power-tv-interview-does-your-sales-process-create-value/) - Gerhard Gschwandtner interviews Michael Webb on Selling Power TV: A quote for sales and marketing managers from this interview: “Most people think that process is about discipline, making sure the sales guy does this, that, and the other thing. And, I don’t believe that. Process is about creating value. “Really good salespeople can invent ways - [Selling Power TV Interview: Does Your Sales Process Create Value?](https://salesperformance.com/selling-power-tv-interview-does-your-sales-process-create-value-3/) - Gerhard Gschwandtner interviews Michael Webb on Selling Power TV: Quote for General Managers: “A process approach is a method of finding out what does the customer want, how do we figure out a way of keeping our own company from not giving it to them, and then making that a path that is easier to - [Selling Power TV Interview: Does Your Sales Process Create Value?](https://salesperformance.com/selling-power-tv-interview-does-your-sales-process-create-value-4/) - Gerhard Gschwandtner interviews Michael Webb on Selling Power TV: Download the full transcript here: Does Your Sales Process Create Value transcript This was a great opportunity to explain Sales Process Excellence in a nut-shell. Let me know what you think! And, visit https://www.sellingpower.com/Cloud to subscribe to Selling Power Magazine. Order your copy of Sales Process - [We Have Met the Enemy of Sales Performance, and He Is Us](https://salesperformance.com/we-have-met-the-enemy-of-sales-performance-and-he-is-us/) - Needless to say, trying to measure and improve sales and marketing performance can be frustrating. You have to get people you may never even meet to pay attention, and ultimately to give you their money. Parts of it happen via media, such as a website, or in geographically disbursed customer locations. By definition, you do - [Sales Process Excellence Submitted for Shingo Prize](https://salesperformance.com/sales-process-excellence-submitted-for-shingo-prize/) - Submission for Shingo Prize™ Research Award Application (Sales Process Excellence, by Michael Webb) My new book has not yet won the Shingo Prize. However, you might like reading the application. I say that because my answers to the questions in the Shingo Prize application do a good job of characterizing operational excellence. It is not about - [Have You Read SPC's Most Popular Posts of 2014?](https://salesperformance.com/have-you-read-spcs-most-popular-posts-of-2014/) - Most Popular Posts of 2014 These are the posts that got the most views in 2014 on www.salesperformance.com. How to Avoid the Four Most Common Mistakes of Sales Process Mapping. How is Lean Different From Other Sales Process Methodologies? Can Six Sigma Work in a Sales and Marketing Environment? How Do You Map A Sales - [Lean Strategy Integrates Manufacturing and Sales](https://salesperformance.com/lean-strategy-integrates-manufacturing-and-sales/) - Michael Ballé is one of the best writers in the Lean movement. In a recent column, he answered a fascinating question: “Is there a Lean strategy?” Amazingly, his answer went right to the sales and marketing perspective. I couldn't resist pointing out why the “strategy” inherent in Lean is under appreciated. I definitely recommend you read - [SPIF Tip #6: Sellingbrew Features Sales Process Excellence](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-6-sellingbrew-features-sales-process-excellence/) - Rafe VanDenBerg, founder of SellingBrew.com interviewed me for his well-known membership site for sales operations leaders.Rafe has a unique perspective on sales operations and sales management, as you’ll see. We cover a wide range of topics about how sales operations managers can be more successful. Ultimately, it is all about systems thinking. Sellingbrew Features Sales Process Excellence Click - [SPIF Tip #5: Is Closing the Salesperson's Primary Job?](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-5-is-closing-the-salespersons-primary-job/) - Getting customers to buy can buy can be a hard nut to crack. What else would the salesperson's job be? Without sales revenue, we're out of business. Don't we judge salespeople on the money they bring in? This belief is a Myth because so many salespeople, and their managers, honestly believe they exist to separate customers from - [SPIF Tip #4: Why You Need Systems Thinking in Sales](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-4-why-you-need-systems-thinking-in-sales/) - Sales used to function as a kind of independent department. Of course, this has become less and less viable. Sales results are dependent on the company's website, its engineers, its customer service and shipping departments. Customers are demanding more - and more complex - services. This requires your company's right hand to know what its left hand - [SPIF Tip #3: Sales Manager's Assumptions That Kill Improvement](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-3-sales-managers-assumptions-that-kill-improvement/) - Years ago, I sold minicomputers and software to local businesses. My territory was very small, and I had cold called everyone in it several times. It was really hard to find enough sales opportunities. Seeing some post card mailers with clever headlines gave me an idea. I spent time creating a short mailing campaign - [SPIF Tip #2: Your Salespeople Shouldn't Want to Prove How Good They Are](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-2-your-salespeople-shouldnt-want-to-prove-how-good-they-are/) - John Cousineau is founder of Amacus.com. He has challenged a heartfelt belief of sales organizations. I think he is right: Companies tend to hire salespeople who want to prove how good they are. I think instead they should hire people who want to improve how good they are. John Cousineau, Founder of Amacus The first time he said - [SPIF Tip #1: Are Salespeople Coin Operated?](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-1-are-salespeople-coin-operated/) - What is the point of comparing someone to a parking meter? People accept this statement, yet there are so many things wrong with it. Want proof? One client's salespeople had worked hard to map their deal flow. Their new process improved a bottleneck in customer service. Customers were happier. Salespeople could spend more time selling. - [SPIF Tip #7: Who You Hire is Not the Most Important Factor in Sales](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-7-who-you-hire-is-not-the-most-important-factor-in-sales/) - Most sales leaders believe who they hire is the most important factor in their sales organization’s success. They spend lots of time and use special assessments to find the one or two super-salespeople from the field of candidates. Surely the quality of who you hire is important. But is it the most important issue? Consider this. Suppose you could waive a - [SPIF Tip #8: Why Should You Consider Process Improvement?](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-8-why-should-you-consider-process-improvement/) - Don’t use process improvement methods just because they are supported by academics. Although process methods grew out of applied statistical theories, some academics understand process improvement and some do not. Indeed, many B-school teachings, especially in finance, actually undermine process excellence. Nor should you apply process improvement because it enhances quality, or works for other companies. - [SPIF Tip #9: Seeing Sales as a Production System](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-9-seeing-sales-as-a-production-system/) - A sales production system organizes marketing, sales, and service activities to transform the “raw materials” of people in the marketplace who may need what you sell into customers by adding value to them in specific ways. There are three refreshingly transformative implications: Marketing is transformed from a function dedicated to generating awareness and any type of - [SPIF Tip #10: Defining Sales Terms](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-10-defining-sales-terms/) - Most early conversations I have with sales and marketing managers concern how they generate leads, how salespeople qualify prospects, or how team leaders track sales opportunities. After listening for a while and building rapport, I’ll ask, “What do you mean by a lead?” or “What is a prospect?” or “What is a sales opportunity?” I ask a client - [SPIF Tip #11: The DNA of Improvement](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-11-the-dna-of-improvement/) - A consultant recently told me his perception of Lean Thinking: Womack's 5 principles of Lean Thinking are at the DNA level. It shows how Lean can be replicated in new domains, thus, Lean Thinking. A lot of people think Womack’s principles (Specify Value, Value Stream, Flow, Pull, and Perfection) are everything you need to eliminate - [SPIF Tip #12: How to Predict Which prospects Will Buy](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-12-how-to-predict-which-prospects-will-buy/) - I sometimes tell salespeople they should be able to predict which prospects will buy. Often they think, “Wait a second. In manufacturing, I know if I put twenty pieces of steel plate in a brake press and apply three thousand pounds of force, each piece is going to bend to a 90-degree angle. But if I give twenty prospects - [SPIF Tip #13: Are You Using the Voice of Customer You Already Have?](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-13-are-you-using-the-voice-of-customer-you-already-have/) - Here is a brief exercise I’ve used to introduce Voice of Customer (VOC) to business people who may not be familiar with it: Imagine you’re the owner of a small chain of movie theatres and are going on a well-deserved vacation to a remote island in the South Pacific. You will have no Internet access, so you’ll only - [Field Sales Case Study in a Global Chemical Firm](https://salesperformance.com/field-sales-case-study-in-a-global-chemical-firm/) - Field Sales Case Study Background A division of global chemical company provided collision repair products to automobile dealers and collision repair shops. They employed 210 field salespeople in 18 district offices. The division was experiencing flat revenue growth and declining market share. A European competitor’s foothold in North America was making it difficult to capitalize - [SPIF Tip # 14 - Why You Need to Improve Customer Facing Functions](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-14-why-you-need-to-improve-customer-facing-functions/) - In his book "Fourth Generation Management," Brian Joiner described a company that was told by its customers it was difficult to do business with. It is likely you have experienced dealing with similar companies. Since you’re reading this book, you may even have experienced working inside a company like this: A chemical company could not understand why - [SPIF Tip #15: If Nothing is Improving, You're Probably Not Doing THIS Right](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-15-if-nothing-is-improving-youre-probably-not-doing-this-right/) - When Edwards Deming would hear someone say they were going to accomplish a goal or objective, he would ask, “By what method?” Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA)[1] was his answer to his own question. When company leaders focus on results and not the means of achieving them, they fall into the trap of Planning and Doing while ignoring the - [SPIF Tip #16: Getting Into Your Customer's Head](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-16-getting-into-your-customers-head/) - Sometimes getting customers to talk is a challenge. Salespeople need to learn what is important to customers. And they need a conversation to do it. Too often, companies don’t set things up with salespeople so they can have these conversations easily. Nor do they equip their salespeople with the necessary questions and other tools to - [How to Revolutionize B2B Sales Results](https://salesperformance.com/how-to-revolutionize-b2b-sales-results/) - (Part 2 of Is Your Sales Qualification Criteria Doing Its Job?) In “Is Your Sales Qualification Criteria Doing Its Job?” I ranted about how traditional approaches to sales qualification are myopic, remedial, and static. In reality, your market is like an ever changing magnetic field. What B2B companies need instead is the opposite of myopic, - [How a strategic account sales team increased selling time 63% Case Study](https://salesperformance.com/strategic-account-sales/) - Background A large company offering water filtration systems to the foodservice industry struggled to maintain its growth and accurately predict revenue trends. Over several years, the division general manager tried many approaches to maintain the growth rate. He was unsuccessful. The general manager had seen repeated successes with the firm’s production operations using Lean methods. - [SPIF Tip #17: Marketing and Sales is a Production Process](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-17-marketing-and-sales-is-a-production-process/) - Quality and process improvement methods have roots in manufacturing, where they add value in obvious and tangible ways. In contrast, sales adds value by providing information and resolving issues, both of which are intangible. Given process improvement’s roots in manufacturing, it’s worth considering a few analogies between sales and manufacturing: Leads are analogous to raw materials in manufacturing. Advertising and - [SPIF Tip #19: What it Really Takes to Improve Sales Results Permanently](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-19-what-it-really-takes-to-improve-sales-results-permanently/) - It has often been said that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting a different result. Yet without understanding the system of causes and effects they are dealing with, managers cannot know what changes they should make to produce the results they desire. What marketing and selling needs - [SPIF Tip #20: Sales is Not Just What Salespeople Do](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-20-sales-is-not-just-what-salespeople-do/) - The selling of products was once done mainly by traveling salesmen (yes, they were usually men in the early days), presenting their wares personally to customers. This was the case whether those customers were housewives needing carpet cleaners or company presidents needing machine tools. Selling directly worked, but it was expensive. Therefore, companies began experimenting - [SPIF Tip #21: Why Improving Sales Can Be Counter-Intuitive](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-21-why-improving-sales-can-be-counter-intuitive/) - Imagine you are a British official in Delhi, India during the time of British rule. One of your problems is too many people being bitten and dying from venomous cobra snakes indigenous to the area. What can you do? Answer: Offer a cash reward for dead cobras. Simple, right? As farmers in the area - [SPIF Tip #22: What Mark Twain Teaches About Systems Thinking in Sales](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-21-what-mark-twain-teaches-about-systems-thinking-in-sales/) - As a veteran of sales campaigns in hundreds of companies for more than 30 years, I have seen sites of sure-fire campaigns go down in flames. I offer you this quote from Mark Twain, which explains the problem perfectly: “It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for - [SPIF Tip #23: Is There a Spiritual Dimension to Lean?](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-23-is-there-a-spiritual-dimension-to-lean/) - My answer is, “And how!” Lean isn’t always thought of as spiritual or aspirational, but it should be. Here is a (shortened and paraphrased) comment on a recent post from Michael Ballé at Lean.org that got me going on this. The commenter said: “Lean is strictly empirical, i.e. physical, limited to the realm of - [SPIF Tips #24: Why Sales Incentives Can’t Improve Your Firm’s Sales Performance](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tips-24-why-sales-incentives-cant-improve-your-firms-sales-performance/) - Does the following situation resemble your sales team?[1] In the early 1970’s Israeli air force had a problem with instructors behaving abusively toward student pilots. A psychologist was hired to investigate. The instructors told him the performance of their students went up after criticism, and down after they were praised. On learning the data - [SPIF Tip 25: When can you consider that your sales process is developed enough?](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-25-when-can-you-consider-that-your-sales-process-is-developed-enough/) - Any process could be “developed enough”if it is achieving the desired objectives. Unfortunately, although our desires are limitless, our resources and capacities are not. That’s why we almost always want things to improve. When people say things like “We need a process,” or “We need to follow the process,” they mean they want things - [SPIF Tip #26: Reason Cures Stagnant Sales Productivity](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-26-reason-cures-stagnant-sales-productivity/) - Recent sales productivity research attempts to provide insights to help companies improve. It points out the “stark disconnects between what management sees/does and what reps want/need.” The culprits? Disconnects between the aims of marketers and sellers. Inability to measure the impact of improvements. And the absence of quality/effectiveness measures. In other words, it’s the same - [SPIF Tip #29: How Operational Excellence Solves Sales and Marketing Problems](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-29-how-operational-excellence-solves-sales-and-marketing-problems/) - I attended a monthly meeting of the Executive Sales and Marketing Association of Atlanta’s recently. Several executives there lamented about the difficulties of sales prospecting these days. One mentioned his company’s salespeople had to make more than 500 phone calls to find one viable prospect. Others concurred. Once they had a prospect, a thirty or - [SPIF Tip #28: Can You Solve This Sales and Marketing Problem?](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-28-can-you-solve-this-sales-and-marketing-problem/) - Businesses are more complex than they appear to be on the surface, especially in sales and marketing. For example, consider Frank, the proprietor of a neighborhood saloon. Frank wants to sell more drinks. He figures more single men would patronize his establishment if there were more single women there. How to make that happen? Simple. - [SPIF Tip #27: Does increasing revenue mean the sales department is doing a good job?](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-27-does-increasing-revenue-mean-the-sales-department-is-doing-a-good-job/) - At some time, most companies find themselves in a “rising tide” market. The sales and marketing team is working like crazy and revenues are growing. Things seem to be working as they should be. Often unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. That’s because most companies’ sales and marketing are in a “Tribal Knowledge” - [SPIF Tips #32: The Root of Improvement](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tips-32-the-root-of-improvement/) - I recently had the opportunity to talk with Bob Miller, former Executive Director of the Shingo Institute. I asked him how he helps companies change their culture in a manner that enables improvement to really stick. His answer was quite interesting: Most people have a natural instinct to want things. They want better, easier, simpler, - [SPIF Tip #31: Sales Problems Are Probably Not Caused By Your Sales VP](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-31-sales-problems-are-probably-not-caused-by-your-sales-vp/) - Through the grapevine I heard that the CEO at a company I’ll call “Blunder, Inc.,” wanted to fire his Sales VP. Why? He missed his sales forecast. Now this might not be politically correct, yet someone has to say it. Based on that information alone, the CEO should be fired, not the Sales VP. Senior - [SPIF Tip #35: A Wake Up Call for Senior Management](https://salesperformance.com/spif-tip-35-a-wake-up-call-for-senior-management/) - Piyush Saggi is the co-founder and CEO of a promising startup in Atlanta called SalesTing. He interviewed a seasoned enterprise sales rep in a recent LinkedIn post “Confessions of an Enterprise Sales Rep.” Some of what the rep said was priceless: Piyush: What % of your leads come from Marketing? Rep: Tough to answer that. - [Selling Power TV Interview: Does Your Sales Process Create Value?](https://salesperformance.com/selling-power-tv-interview-does-your-sales-process-create-value-2/) - Gerhard Gschwandtner interviews Michael Webb on Selling Power TV: Quote for Lean Process Excellence managers: “What happens in organizations is that the [production] bottleneck, when you uncover it, you solve it, and then the bottleneck moves to someplace else, and you solve that, and that is how performance improves. And that is one of the - [](https://salesperformance.com/defintiveguidethankyoupage/) - Thanks for registering for The Definitive B2B Guide eBook! We have sent you a confirmation email that needs your attention. Please click on the link in that email. Then, you’ll be given immediate access to the videos, eBook, infographic, and valuable intellectual property for improving the performance of your sales and marketing organization. (If your - [SPIF Tip #30: How you can help sales leaders become more critical thinkers](https://salesperformance.com/how-you-can-help-sales-leaders-become-more-critical-thinkers/) - Problems are the undesirable result or effect of the work or a job. Solving them is fundamental to everything in business. Unfortunately, most people in sales and marketing have not been taught the finer arts of problem solving. This article describes one method for defining sales and marketing problems in a manner that makes them easier - [What Prevents Sales Forecasts from Being Accurate as They Could Be?](https://salesperformance.com/what-prevents-sales-forecasts-from-being-accurate-as-they-could-be/) - An incredible variety of reasons prevent sales forecasts from being accurate. Consider this partial list (there are many more): Factors involving the prospect Companies make decisions for wildly different reasons, making them hard to predict. Competitive activity varies in different parts of the country. When several people are involved, they may not decide until the - [Why Sales and Marketing Needs Operational Excellence – Four Principles That Make Sales Funnels Flow Faster](https://salesperformance.com/why-sales-and-marketing-needs-operational-excellence-four-principles-that-make-sales-funnels-flow-faster/) - Every year CSO Insights (a research company for chief sales officers) conducts a study on sales management1. In 2014, the average win rate of forecasted deals across all companies was 45.9 percent, virtually the same as the 45.7 percent achieved in 2013. In other words, the average CEO would be better off placing “pass” bets - [New Self-Assessment Creates a Sturdy Foundation for Improvement](https://salesperformance.com/new-self-assessment-creates-a-sturdy-foundation-for-improvement/) - More often than not, the term “sales process” creates more problems than it solves. Over the years, I’ll bet you’ve heard plenty of people use it to talk past each other. They use the term to means things like: What salespeople do to their prospects and customers “Best practices” salespeople are supposed to use, - [How Sales and Marketing Can Inspire Productive Action Instead of a Rat Race](https://salesperformance.com/how-sales-and-marketing-can-inspire-productive-action-instead-of-a-rat-race/) - If you are like me, when you started out your career years ago success didn't come as fast you hoped. Not by a long shot. Along with other salespeople I worked hard to improve my performance. I acquired product and application experience, selling skills and time management expertise. Along with our managers, we mightily executed - [The Root of Improvement](https://salesperformance.com/the-root-of-improvement/) - I recently had the opportunity to talk with Bob Miller, former Executive Director of the Shingo Institute. I asked him how he helps companies change their culture in a manner that enables improvement to really stick. His answer was quite interesting: Most people have a natural instinct to want things. They want better, - [Sales Problems Are Probably Not Caused By Your Sales VP](https://salesperformance.com/sales-problems-are-probably-not-caused-by-your-sales-vp/) - Through the grapevine I heard that the CEO at a company I’ll call “Blunder, Inc.,” wanted to fire his Sales VP. Why? He missed his sales forecast. Now this might not be politically correct, yet someone has to say it. Based on that information alone, the CEO should be fired, not the Sales VP. Senior - [The Five Most Critical Sales Process Problems, and How Management by Process Can Solve Them For Good](https://salesperformance.com/the-five-most-critical-sales-process-problems-and-how-management-by-process-can-solve-them-for-good/) - As the pace and complexity of the business world accelerates, more companies are struggling to improve their sales and marketing performance. Many sales VPs of companies who are leaders in their markets face a similar concern: “Our sales managers intuitively know our sales process. However, our business is getting more complex and I think there - [After 13 Years, The Shingo Award](https://salesperformance.com/after-13-years-the-shingo-award/) - Back in 1996, after 20 years in industry, I was tired of working sixty hours per week as a salesman and sales manager for people who cared if I made my number, but couldn't assess the odds I faced or if I was doing a good a job. The worst part was when my employers kept throwing - [Shingo Examiner Feedback on "Sales Process Excellence"](https://salesperformance.com/shingo-examiner-feedback/) - Submission Title: Sales Process Excellence Author Name(s): Michael J. Webb A team of Shingo examiners has provided the following feedback. The team rated the submission based on the following categories. Content Contribution to new knowledge and understanding of operational excellence Michael Webb has articulated the why and how of continuous improvement in a context and - [“Sales Process Excellence” by Michael Webb Receives Shingo Research and Professional Publication Award](https://salesperformance.com/sales-process-excellence-by-michael-webb-receives-shingo-research-and-professional-publication-award/) - LOGAN, Utah – April 17th, 2015 – The Shingo Institute, part of the Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University, has awarded Michael Webb with the Shingo Research and Professional Publication Award for his work “Sales Process Excellence.” Webb is president of Sales Performance Consultants, Inc., an Atlanta-based thought leader in the - [Five Questions For Maximizing Your Sales Production System](https://salesperformance.com/five-questions-for-maximizing-your-sales-production-system/) - What parts of your sales operation are working well? What parts are the most frustrating? Here are five important questions that will make your sales and marketing more productive. Fixing any of these five areas will produce big returns for your organization. 1) How are Customers Actually Using Your Product or Service? Having the right - [Three Reasons Sales and Marketing Are Allergic to Lean, and Why Cracking the Code Today is So Important](https://salesperformance.com/three-reasons-sales-and-marketing-are-allergic-to-lean-and-why-cracking-the-code-today-is-so-important/) - Peter Drucker, the father of business consulting, said, "The purpose of a business is to create and keep a customer.” One can imagine his friend, Edwards Deming, responding with his famous rejoinder, "By what method?"Given the importance of sales and marketing, why isn’t operational excellence more successful there? Their goals are the same – to - [How is Lean Different From Other Sales Process Methodologies?](https://salesperformance.com/how-is-lean-different-from-other-sales-process-methodologies/) - Lean is about relentlessly increasing productivity. This doesn’t just mean eliminating waste. It also means increasing the value perceived by the customer. - [Shingo Video](https://salesperformance.com/shingo-video/) - Video of Shingo award Your browser does not support the video tag. - [Book Review: "Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way" by Michael J. Webb with Tom Gorman](https://salesperformance.com/sales-and-marketing-the-six-sigma-way-by-michael-j-webb-with-tom-gorman/) - This book demonstrates that aligning your selling activities with the customer's buying activities wins more business, and lets you measure and analyze why. - [Need to Fix Low Sales Productivity?](https://salesperformance.com/need-to-fix-low-sales-productivity/) - The three root causes of the silo-mentality that pervades sales and marketing management. - [What Distinguishes Sales Process Excellence from Sales Process Engineering?](https://salesperformance.com/what-distinguishes-sales-process-excellence-from-sales-process-engineering/) - The term “sales process engineering” was defined nicely in a paper written by Dr. Paul Selden in 1994: Sales process engineering is the systematic application of scientific and mathematical principles to achieve the practical goals of a sales process. Engineering is practical. It applies whatever scientific knowledge is available and relevant to a given problem. - [Do Highly Successful Companies Use Process Management Tools in Marketing and Sales?](https://salesperformance.com/do-highly-successful-companies-use-process-management-tools-in-marketing-and-sales/) - Do highly successful companies use process management tools in marketing and sales? You bet they do. Whether they know they are doing it is another matter, however. In fact, when companies TRY to apply lean and process tools to sales and marketing, they often get it wrong. Read this and you'll get it right. - [Why Sales and Marketing Needs Operational Excellence](https://salesperformance.com/whysalesandmarketingneedsoperationalexcellence/) - Every year CSO Insights (a research company for chief sales officers) conducts a study on sales management1. In 2014, the average win rate of forecasted deals across all companies was 45.9 percent, virtually the same as the 45.7 percent achieved in 2013. In other words, the average CEO would be better off placing “pass” bets - [How Does Lean Apply to Marketing?](https://salesperformance.com/how-does-lean-apply-to-marketing/) - Wikipedia defines "Lean", as "A production practice that considers the expenditure of resources for any goal other than the creation of value for the end customer to be wasteful, and thus a target for elimination." The American Marketing Association defines "Marketing" as "A set of processes to create, deliver and communicate customer value and manage - [Applying Process to Sell Leases for a Real Estate Development?](https://salesperformance.com/using-process-to-sell-leases-for-a-real-estate-development/) - A reader asked "How can this process apply to a new construction to lease up a new real estate development project?"I haven’t worked in real estate, but I’ve bought and sold enough houses to know the same principles hold. When it is a seller’s market, the sales process is more about the seller; the buyer is the - [A Forty Percent Profit Increase With Fewer Proposals](https://salesperformance.com/a-forty-percent-profit-increase-with-fewer-proposals/) - You've spent over $75 with me. When the book arrived, I'm sure it landed on your desk with a thud.Now my job is to make things as easy as possible for you. For example, a medium sized B2B company started working with me a few months ago. Fast forward to today: They expect profits to increase by 40% this - [Don't Bother with Sales Training or CRM Until You Face the Facts](https://salesperformance.com/dont-bother-with-sales-training-or-crm-until-you-face-the-facts-4/) - Why traditional fixes work so poorly in sales and marketing, and what you can do to improve results now. - [Three Question Strategies to Make Your Sales Funnel Flow Faster](https://salesperformance.com/three-question-strategies-to-make-your-sales-funnel/) - Michael Webb surveys sales methodologies to point out the characteristics which work, and why. - [A New Era Has Begun](https://salesperformance.com/a-new-era-has-begun/) - "Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way" marks the beginning of a new industry: sales process improvement Six Sigma to sales and marketing. This unlikely pair of disciplines will rock your world. Here's why. The growth of sales and marketing productivity is blocked.The last 30 years have seen dramatic changes in sales and marketing. In - [What Sales and Marketing Asks About Process Excellence - #1 How to Get Buy-In?](https://salesperformance.com/what-sales-and-marketing-asks-about-sales-process-excellence-1-how-to-get-buy-in/) - Sellers and marketers 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 Does Lean Process Thinking Work In Sales And Marketing? This week, we deal with the most popular question - [What General Managers Ask About Sales Process Excellence - #1 How Does It Work?](https://salesperformance.com/the-top-five-things-general-mangers-ask-about-lean-process-excellence-numberone/) - 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 - [What Lean Process Leaders Ask About Sales Process Excellence - #1 How Does It Work?](https://salesperformance.com/what-lean-process-leaders-ask-about-sales-process-excellence-1-how-does-it-work/) - Lean Process Leaders 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 Does Lean Process Thinking Work In Sales And Marketing? This week, we deal with the most popular question: - [What Sales and Marketing Asks About Sales Process Excellence - #2 How Does It Work?](https://salesperformance.com/the-top-five-things-sales-and-marketing-asks-about-lean-process-excellence-question-2/) - Sellers and marketers 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 #3 How Can Lean Process Excellence [Solve My Specific Pain]? This week, we deal with the next most popular question: - [What Lean Process Leaders Ask About Sales Process Excellence - #2 How to Get Buy-In?](https://salesperformance.com/the-top-five-things-lean-process-leaders-ask-about-sales-and-marketing-question-2/) - Lean Process Leaders 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 #3 How Can Lean Process Excellence [Solve My Specific Pain]? This week, we deal with the next most popular question: - [What General Managers Ask About Sales Process Excellence - #2 How to Get Buy-In?](https://salesperformance.com/the-top-five-things-general-mangers-ask-about-lean-process-excellence-question-2/) - General Managers have 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 #3 How Can Lean Process Excellence [Solve My Specific Pain]? This week, we deal with the next most popular question: #2 How - [What Sales and Marketing Asks About Sales Process Excellence - #3 How to Resolve My Pain?](https://salesperformance.com/the-top-five-things-sales-and-marketing-asks-about-lean-process-excellence-question-3/) - Sellers and marketers 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 #4 Where And How Do We Start Lean Process Excellence? This week, we deal with the next most popular question: - [How to Create an Environment that Rewards Improving](https://salesperformance.com/how-to-create-an-environment-that-rewards-improving/) - By Michael Webb Does a new sales process, sales training, or CRM software, improve a company’s sales productivity? Often, it does not. Why? Because the behaviors of sales or marketing people tend to return to the status quo. Productivity remains stubbornly unchanged. You might think you are improving something when you set out on the - [What Lean Process Leaders Ask About Sales Process Excellence - #3 How to Relieve My Pain?](https://salesperformance.com/what-lean-process-leaders-ask-about-sales-process-excellence-3-how-to-relieve-my-pain/) - Lean Process Leaders 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 #4 How Do We Implement Lean in Sales and Marketing? This week, we deal with the next most popular question: - [What General Managers Ask About Sales Process Excellence - #3 How to Relieve My Pain?](https://salesperformance.com/what-general-managers-ask-about-sales-process-excellence-3-how-to-relieve-my-pain/) - 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 #4 How Do We Sustain Sales And Marketing Improvements? This week, we deal with the next most popular question: #3: How - [What Lean Process Leaders Ask About Sales Process Excellence: #4 How to Implement Lean?](https://salesperformance.com/the-top-five-things-lean-process-leaders-ask-about-sales-and-marketing-question-4/) - Lean Process Leaders 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 #5 How Do We Sustain Sales And Marketing Improvements? This week, we deal with the next most popular question: #4: - [What General Managers Ask About Sales Process Excellence - #4 How to Sustain Improvement?](https://salesperformance.com/the-top-five-things-general-mangers-ask-about-lean-process-excellence-question-4/) - 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 #5 Where And How Do We Start Lean Process Excellence? This week, we deal with the next most popular question: Question - [What Sales and Marketing Asks About Sales Process Excellence - #5 How to Sustain Improvement?](https://salesperformance.com/what-sales-and-marketing-asks-about-sales-process-excellence-5-how-to-sustain-improvement/) - Sellers and marketers 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. Most of them already have some idea what “Lean process” means. The fifth most important question they asked is: Question #5: How Do We - [What Lean Process Leaders Ask About Sales Process Excellence - #5 How to Sustain Improvement?](https://salesperformance.com/what-lean-process-leaders-ask-about-sales-process-excellence-5-how-to-sustain-improvement/) - Lean Process Leaders have asked us asked us a lot of questions about sales and marketing over the years. We’re counting down the top five questions, and providing the answers. Most of them are really curious about how lean applies to sales and marketing. The fifth most important question they asked is: Question #5: - [How to Spread Sales Process Excellence to Multiple Sales Offices](https://salesperformance.com/how-to-spread-sales-process-excellence-to-multiple-sales-offices/) - Michael Balle recently wrote a wonderful answer to the question: "HOW DO YOU SPREAD A LEAN TRANSFORMATION FROM ONE SITE TO MANY?" His answer is that you basically have two choices: Roll Out, or Enroll This applies equally to sales and marketing as well as to manufacturing production. Roll-out: Show people the results you achieved. Give them the - [What General Managers Ask About Sales Process Excellence: #5 How to Start?](https://salesperformance.com/what-general-managers-ask-about-sales-process-excellence-5-how-to-start/) - General Mangers have asked us asked us a lot of questions about sales and marketing over the years. We’re counting down the top five questions, and providing the answers. Most of them are really curious about how lean applies to sales and marketing. The fifth most important question they asked is: Question #5: Where - [Sales Process Excellence at Danfoss](https://salesperformance.com/sales-process-excellence-at-danfoss-2/) - Speaker: Randy DeSpain, Director, Quality & Process Excellence, Global S&M Danfoss Power SolutionsDate: TBDTime: 10:00am ET Danfoss is the only organization I know of in the world that actually has a process excellence department devoted exclusively to sales and marketing. Just exactly why did this $6 billion organization decide to set up such a department, and staff it - [Five Assumptions that Prevent B2B Sales and Marketing Improvement - And How Process Excellence Avoids Them](https://salesperformance.com/five-assumptions-that-pervent-b2b-sales-and-marketing-improvement/) - by Michael Webb Improving sales and marketing productivity can be maddeningly difficult. There are so many different points of view – so many competing theories and motives. And, how do you even measure it? Most executives struggle to improve sales and marketing, because of some pesky things called assumptions. Unfortunately, if you start with the - [A Recent Readers Question: How Easy & Quickly can I Implement Some of the Key Changes to Realize Sales Process Improvements in a Reasonable Short Time?](https://salesperformance.com/a-recent-readers-question-how-easy-quickly-can-i-implement-some-of-the-key-changes-to-realize-sales-process-improvements-in-a-reasonable-short-time/) - Thanks for your recent question on my website. Several people have asked it. How easy and quickly can I implement some of the key changes to realize sales process improvements in a reasonable short time? The answer looks different if you are in a large account/complex selling environment than if you are in a more - [Grow Your Business and Lose the Fat by Putting Marketing and Selling on a "Lean" Diet](https://salesperformance.com/grow-your-business-and-lose-the-fat-by-putting-marketing-and-selling-on-a-lean-diet/) - Lean thinking doesn't just apply to manufacturing. A great case study of a business that changed its fortunes by changing the way it sold its product! - [Book Review - "Escaping the Black Hole"](https://salesperformance.com/book-review-escaping-the-black-hole/) - Escaping the Black Hole: Minimizing the Damage from the Marketing-Sales DisconnectRobert Schmonsees, Thompson Publishing, 2005 How much of your marketing and selling budget is wasted? In "Escaping the Black Hole -Minimizing the Damage from the Marketing and Selling Disconnect" (Thompson Publishing, 2005), author Bob Schmonsees demonstrates that in many companies that waste is as much - [Book Review - "The Leaky Funnel Earn More Customers by Aligning Sales and Marketing to the way Businesses Buy"](https://salesperformance.com/book-review-the-leaky-funnel-earn-more-customers-by-aligning-sales-and-marketing-to-the-way-businesses-buy/) - by Hugh Macfarlane 2003, Bookman Media Pty Ltd (available on www.amazon.com) Submitted by Michael J Webb: HardBits (a mid-sized company in a maturing industry) is struggling because its products are being commoditized by competitors from around the world. Customers are slow to buy, often delaying decisions until the last minute. Yet they expect miracle delivery - [What Value Does Your Sales Process Create?](https://salesperformance.com/what-value-does-your-sales-process-create/) - Effective sales processes are designed for the customer, not just for our own company. Learn how this makes selling more effective. - [Frequently Asked Questions](https://salesperformance.com/frequently-asked-questions/) - Fourteen frequently asked questions about applying process improvement (and Six Sigma) to finding, gaining, and keeping customers. Ask me your question about sales process improvement in the dialog box at the right, and I'll do my best to give you an answer. - [Nurturing - The Secret to Doubling Your Sales Conversion Rate](https://salesperformance.com/nurturing-the-secret-to-doubling-your-sales-conversion-rate-2/) - Companies waste millions in their lead generation campaigns by assuming the goal is generating today's prospects. They should nurture future prospects too. - [Guided Discovery Kick-Off Workshop](https://salesperformance.com/guided-discovery-kick-off-workshop/) - Step-by-Step Instructions for Getting Started on A Solid Footing Audience: Executive Sponsors, Team Leaders, and Core Team members Objective: After taking this course you will: Understand the purpose of your company's initiative, and the method for achieving it Understand your role in the project, and how you can best contribute Be clear on the first action - [How to Gather Voice of Customer](https://salesperformance.com/how-to-gather-voice-of-customer/) - Step-by-step instructions for improving customer value - [How to Conduct a Kaizen Event in Sales and Marketing](https://salesperformance.com/how-to-conduct-a-kaizen-event-in-sales-and-marketing/) - Step-by-Step Instructions for Implementing Change Effectively Audience: Team Leaders, and Core Team members Objective: After taking this course you will: Understand how to clarify the purpose of your kaizen event Understand the checklists and preparations necessary for a successful kaizen event Understand the requirements for conducting a successful event Be able to follow up effectively after a kaizen event - [Weak Revenue? The New Fix for Sales and Marketing Problems](https://salesperformance.com/fix-sales-and-marketing-problems/) - "Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way" demonstrates how scientific management approaches can be applied to sales and marketing to solve problems an create revenue. - [Should We Skip Your Book If We're Not Planning To Do Six Sigma?](https://salesperformance.com/should-we-skip-your-book-if-were-not-planning-to-do-six-sigma/) - Julia Stalfort, COO of WarmlyYours.com asked me a question about the book: "Should I skip your book if we're not planning to implement Six Sigma?" This is a great question, and one we are concerned with. The answer is: "Do not skip the book!" Improving your sales and marketing results is a bit like building - [Some People Don't Like Six Sigma. Why Deal With It?](https://salesperformance.com/some-people-dont-like-six-sigma-why-deal-with-it/) - As Tom and I were writing the book more than a few people encouraged us to drop Six Sigma from the title, and indeed drop the Six Sigma jargon all together. For example: "I think you fail to serve either yourself or your audience by forcing them to understand the jargon of [Six Sigma] … - [Improve the world! Eradicate bad sales processes!](https://salesperformance.com/improve-the-world-eradicate-bad-sales-processes/) - When you want something, don't you just love to buy it? It is fun, though sometimes it takes a lot of work. The experience is even better when someone is expertly helping you accomplish it. That happened when we bought our house in Chicago over ten years ago (we've since moved). We were from - [Are Your Business Problems Rooted in Your Sales Process?](https://salesperformance.com/are-your-business-problems-rooted-in-your-sales-process/) - The lack of a sound sales and marketing process is responsible for a variety of business pains. Wild swings in order volumes around the close of accounting periods, for example, disrupt production schedules. Inability to forecast orders in the short term (or in the long term) can make planning efforts pointless. These problems have deep - [How Do Top Consumer Packaged Goods Companies Use Process Improvement?](https://salesperformance.com/how-do-top-consumer-packaged-goods-companies-use-process-improvement/) - Jason Buschlen of Lexmark asked me this interesting question: I wonder how top tier CPG sales organizations are benefiting from process improvement. The following companies (and probably more) have presented cases at the Six Sigma conferences, Jason: Black and Decker (reducing cost of literature distribution to stores, reducing cost of returned items at the stores) - [About "Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way"](https://salesperformance.com/about-sales-and-marketing-the-six-sigma-way/) - Written by Michael J Webb with Tom GormanReleased by Kaplan Publishing (formerly Dearborn Trade Publishing) Aug 1, 2006ISBN: 1419521500 298 pages Press Release 6/30/2006: htm pdfQuestion and Answer: htm pdf Thousands of companies have generated hundreds of millions of - [Good Processes Create Value](https://salesperformance.com/good-processes-create-value/) - In preparation for the launch of the book August 2, I'll be on a short vacation with the family next week. I won't be posting anything until Aug 31, so I'll leave you with a couple of observations: I hope you saw this in the headlines recently: "Kyle MacDonald from Montreal, Canada, traded one red - [Make Your Sales Funnel Flow Faster!](https://salesperformance.com/make-your-sales-funnel-flow-faster-2/) - Michael Webb describes the problems caused by the functional approach to sales and marketing management, and the benefits of managing the flow (as a process). - [Sales Process Measurement Shows How to Double Revenues Per Employee?](https://salesperformance.com/sales-process-measurement-shows-how-to-double-revenues-per-employee/) - A case example of how proper measurement of sales processes helps a company double sales productivity from "Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way." - [Q & A with Michael J. Webb](https://salesperformance.com/qa-michael-webb/) - Michael Webb, author of "Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way" (Kaplan, 2006), answers questions about his new book. - [Q & A with Michael J. Webb](https://salesperformance.com/qa-michael-webb-2/) - Michael Webb, author of "Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way" (Kaplan, 2006), answers questions about his new book. - [The Road to Sales and Marketing Success is Paved with NO ASSUMPTIONS!](https://salesperformance.com/the-road-to-sales-and-marketing-success-is-paved-with-no-assumptions/) - A technical salesperson overlooks what a customer doesn't know, and then wonders why they won't buy! How to avoid this mistake. - [A Must Read for Marketing/Sales/QA Managers, and Also for Senior Executives and MBA Students](https://salesperformance.com/a-must-read-for-marketingsalesqa-managers-and-also-for-senior-executives-and-mba-students/) - The CEO of www.sohoware.com in Santa Clara, California, reviews Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way. - [Why Don't Six Sigma Training Companies Sell the Six Sigma Way?](https://salesperformance.com/why-dont-six-sigma-training-companies-sell-the-six-sigma-way/) - Michael Webb critiques a well known six sigma training company's lead generation campaign. - [SellingPower Praises "Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way"](https://salesperformance.com/sellingpower-praises-the-book/) - Gerhard Gschwandtner and Heather Baldwin of SellingPower put their review of "Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way!" on the cover of their magazine. - [Internal Negotiations: A Battle the Sales VP Cannot Fight Alone](https://salesperformance.com/internal-negotiations-a-battle-the-sales-vp-cannot-fight-alone/) - A sales VP alone cannot get his company to realize that selling is everyone's problem, not just his or hers. - [The Secret Reason Your Company's Sales Process is Not Working, and What You Can Do to Fix It Now](https://salesperformance.com/the-secret-reason-your-companys-sales-process-is-not-working-and-what-you-can-do-to-fix-it-now/) - A sales trainer attempts to do the right thing for his company, but ends up on the wrong side of the question. How to evaluate training effectiveness. - [Transform Marketing and Selling into an Easy-to-Understand Production System](https://salesperformance.com/transform-marketing-and-selling-into-an-easy-to-understand-production-system/) - Transform Marketing and Selling into an Easy-to-Understand Production System Virtual Book Tour Announced for "Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way" Norcross, GA (Oct 3, 2006) - For Immediate Release: Senior executives often struggle to cause their companies to perform predictably and efficiently in the market. That's partly because marketing and selling tend to be - [A reader's question: "How Does Understanding Variation Help Solve Sales and Marketing Problems?"](https://salesperformance.com/a-readers-question-how-does-understanding-variation-help-solve-sales-and-marketing-problems/) - A reader makes a clarifying comment about common vs special causes of variation in sales and marketing processes. - [A reader's question: "How Does Understanding Variation Help Solve Sales and Marketing Problems?"](https://salesperformance.com/a-readers-question-how-does-understanding-variation-help-solve-sales-and-marketing-problems-2/) - A reader makes a clarifying comment about common vs special causes of variation in sales and marketing processes. - [Can You Lean The Sales Process?](https://salesperformance.com/can-you-lean-the-sales-process/) - How lean manufacturing concepts apply to sales and marketing. - [If you only buy one book on sales and marketing ...](https://salesperformance.com/if-you-only-buy-one-book-on-sales-and-marketing/) - If you only buy one book on sales and marketing ... Reg Noordman of RocketBuilders endorsed "Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way" in his blog on Oct 25: "If you only buy one book this year onSales and Marketing, this is the one." Now that the book has been out for four months, I've - [If Your Selling Isn't Creating Customer Value, It Is Destroying Customer Value](https://salesperformance.com/if-your-selling-isnt-creating-customer-value-it-is-destroying-customer-value/) - An examination of why Pfizer, the worlds largest pharmaceutical maker, laid off 2000 of its 10,000 person sales force (December 2006) . - [If Your Selling Isn't Creating Customer Value, It Is Destroying Customer Value](https://salesperformance.com/if-your-selling-isnt-creating-customer-value-it-is-destroying-customer-value-2/) - An examination of why Pfizer, the worlds largest pharmaceutical maker, laid off 2000 of its 10,000 person sales force (December 2006) . - [What Should the Universites Teach About Marketing?](https://salesperformance.com/what-should-the-universites-teach-about-marketing/) - Michael Webb recommends books for use in marketing courses at a university. - [Quantifying Hard Benefits of Sales Process Improvement](https://salesperformance.com/quantifying-hard-benefits-of-sales-process-improvement/) - Michael answers a reader's question "Why is it that quantifying the benefits of six sigma projects in sales and marketing often seems ambiguous?" - [What Kind of Sales Training is Best?](https://salesperformance.com/what-kind-of-sales-training-is-best/) - Michael answers a reader's question, "With your experience in sales management, who do you consider to be the best sales training company?" - [Unshackling the Voice of the Customer](https://salesperformance.com/unshackling-the-voice-of-the-customer/) - Michael is asked to participate in a panel discussion for PDMA on whether the voice of the customer stifles creativity. - [Management Breakthrough Transforms Sales and Marketing into More Predictable Production Flow](https://salesperformance.com/management-breakthrough-transforms-sales-and-marketing-into-more-predictable-production-flow/) - Increasing the flow of profitable business seems an elusive goal for many companies. Although management techniques such as Lean and Six Sigma have helped to dramatically improve business results in production manufacturing, many companies have been frustrated when trying them in the world of branding campaigns, lead generation, sales training, and sales contests. Now, after - [Virtual Book Tour Announced for "Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way"](https://salesperformance.com/virtual-book-tour-announced-for-sales-and-marketing-the-six-sigma-way/) - Virtual Book Tour Announced for "Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way" - [Virtual Book Tour Announced for "Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way"](https://salesperformance.com/virtual-book-tour-announced-for-sales-and-marketing-the-six-sigma-way-2/) - Virtual Book Tour Announced for "Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way" - [Using Voice of the Customer to Improve Your Sales Process](https://salesperformance.com/using-voice-of-the-customer-to-improve-your-sales-process/) - The common denominator to improving sales and marketing results in most companies is ignorance of the "voice of the customer." - [The Sales Process Versus the Buyer's Journey](https://salesperformance.com/the-sales-process-versus-the-buyers-journey-2/) - Most sales and marketing organizations will acknowledge by now that when mapping their sales process, it is important to spend a little time thinking about the value each phase represents to the customer. This enables them to develop a better approach than the internally focused mess that happens when they don't make themselves answer that - [The Sales Process Versus the Buyer's Journey](https://salesperformance.com/the-sales-process-versus-the-buyers-journey/) - Most sales and marketing organizations will acknowledge by now that when mapping their sales process, it is important to spend a little time thinking about the value each phase represents to the customer. This enables them to develop a better approach than the internally focused mess that happens when they don't make themselves answer that - [Shifting from Sales Manager to Production Manager](https://salesperformance.com/shifting-from-sales-manager-to-production-manager/) - A description of how a more evidence-oriented approach helps sales organizations become more productive, and their results more predictable. - [How Customer Centric Is Your Company?](https://salesperformance.com/how-customer-centric-is-your-company/) - What does it mean for a company to really be Customer Centric? - [How Lean Is Your Sales Process?](https://salesperformance.com/how-lean-is-your-sales-process/) - The key to applying the logic of lean to sales and marketing is to transition from functional views, and to re-think sales and marketing as value creation. - [Design Your Sales Process Around What You Can Control](https://salesperformance.com/design-your-sales-process-around-what-you-can-control/) - Quality science helps isolate what can be controlled from what cannot be controlled. This is a crucial factor if you are to achieve accurate sales forecasts. - [What It Means to Measure a Sales Process](https://salesperformance.com/what-it-means-to-measure-a-sales-process/) - A reluctant Sales VP agrees to a powerful process based on his own "non-analytical" logic. Sales resistance to a process approach is often fiction. - [Why Hasn't Enterprise Resource Planning Been Successful in Sales and Marketing?](https://salesperformance.com/why-hasnt-enterprise-resource-planning-been-successful-in-sales-and-marketing/) - The logic of ERP systems crashes and burns when applied to sales and marketing. Here's what sales and marketing can do to perform better. - [Why Hasn't Enterprise Resource Planning Been Successful in Sales and Marketing?](https://salesperformance.com/why-hasnt-enterprise-resource-planning-been-successful-in-sales-and-marketing-2/) - The logic of ERP systems crashes and burns when applied to sales and marketing. Here's what sales and marketing can do to perform better. - [Is Your Sales Process Lighting the Way or Shrouded in Mystery?](https://salesperformance.com/is-your-sales-process-lighting-the-way-or-shrouded-in-mystery/) - The Internet is a crucial tool for automating sales processes that every B2B company should embrace. - [Project Charters: A Key to Making Sales and Marketing Improvements Easier Than You Thought Possible](https://salesperformance.com/project-charters-a-key-to-making-sales-and-marketing-improvements-easier-than-you-thought-possible/) - An explanation of how applying the "project charter" process improvement technique to sales and marketing solves big problems and makes success easier. - [Why Your CRM Probably Won't Improve Your Sales or Forecast Accuracy (and Why It's Not Your CRM Vendor's Fault!)](https://salesperformance.com/why-your-crm-probably-wont-improve-your-sales-or-forecast-accuracy-and-why-its-not-your-crm-vendors-fault/) - Why CRM software only makes things worse if you have not properly defined the sales process. - [What Value Does Your Process Create for the Customer?](https://salesperformance.com/what-value-does-your-process-create-for-the-customer/) - Would a customer be willing to pay for your sales and marketing efforts? This article describes the importance of this idea, and the link to lean thinking. - [BPTrends.com Gives "Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way" Top Rating](https://salesperformance.com/bptrendscom-gives-sales-and-marketing-the-six-sigma-way-top-rating/) - Paul Harmon of BPTrends gives a glowing review of "Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way" (Kaplan, 2006) by Michael Webb and Tom Gorman. - [Why Your Sales Process Cost Matters, and What You Need to Know to Get It Right](https://salesperformance.com/why-your-sales-process-cost-matters-and-what-you-need-to-know-to-get-it-right/) - An explanation of how to measure the cost of sales production (process costing model), and why this is so important for executives. - [BPTrends.com Gives "Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way" Top Rating](https://salesperformance.com/bptrendscom-gives-sales-and-marketing-the-six-sigma-way-top-rating-2/) - Paul Harmon of BPTrends gives a glowing review of "Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way" (Kaplan, 2006) by Michael Webb and Tom Gorman. - [Banish the Waste from Sales and Marketing: Think Different!](https://salesperformance.com/banish-the-waste-from-sales-and-marketing-think-different/) - Ways to think about sales and marketing that make identifying and eliminating waste easier. - [Is It time to Apply VOC to your Sales and Marketing Processes?](https://salesperformance.com/is-it-time-to-apply-voc-to-your-sales-and-marketing-processes/) - How and why to apply voice of customer techniques to your customer's journey: to improve sales results. - [Clarifying Things That Count: How to Use Qualification Criteria to Improve Your Salespeople's Results](https://salesperformance.com/clarifying-things-that-count-how-to-use-qualification-criteria-to-improve-your-salespeoples-results-2/) - How applying qualification criteria properly can create dramatic improvements in sales results. - [Clarifying Things That Count: How to Use Qualification Criteria to Improve Your Salespeople's Results](https://salesperformance.com/clarifying-things-that-count-how-to-use-qualification-criteria-to-improve-your-salespeoples-results/) - How applying qualification criteria properly can create dramatic improvements in sales results. - [Business Week Gets Six Sigma Wrong](https://salesperformance.com/business-week-gets-six-sigma-wrong/) - Unfortunately, six sigma is often misunderstood by the business community, as illustrated by this example. - [How to Use Sales Process Measurement to Improve Marketing and Selling Results](https://salesperformance.com/how-to-use-sales-process-measurement-to-improve-marketing-and-selling-results/) - How to use measurement techniques to make the sales funnel flow faster. - [Four Prerequisites for Solving Age-Old Sales and Marketing Problems and How to Implement Them](https://salesperformance.com/four-prerequisites-for-solving-age-old-sales-and-marketing-problems-and-how-to-implement-them/) - Michael Webb provides four prerequisites for getting changes to happen and performance to improve in a sales organization. - [Nurturing–The Secret to Doubling Your Sales Conversion Rate](https://salesperformance.com/nurturing-the-secret-to-doubling-your-sales-conversion-rate/) - One of the maxims of direct marketing is that repetition works, and here is proof: Last week I mailed out two versions of this newsletter: one to those of you who already responded to the previous week’s survey request, and one to those of you who haven’t, yet. The response rate doubled. Of those of - [Need to Improve Salespeople’s Behaviors? Don't Bother with Sales Training or CRM Until You Face the Facts](https://salesperformance.com/need-to-improve-salespeoples-behaviors-dont-bother-with-sales-training-or-crm-until-you-face-the-facts/) - Need to Improve Salespeople’s Behaviors? Don’t Bother with Sales Training or CRM Until You Face the Facts Have you ever wondered, what is the best way to incorporate sales training methodologies in a CRM system? Sometimes the question comes when a company wants a better return from their CRM software. Other times it comes from - [Three Proven Tactics to Get Salespeople's Cooperation in Launching New Initiatives](https://salesperformance.com/three-proven-tactics-to-get-salespeoples-cooperation-in-launching-new-initiatives-2/) - Hello, This time is supposed to be one of the most depressing weeks in the year, with the weather, the Holiday bills, and lack of sunshine (not to mention the sliding stock market!). I hope you're finding some warmth and reward and making it through. I spent most of my time since last week at - [Need to Improve Salespeople’s Behaviors? Don't Bother with Sales Training or CRM Until You Face the Facts](https://salesperformance.com/need-to-improve-salespeoples-behaviors-dont-bother-with-sales-training-or-crm-until-you-face-the-facts-2/) - Hello, I hope your year is winding up well. After next week, with only a few weeks left, people’s attention will turn to holiday parties and planning for next year. I’m off to Canada again for the week, and I hope to write up a case example for you about this project soon. Our goal - [B2B vs B2C: What Are the Similarities and Differences in Sales Process Design?](https://salesperformance.com/b2b-vs-b2c-what-are-the-similarities-and-differences-in-sales-process-design/) - Hello, I almost didn't make my newsletter deadline this week. I was in Canada last week, had interviews from Managing Automation Magazine and was a guest speaker for one of Dan Kennedy's new information products on designing sales processes (Yes, that is my excuse! :-). Thankfully, I believe I'll be in town until at least - [B2B vs B2C: What Are the Similarities and Differences in Sales Process Design? Part 2](https://salesperformance.com/b2b-vs-b2c-what-are-the-similarities-and-differences-in-sales-process-design-part-2/) - Hello, 2007 has been a fantastic year, but this is the last SPIF! Newsletter you'll receive until January 8th. Thank you for paying attention, sending us your questions and comments, and filling out our surveys. You'll see the results of your input starting in January. On behalf of the Sales Performance Consultant's Team, I wish - [Don’t Bother Helping Customers Buy Help Them Solve Their Problems Instead](https://salesperformance.com/dont-bother-helping-customers-buy-help-them-solve-their-problems-instead/) - Don’t Bother Helping Customers Buy - Help Them Solve Their Problems Instead Like it or not, we have all changed how we do business and solve problems. We look for – and find – the information we need on search engines and websites (for free). We get as much of this information as we can - [Five Ways to Minimize Sales and Marketing Frustration, Waste, and Cost](https://salesperformance.com/five-ways-to-minimize-sales-and-marketing-frustration-waste-and-cost-2/) - What steps of your sales and marketing process produce the most cost, waste, and frustration? Here are five important mistakes you can work on to make your sales and marketing more productive. Fixing any of these five areas will produce big returns for your organization. 1) Observe the Use of Your Product in the FieldDeveloping - [Three Proven Tactics to Get Salespeople's Cooperation in Launching New Initiatives](https://salesperformance.com/three-proven-tactics-to-get-salespeoples-cooperation-in-launching-new-initiatives-2-2/) - Hello, This time is supposed to be one of the most depressing weeks in the year, with the weather, the Holiday bills, and lack of sunshine (not to mention the sliding stock market!). I hope you're finding some warmth and reward and making it through. I spent most of my time since last week at - [Should You Help Your Sales Organization Improve Its Sales Process?](https://salesperformance.com/should-you-help-your-sales-organization-improve-its-sales-process/) - Hello, I’m off to the Northeast this week for a client engagement, but I thought you would be interested in a question I received recently from an unusual salesperson. She had a phenomenal background in process disciplines and had also managed to transition to a successful sales career. This shows tremendous talent and determination, in - [Are Sales Commissions Bad for Business?](https://salesperformance.com/are-sales-commissions-bad-for-business/) - Hello, Welcome to frosty February. The super bowl upset is on everyone’s minds … I love it when the underdog wins, don’t you? Business is a game of win or lose too, and sales commissions have always been a critical part of that world. Process thinkers, like Deming, have challenged commissions (and other types of - [Extending Lean into the Enterprise](https://salesperformance.com/extending-lean-into-the-enterprise/) - Hello, If you’ve been in sales for any length of time, you may have the sense that “there must be a better way.” I know I did when I first became a salesperson (the business forms industry back in the late 1970s). We were taught the mantra of “the numbers game” … that the more - [Are Your Salespeople Making the Most of "Face Time" With Your Customers?](https://salesperformance.com/are-your-salespeople-making-the-most-of-face-time-with-your-customers/) - Hello, This week’s article refreshes a piece I wrote about several years ago. Organizations have a hard time improving their sales. This is not just because people need to perform better. Often it is also because the organization has to change if people are to have a chance of performing better. Executives, stuck with the - [Are Your Salespeople Making the Most of "Face Time" With Your Customers?](https://salesperformance.com/are-your-salespeople-making-the-most-of-face-time-with-your-customers-2/) - Hello, This week’s article refreshes a piece I wrote about several years ago. Organizations have a hard time improving their sales. This is not just because people need to perform better. Often it is also because the organization has to change if people are to have a chance of performing better. Executives, stuck with the - [Root Out the Marketing and Selling Disconnect](https://salesperformance.com/root-out-the-marketing-and-selling-disconnect-2/) - Hello, I’m attending a conference for Internet entrepreneurs this week in Orlando. It is interesting to compare what makes Internet marketers and corporations successful. Obviously, it is all founded on an understanding of their customers. A cartoon on the wall in my office shows a dog sitting in front of a computer screen with the - [Evolving Your Sales Process: The Four Stages to Becoming a Market Leader](https://salesperformance.com/evolving-your-sales-process-the-four-stages-to-becoming-a-market-leader/) - Hello, Thanks to some of you for your calls regarding the weather here. We got lucky: The weekend storms hit south of us, in downtown Atlanta, and north of us, in the Cumming and Gainesville areas. While the storms were coming through, I wanted to swap the cars in the garage. If one of our - [Salespeople Frustrated by Six Sigma Training: What to do Instead](https://salesperformance.com/salespeople-frustrated-by-six-sigma-training-what-to-do-instead/) - Hello, Sorry I missed last week’s newsletter. I got hit with a bad flu on Sunday night, and struggled through the rest of the week. It wasn’t until sometime on Friday that I started feeling human again. And, luckily, I saw a question posted on the www.iSixSigma.com website that got me inspired. So, you can - [Root Out the Marketing and Selling Disconnect](https://salesperformance.com/root-out-the-marketing-and-selling-disconnect/) - Hello everyone, Running between some vacation days and client appointments this week, I was interviewed by Forrester Research late last week on the topic of how to get sales and marketing to cooperate better. This week’s article deals with that very issue. Originally published in RainToday a couple of years ago, it’s worth revisiting. Until - [How Much Sales Process Is Too Little? How Much Is Too Much?](https://salesperformance.com/how-much-sales-process-is-too-little-how-much-is-too-much/) - I had lunch last Thursday with a very smart woman who just started a six-figure executive sales position in a health-care company. She seemed a little frazzled as she described the sales process at the new company: “It’s like, ‘Oh Boy. Everyone Go Sell!’” she said. It had taken her a week to figure out - [How Well Does Your Company Help Salespeople Sell?](https://salesperformance.com/how-well-does-your-company-help-salespeople-sell/) - Hello, I’m on a quick trip up to New Jersey and back, but wanted to get this story off to you. If you’ve been a salesperson, you’ve felt the pressure of needing to get customers to buy. You’ve also known the frustration of not having the knowledge, resources, time, or the tools to do the - [How to Avoid the Fatal Sales Process Mistake Most Sales Managers Make](https://salesperformance.com/how-to-avoid-the-fatal-sales-process-mistake-most-sales-managers-make/) - Hello, A few months ago, two sales managers, I’ll call them Frank and Betty, were stymied by a serious problem. They knew how to make their numbers, yet results weren’t happening. Although their company was small, they had created a management system as sophisticated as those of much larger companies. However, they made one fatal - [Parameters of Operational Excellence (or How to Manage Sales and Marketing)](https://salesperformance.com/parameters-of-operational-excellence-or-how-to-manage-sales-and-marketing/) - A business must be able to measure things before “operational excellence” means anything. Therefore, before we examine what “operational excellence” consists of, let’s spend a few minutes examining what is meant by “being able to measure things.” Measurement is identification of the facts of reality. Since we were little children, we’ve done this at a - [What Is Lean Six Sigma, and Why Should Strategic Account Managers Care? Part 1](https://salesperformance.com/what-is-lean-six-sigma-and-why-should-strategic-account-managers-care-part-i/) - Hello, This week I am running part one of a piece we originally wrote for a selling industry magazine. It is well done and you'll enjoy it. Part II will be published next week. Michael J. WebbMay 21, 2008 What Is Lean Six Sigma, and Why Should Strategic Account Managers Care? Part 1 By Michael - [What Is Lean Six Sigma, and Why Should Strategic Account Managers Care? Part 2](https://salesperformance.com/what-is-lean-six-sigma-and-why-should-strategic-account-managers-care-part-ii/) - By Michael J. Webb Fact-Based Sales Problem SolvingAs much as anything, strategic account managers (SAMs) exist to solve customers’ problems. Of course, that means the problems that, the company’s products and services are designed to solve for customers. Yet, it also means the problems that bedevil customers and salespeople in any business: incorrect deliveries, errors/returns, - [Secrets of Chinese Traffic and Your Sales Process](https://salesperformance.com/secrets-of-chinese-traffic-and-your-sales-process/) - In 1992, Leslie and I traveled to China to adopt a baby girl. Among many vivid memories of that trip, one I often think about is the traffic jams. When we completed the adoption paperwork in Suzhou, we trekked to the American Embassy in Guangzhou. Deadlines for health check-ups, visas, and meetings with embassy officials - [How Helpful Is Your Business Information "Dashboard?"](https://salesperformance.com/how-helpful-is-your-business-information-dashboard/) - Every executive I know wants easier ways to get information about what is happening in their business. Most big software applications include some kind of "Executive Dashboard" in order to meet this need. If only the problems were solvable with software! It's not. A discussion of this topic that is well worth reading was posted - [How Helpful Is Your Business Information "Dashboard?"](https://salesperformance.com/how-helpful-is-your-business-information-dashboard-2/) - Every executive I know wants easier ways to get information about what is happening in their business. Most big software applications include some kind of "Executive Dashboard" in order to meet this need. If only the problems were solvable with software! It's not. A discussion of this topic that is well worth reading was posted - [Seven Ways to Permanently Improve Sales](https://salesperformance.com/seven-ways-to-permanently-improve-sales-2/) - Hello, Today is my birthday, so I hope you have a great day. Michael Webb________________________________________________________________________________Seven Ways to Permanently Improve Sales Leading a company is a difficult job in the best of times. Yet executives can take common sense steps to make things easier to generate customer revenue. Our work in a variety of industries has - [Lessons from the Lion Tamer: Power, Bearing, and Why Johnny Can't Sell (Part 1 of 5)](https://salesperformance.com/lessons-from-the-lion-tamer-power-bearing-and-why-johnny-cant-sell-part-1-of-5/) - Do you remember watching the lion tamer at the circus when you were a kid? Alone he would step into a cage with several wild cats. Twice his weight, they flashed their teeth and claws. Yet when he cracked his whip, the big cats jumped on the boxes and stayed there. When the cats are - [Lessons from the Lion Tamer: Power, Bearing, and Why Johnny Can't Sell (Part 3 of 5)](https://salesperformance.com/lessons-from-the-lion-tamer-power-bearing-and-why-johnny-cant-sell-part-3-of-5-2/) - Last week we discussed how your brand positioning and proof of superiority (eg, in the form of testimonials) provide some power to salespeople. This week, we'll discuss "bearing," that hard to describe quality that distinguishes powerful salespeople from the not so powerful. The Salesperson's BearingPeople in the market don't know who they can trust. They - [Lessons from the Lion Tamer: Power, Bearing, and Why Johnny Can't Sell (Part 1 of 5)](https://salesperformance.com/lessons-from-the-lion-tamer-power-bearing-and-why-johnny-cant-sell-part-1-of-5-2/) - Do you remember watching the lion tamer at the circus when you were a kid? Alone he would step into a cage with several wild cats. Twice his weight, they flashed their teeth and claws. Yet when he cracked his whip, the big cats jumped on the boxes and stayed there. When the cats are - [Lessons from the Lion Tamer: Power, Bearing, and Why Johnny Can't Sell (Part 2 of 5)](https://salesperformance.com/lessons-from-the-lion-tamer-power-bearing-and-why-johnny-cant-sell-part-2-of-5-2/) - Last week I told you one example of how you can "get the cats on the boxes." This week I'll show you some other ways salespeople can get some power. Where Do Your Salespeople Get Power? I use Dan Kennedy as an example because he is so focused on power and control in his sales - [Lessons from the Lion Tamer: Power, Bearing, and Why Johnny Can't Sell (Part 2 of 5)](https://salesperformance.com/lessons-from-the-lion-tamer-power-bearing-and-why-johnny-cant-sell-part-2-of-5/) - Last week I told you one example of how you can "get the cats on the boxes." This week I'll show you some other ways salespeople can get some power. Where Do Your Salespeople Get Power? I use Dan Kennedy as an example because he is so focused on power and control in his sales - [Lessons from the Lion Tamer: Power, Bearing, and Why Johnny Can't Sell (Part 3 of 5)](https://salesperformance.com/lessons-from-the-lion-tamer-power-bearing-and-why-johnny-cant-sell-part-3-of-5/) - Last week we discussed how your brand positioning and proof of superiority (eg, in the form of testimonials) provide some power to salespeople. This week, we'll discuss "bearing," that hard to describe quality that distinguishes powerful salespeople from the not so powerful. The Salesperson's BearingPeople in the market don't know who they can trust. They - [Straight Talk from the Experts](https://salesperformance.com/straight-talk-from-the-experts-2/) - Hello, I wanted to let you know about an exciting event taking place this Monday, July 14–I will be a guest on the Stepp Stevens Sydnor radio show. The broadcast will take place at 4:00 PM Eastern, 3:00 PM Central. Please see the information below for details. If you are unable to listen to the - [Lessons from the Lion Tamer: Power, Bearing, and Why Johnny Can't Sell (Part 4 of 5)](https://salesperformance.com/lessons-from-the-lion-tamer-power-bearing-and-why-johnny-cant-sell-part-4-of-5/) - Last week I showed you a simple example of how a salesperson's "bearing" helps wield power in an environment where they have territory exclusivity. This week I'll show you how it can work even in an industry requiring competitive RFQs. Power Exists Even in an RFQ EnvironmentBrand positioning, power, proof of credibility, and bearing play - [Lessons from the Lion Tamer: Power, Bearing, and Why Johnny Can't Sell (Part 4 of 5)](https://salesperformance.com/lessons-from-the-lion-tamer-power-bearing-and-why-johnny-cant-sell-part-4-of-5-2/) - Last week I showed you a simple example of how a salesperson's "bearing" helps wield power in an environment where they have territory exclusivity. This week I'll show you how it can work even in an industry requiring competitive RFQs. Power Exists Even in an RFQ EnvironmentBrand positioning, power, proof of credibility, and bearing play - [Lessons from the Lion Tamer (Part 5 of 5): What Happened to Me, Lessons in the Company's Power vs the Salesperson's Power](https://salesperformance.com/lessons-from-the-lion-tamer-part-5-of-5-what-happened-to-me-lessons-in-the-companys-power-vs-the-salespersons-power-2/) - Last week I argued that salespeople have power to improve how a company sells, even in an RFQ environment, provided management has set up its sales process to leverage new thinking and adopt the changes required. This week, I'll tell you a story about a company I worked for years ago who failed to understand - [Lessons from the Lion Tamer (Part 5 of 5): What Happened to Me, Lessons in the Company's Power vs the Salesperson's Power](https://salesperformance.com/lessons-from-the-lion-tamer-part-5-of-5-what-happened-to-me-lessons-in-the-companys-power-vs-the-salespersons-power/) - Last week I argued that salespeople have power to improve how a company sells, even in an RFQ environment, provided management has set up its sales process to leverage new thinking and adopt the changes required. This week, I'll tell you a story about a company I worked for years ago who failed to understand - [The Role of the CEO in the Sales Process](https://salesperformance.com/the-role-of-the-ceo-in-the-sales-process-2/) - Many CEOs see themselves as chief revenue officer (especially in tech companies) or at the least feel very consumed by this challenge. Many have been very successful in their careers by bringing order to chaos, yet they can seem paralyzed by the chaos in sales and marketing. In this article, I'll provide some insight into - [What You'll Learn on "Planet Google": Part 1](https://salesperformance.com/what-youll-learn-on-planet-google-part-1-2/) - About a month ago a manager at Google invited me to attend the "Reaction B2B Executive Summit," an invitation-only event to be held July 31 and August 1, 2008, at Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California. What I learned in that short time on "Planet Google" -and why they invited me there-is eye opening. Google - [What You'll Learn on "Planet Google": Part 1](https://salesperformance.com/what-youll-learn-on-planet-google-part-1/) - About a month ago a manager at Google invited me to attend the "Reaction B2B Executive Summit," an invitation-only event to be held July 31 and August 1, 2008, at Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California. What I learned in that short time on "Planet Google" -and why they invited me there-is eye opening. Google - [Does Anybody Use Six Sigma in Sales and Marketing?](https://salesperformance.com/does-anybody-use-six-sigma-in-sales-and-marketing/) - Here's an interesting posting from Linked In you might not have seen: Ray Stahl, Director of Business Development at Xiotech Corporation, asked this question: Does anybody use Six Sigma in Sales & Marketing? I am interested to see if Six Sigma, which was very popular based on GE's Jack Welsh driving billions of dollars to - [What You'll Learn on "Planet Google": Part 2](https://salesperformance.com/what-youll-learn-on-planet-google-part-2/) - Hello, Last week I gave you some interesting background around Google's "Reaction B2B Executive Summit" and why educating their customers is such an important strategy for them. This week I'll present some of the ways they are doing it and explain why they invited me. Michael J. WebbAugust 12, 2008 What You'll Learn on "Planet - [What You'll Learn on "Planet Google": Part 2](https://salesperformance.com/what-youll-learn-on-planet-google-part-2-2/) - Hello, Last week I gave you some interesting background around Google's "Reaction B2B Executive Summit" and why educating their customers is such an important strategy for them. This week I'll present some of the ways they are doing it and explain why they invited me. Michael J. WebbAugust 12, 2008 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ What You'll Learn on - [The 1849 California Gold Rush, Learning to Sell, and the Voice of the Sales Force](https://salesperformance.com/the-1849-california-gold-rush-learning-to-sell-and-the-voice-of-the-sales-force/) - This has been a great summer so far–I hope it has been for you too. Plenty of time in the last two weeks to re-think and re-write, a breather before the busy fall season cranks up. In any business, it takes time (and effort!) to reflect, discuss, and articulate value. Language is everything, because prospects - [How to Conduct Your Sales Force When Sales Training Is the Wrong Answer](https://salesperformance.com/how-to-conduct-your-sales-force-when-sales-training-is-the-wrong-answer/) - How do you decide how many salespeople you need? What their quotas should be? How big their territories should be? For that matter, when you are launching a product or expanding into a new market, how do you know whether your new salespeople are doing the right things or even whether they are doing things - [Straight Talk from the Experts](https://salesperformance.com/straight-talk-from-the-experts/) - Hello, I thought you would like to hear this interview I recently did for Stepp Sydnor's TurnAround Radio. Click on the link http://tinyurl.com/6qcpcd to hear the interview! Sales and Marketing is the biggest challenge for many senior executives. You hire the best minds available for the company, and still there's not much data telling you - [Engineers, Inner City Schools, and Gaining Salespeople's Cooperation: Part 1](https://salesperformance.com/engineers-inner-city-schools-and-gaining-salespeoples-cooperation-part-1/) - Dean Kamen is an engineering genius. What many people don't realize is that he is also a genius as a salesman. Below is link to three killer videos illustrating what I mean.* First: Two Videos If you haven't seen these before, get ready to be mesmerized as Dean tells the story of developing - [Engineers, Inner City Schools, and Gaining Salespeople's Cooperation: Part 1](https://salesperformance.com/engineers-inner-city-schools-and-gaining-salespeoples-cooperation-part-1-2/) - Dean Kamen is an engineering genius. What many people don't realize is that he is also a genius as a salesman. Below is link to three killer videos illustrating what I mean.* First: Two Videos If you haven't seen these before, get ready to be mesmerized as Dean tells the story of developing - [What Germ Theory Can Teach You About Your Sales Process](https://salesperformance.com/what-germ-theory-can-teach-you-about-your-sales-process/) - A seminal article appeared in an American management journal in the late 1980s: The Germ Theory of Management by Myron Tribus. When I read that article, I was amazed to learn that when germ theory was discovered in the late 1800s, it was not welcomed by the medical profession! Tribus drew a brilliant analogy between - [Engineers, Inner City Schools, and Gaining Salespeople's Cooperation: Part 2](https://salesperformance.com/engineers-inner-city-schools-and-gaining-salespeoples-cooperation-part-2/) - Bill Zeeb from Switzerland wrote me last Friday afternoon to say: "... The education piece this week, while hitting home, drifts from your sales focus." Trust me, Bill, in part 2 below, things will come into focus again! In fact, the lesson in here is one of the most important in all of sales - [Engineers, Inner City Schools, and Gaining Salespeople's Cooperation: Part 2](https://salesperformance.com/engineers-inner-city-schools-and-gaining-salespeoples-cooperation-part-2-2/) - Bill Zeeb from Switzerland wrote me last Friday afternoon to say: "... the education piece this week, while hitting home, drifts from your sales focus." Trust me, Bill, in part 2 below, things will come into focus again! In fact, the lesson in here is one of the most important in all of sales - [Can Social Networks Improve Your Sales Process?](https://salesperformance.com/can-social-networks-improve-your-sales-process/) - Social networks are noisily having such an impact on the Internet and on sales and marketing in general, so I've been checking them out. If you are already familiar with Linked-In or Twitter, for example, you might wonder what took me so long. If you are like a lot of other people, however, your BS - [Can Twitter Improve Your Sales Process?](https://salesperformance.com/can-twitter-improve-your-sales-process/) - Last week I pointed out that the social networks phenomenon is relevant to sales and marketing and that it has a lot of potential value to business people. This week, let's consider a relatively new and very interesting social network: www.twitter.com. Twitter communicates short messages, tiny postings (limited to 140 characters). The idea is to - [Election? What Election? Vote to Improve Your Sales Process Instead](https://salesperformance.com/election-what-election-vote-to-improve-your-sales-process-instead/) - Everybody seems to be holding their breath for the election. That makes tough times for sales and marketing departments. The economic downturn makes things worse. That also means there is no better time than right now to step back and fix that broken sales process. That's why next Wednesday, November 5, we're - [Simple and Effective Approach Announced for Improving B2B Sales Processes: saleskaizen.com](https://salesperformance.com/simple-and-effective-approach-announced-for-improving-b2b-sales-processes-saleskaizencom/) - A new way of improving sales results: The Sales Kaizen Event, based on the Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement. - [SPIF! Benefiting Your Company and Your Customer Simultaneously](https://salesperformance.com/spif-benefiting-your-company-and-your-customer-simultaneously/) - Years ago, I was a first-line sales manager at a business forms company. One January, my district manager presented the new company strategy. He excitedly explained the new slogan for the year, and described a different type of ideal prospect we should start looking for in our prospecting. There were some new product announcements. Then, he announced a sales contest with some pricey prizes if we exceeded quota, like gold watches, ski-mobiles, and expensive vacations. - [Sales Kaizen Events are on the Map](https://salesperformance.com/sales-kaizen-events-are-on-the-map/) - I've been doing Sales Kaizen events for several years now (often without calling them by that name). They are an excellent way to focus everyone's attention on how best to find, win, and keep customers. Salespeople really appreciate them, because they are used to training events where, often, nothing really changes. Sales Kaizen Events - - [Production Control for Sales and Marketing](https://salesperformance.com/production-control-for-sales-and-marketing/) - Years ago I took a job selling manufacturing resource planning (MRP) software to small and medium sized manufacturers. Predecessors to today's enterprise software, these systems had powerful impacts on businesses that installed them. I got my education in these matters from APICS (the American Production and Inventory Control Society), and ultimately I was even elected - [Will This Year's Sales Process Create the Results You Need Next Year?](https://salesperformance.com/will-this-years-sales-process-create-the-results-you-need-next-year/) - "The 'measurements' weren't telling anything about reality. They were telling just the opposite ..." What do you measure in the day-to-day operation of your sales process? Most companies have only rudimentary measurements (if they measure anything at all). They count initial contacts (e.g., phone dials or cold calls), appointments or demonstrations, proposals, and closes. Unfortunately, this information is almost useless. ... - [New Guidebook Published for Improving B2B Sales Results in 90 Days or Less Through Kaizen Events](https://salesperformance.com/new-guidebook-published-for-improving-b2b-sales-results-in-90-days-or-less-through-kaizen-events/) - Atlanta, Ga December 14, 2008 - A New Guidebook titled "How to Conduct a Sales Kaizen event to Improve Your Sales Process in a Way Your Customers Will Love" is being released by a company in Norcross, GA. A teleconference introducing the book will be held on Dec 18, 2008 at 3:00 Eastern." (PRWEB) http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/12/prweb1745694.htm - [The Unintended Consequences of Asking Salespeople To Try Harder](https://salesperformance.com/the-unintended-consequences-of-asking-salespeople-to-try-harder/) - When "business as usual" is threatened by low sales numbers it is normal for companies to ask their salespeople to try harder. And, generally speaking, salespeople do exactly that. They make more calls, looking for more deals to put into the sales funnel. They conduct more demonstrations. They make more proposals. If the sales process - [When Your Customer Becomes Your Enemy](https://salesperformance.com/when-your-customer-becomes-your-enemy/) - Problem-solving efforts begin at the definition of the problem. In sales and marketing organizations, this is slippery ground. That's because in their culture the meanings of words like "problem" and "solution" are generally interchangeable (especially in American companies). - [The Role of the CEO in the Sales Process](https://salesperformance.com/the-role-of-the-ceo-in-the-sales-process/) - The assumptions in a company's culture play a huge role in its ability to succeed. Learn what your senior executives must do to enable salespeople to succeed. - [Sales Kaizen Permanently Improves Salespeople's Access to Big New Accounts ](https://salesperformance.com/sales-kaizen-permanently-improves-salespeoples-access-to-big-new-accounts/) - The impact of a good sales methodology can be made more powerful, and more permanent through a kaizen approach. - [Seven Ways to Permanently Improve Sales](https://salesperformance.com/seven-ways-to-permanently-improve-sales/) - Stepping back to see the context of sales and marketing reveals often overlooked ways to get better results. - [Need to Improve Salespeople's Behaviors? Don't Bother with Sales Training or CRM Until You Face the Facts](https://salesperformance.com/need-to-improve-salespeoples-behaviors-dont-bother-with-sales-training-or-crm-until-you-face-the-facts-3/) - Why traditional fixes work so poorly in sales and marketing, and what you can do to improve results now. - [Three Proven Tactics to Get Salespeople's Cooperation in Launching New Initiatives](https://salesperformance.com/three-proven-tactics-to-get-salespeoples-cooperation-in-launching-new-initiatives/) - by Michael J. Webb (pdf of this article) One of the most common questions from executives trying to improve sales and marketing results is this: "How can we get our salespeople's cooperation in our new (blank) initiative?" Whether you are trying to implement process improvement, CRM, a product launch, or a lead generation campaign, getting - [Five Ways to Minimize Sales and Marketing Frustration, Waste, and Cost](https://salesperformance.com/five-ways-to-minimize-sales-and-marketing-frustration-waste-and-cost/) - Starting with where your customers and salespeople really are, rather than where you wish they would be, always improves results. - [Can Your Marketing and Selling Process Be Improved?](https://salesperformance.com/can-your-marketing-and-selling-process-be-improved/) - Companies market and sell the same way for years, without realizing things could be different. A process approach asks new questions, gets new answers. - [What is Six Sigma... and Why Should Marketing and Sales Managers Care?](https://salesperformance.com/what-is-six-sigma-and-why-should-marketing-and-sales-managers-care/) - Michael J. Webb, Sales Performance Consultants, Inc.Originally published in Marketing Times Summer 2005Subsequently published in Marketing Watchdog Journal, August 2005 (pdf of this article) Six Sigma is a funny name for a serious way of boosting marketing and sales performance. It's already transformed manufacturing in hundreds of companies, and it is now doing the same - [OK, Salespeople Can't Find Enough Prospects. Now What?](https://salesperformance.com/ok-salespeople-cant-find-enough-prospects-now-what/) - The economic sea change we have all been going through makes companies pay attention to their sales process. One company president I spoke with yesterday said his revenue shrank 25% in December (compared with the same month last year). Companies affected by the financial crisis (like housing, oil, or automotive) are trying to survive. They are worried whether their customers even have enough money to pay for things any longer. Hopefully, your business can find enough customers to stay alive. Will your marketers find them? Can your salespeople find them? Will they be found fast enough? - [OK, Salespeople Can't Find Enough Prospects. Now What?](https://salesperformance.com/ok-salespeople-cant-find-enough-prospects-now-what-2/) - The economic sea change we have all been going through makes companies pay attention to their sales process. One company president I spoke with yesterday said his revenue shrank 25% in December (compared with the same month last year). Companies affected by the financial crisis (like housing, oil, or automotive) are trying to survive. They are worried whether their customers even have enough money to pay for things any longer. Hopefully, your business can find enough customers to stay alive. Will your marketers find them? Can your salespeople find them? Will they be found fast enough? - [What Is Operational Excellence in Sales and Marketing?](https://salesperformance.com/what-is-operational-excellence-in-sales-and-marketing/) - Process excellence enables organizations to consistently achieve their goals. Applying it to sales and marketing is a valuable way to improve revenue and profit. - [Why Your Sales Process Cost Matters, and What You Need to Know to Get it Right](https://salesperformance.com/why-your-sales-process-cost-matters/) - To stay in business, managers must know their costs of production. Your sales process enables you to understand what drives sales cost, so you can improve it. - [Sales Kaizen: Permanently Improve Your Company’s Ability to Generate Qualified Leads with Brian Carroll](https://salesperformance.com/permanently-improve-your-companys-ability-to-generate-qualified-leads-with-brian-carroll/) - Title: Permanently Improve Your Company’s Ability to Generate Qualified Leads with Brian Carroll Location: GoToWebinar Description: The fifth webinar in the Sales Kaizen Webinar series explores how to implement a project to improve lead generation Start Time: 03:00 Date: 2009-02-05 End Time: 04:30 - [Guidebook Launch: How to Design a Sales Process](https://salesperformance.com/guidebook-launch-how-to-design-a-sales-process/) - Title: Guidebook Launch: How to Design a Sales Process Location: GoToWebinar Description: Michael Webb and Robert Ferguson will introduce the basic principles for designing sales processes Start Time: 03:00 Date: 2009-01-29 End Time: 04:00 - [Getting Traction in the Market - How to Use Kaizen to Make Sales Training Stick](https://salesperformance.com/getting-traction-in-the-market-how-to-use-kaizen-to-make-sales-training-stick/) - In tough times like these, some executives drastically reduce their training budgets. Yet when it comes to sales training, smart executives may pause to think about it: Isn't this a critical time for the sales force to be on its toes? Maybe doing some sales training makes sense? - [Guidebook Launch: How to Measure and Continuously Impove Your Sales Process](https://salesperformance.com/guidebook-launch-how-to-measure-and-continuously-impove-your-sales-process/) - Title: Guidebook Launch: How to Measure and Continuously Impove Your Sales Process Location: GoToWebinar Description: Michael Webb and Robert Ferguson conduct a Webinar to launch the new Sales Kaizen Guidebook: "How to Measure and Continuously Impove Your Sales Process" Start Time: 03:00 Date: 2009-04-23 End Time: 04:30 - [Guidebook Launch: How to Map Customer Value](https://salesperformance.com/guidebook-launch-how-to-map-customer-value/) - Title: Guidebook Launch: How to Map Customer Value Location: GoToWebinar Description: Michael Webb and Robert Ferguson conduct a webinar to launch the guidebook on "How to Map Customer Value." Mapping customer value is a crucial component of designing sales processes Start Time: 03:00 Date: 2009-03-19 End Time: 04:30 - [Guidebook Launch: How to Define Qualification Criteria](https://salesperformance.com/guidebook-launch-how-to-define-qualification-criteria/) - Title: Guidebook Launch: How to Define Qualification Criteria Location: GoToWebinar Description: Michael Webb and Robert Ferguson will conduct a webinar on the topic of sales qualification criteria, launching the third Sales Kaizen Guidebook "How to Define Qualification Criteria." Start Time: 03:00 Date: 2009-02-19 End Time: 04:30 - [Help for improving your sales process](https://salesperformance.com/help-for-improving-your-sales-process/) - Sales Performance Consultants, Inc., will launch a new professional sales process education website very soon. - [Got a Technical Team? Here’s a Great Way to Help Them Sell](https://salesperformance.com/got-a-technical-team-heres-a-great-way-to-help-them-sell-2/) - Recently I spoke with Burke, the VP of Business Development for an engineering firm in the material handling industry. What he told me was a great model for how selling can be made easier - and more effective at the same time. - [Got a Technical Team? Here’s a Great Way to Help Them Sell](https://salesperformance.com/got-a-technical-team-heres-a-great-way-to-help-them-sell/) - Recently I spoke with Burke, the VP of Business Development for an engineering firm in the material handling industry. Unlike many people in this industry, Burke has a marketing background rather than a technical one. Since he joined the firm, their business is booming, seemingly unaffected by the recession. I asked him about that. What - [How to Generate and Sustain a 25% Increase in Sales Opportunities in 90 Days or Less](https://salesperformance.com/how-to-generate-and-sustain-a-25-increase-in-sales-opportunities-in-90-days-or-less/) - Michael Webb teams up with Brian Carroll to present a webinar on how to dramatically improve generation of qualified opportunities, and sustain that capability. - [How to Design Your Sales Process to Help Customers Buy Now](https://salesperformance.com/how-to-design-your-sales-process-to-help-customers-buy-now/) - Most companies haven't thoroughly considered how their sales process should be designed, much less how to make sales easier. This webinar shows how to do it. - [How to Design Your Sales Process to Help Customers Buy Now](https://salesperformance.com/how-to-design-your-sales-process-to-help-customers-buy-now-2/) - Most companies haven't thoroughly considered how their sales process should be designed, much less how to make sales easier. This webinar shows how to do it. - [How to Make Salespeople 25% More Productive in 90 Days or Less](https://salesperformance.com/how-to-make-salespeople-25-more-productive-in-90-days-or-less/) - A remarkable approach to qualifying sales opportunities that increases forecast accuracy, generates valuable data, and helps salespeople sell. - [Which is More Important to Sales Productivity: Divison of Labor, or Quality?](https://salesperformance.com/which-is-more-important-to-sales-productivity-divison-of-labor-or-quality/) - A reader asks about combining the theory of constraints approach to the sales kaizen approach. The answer is: improvement in yield, revenue, and profitability. - [Why People Are NOT Your Most Important Asset ](https://salesperformance.com/why-people-are-not-your-most-important-asset/) - Sales executives often think that having the right people is the key to success. This article shows why this is myopic, and presents a better idea. - [Why People are NOT Your Most Important Asset](https://salesperformance.com/why-people-are-not-your-most-important-asset-2/) - Sales executives often think that having the right people is the key to success. This article shows why this is myopic, and presents a better idea. - [Need More Traction with Prospects?](https://salesperformance.com/need-more-traction-with-prospects/) - Michael Webb will present customer value mapping - how the voice of the customer can reveal value propositions throughout the customer’s life cycle - [Need More Traction with Prospects?](https://salesperformance.com/need-more-traction-with-prospects-2/) - Why Prospects Don't Understand Your Value - And What You Can Do About It All too often businesses launch products, promotions, and proposals that do not achieve their goals. When that happens, cost of sales goes up and confidence goes down. Everybody has to work harder. Years ago I saw that happen multiple times at - [The Last Thing a Fish Discovers is Water](https://salesperformance.com/the-last-thing-a-fish-discovers-is-water/) - Michael Webb reacts to a reader's comment on last weeks article "WHy People Are NOT Your most Important Asset." - [The Last Thing a Fish Discovers is Water](https://salesperformance.com/the-last-thing-a-fish-discovers-is-water-2/) - Last week’s blog post “Why People Are NOT Your Most Important Asset” created some strong reaction. Here is an example: Michael, I was recently fired from my sales job, because I wasn’t on the road “cold calling” enough … Instead, I had been working to set up Google alerts for research as well as trigger events that - [Quick Sales Productivity Boosts](https://salesperformance.com/quick-sales-productivity-boosts-2/) - If you are a salesperson, and you need a productivity boost, there are lots of possibilities, such as better meeting preparation, more practice presenting, maintaining your relationships, and working to become more organized. However, what if your entire organization needs a sales productivity boost? What can an organization do? Contests and sales training are obvious - [Six Easy Ways to Boost Your Company’s Sales Results](https://salesperformance.com/six-easy-ways-to-boost-your-companys-sales-results-2/) - I hope the spring weather has reached your area. We've finally had rain here in Atlanta, and the buds and blooms are vigorous. Recently, a reader asked: "What is the 20% of sales process improvement that generates 80% of the results?" It's a great question, because it is the right way to think about business - [Six Easy Ways to Boost Your Company’s Sales Results](https://salesperformance.com/six-easy-ways-to-boost-your-companys-sales-results/) - What is the 20% of sales process improvement that achieves 80% of the results? Here are the six critical elements of a high-performing B2B sales process. - [Are You Improving Your Selling System? (Or Repeating the Same Old Grind?)](https://salesperformance.com/are-you-improving-your-selling-system-or-repeating-the-same-old-grind/) - Working IN a sales and marketing system has limited ability to improve productivity. To do that, you must work ON the system. Article provides examples. - [Quick Sales Productivity Boosts ](https://salesperformance.com/quick-sales-productivity-boosts/) - When trying to improve sales productivity, many people overlook things to improve the flow of business, such as lead generation and nurturing. A webinar invite. - [What Can You Tell From These Sales Process Behavior Charts?](https://salesperformance.com/what-can-you-tell-from-these-sales-process-behavior-charts/) - Two measures (at a minimum) are required to understand any production process. This is an example of what proper sales process measurement can reveal. - [What is The Problem Behind Your Sales Problem?](https://salesperformance.com/the-problem-behind-your-sales-problem/) - This article illustrates why executives are often defeated by sales problems: they treat the apparent problem but not the underling issue causing it - [5 Whys Applied to Why Companies Don't Get Results from Sales Training](https://salesperformance.com/5-whys-applied-to-why-companies-dont-get-results-from-sales-training-2/) - Michael Webb picks up where Dave Brock and Christian Maurer left off: Why don't ompanies get results from sales training? You'll find the answer here. - [5 Whys Applied to Why Companies Don't Get Results from Sales Training](https://salesperformance.com/5-whys-applied-to-why-companies-dont-get-results-from-sales-training/) - Michael Webb picks up where Dave Brock and Christian Maurer left off: Why don't ompanies get results from sales training? You'll find the answer here. - [The Hidden Obstacle to Improving Sales Performance: Systems Thinking ](https://salesperformance.com/the-hidden-obstacle-to-improving-sales-performance-systems-thinking/) - Michael Webb responds to reader's questions on why sales organizations are so hard to improve. The article illustrates systems thinking in six situations. - [Why Is It So Hard to Create Improvements in the Sales Department?](https://salesperformance.com/why-is-it-so-hard-to-create-improvements-in-the-sales-department/) - Readers object to the word "easy" and they don't mean the same thing by the word "sales process." Why is it so hard to improve results in the sales department? - [Four Steps to Improving B2B Sales Performance](https://salesperformance.com/four-steps-to-improving-b2b-sales-performance/) - New videos released describing the four foundational steps to improving B2B sales performance. - [How to Escape the Conversion Paradox](https://salesperformance.com/how-to-escape-the-conversion-paradox/) - Help is available for B2B companies who need to leverage the Internet to help salespeople sell and help customers buy - [What Sales Process Behavior Charts Can Tell You](https://salesperformance.com/what-sales-process-behavior-charts-can-tell-you/) - Readers show great insight to some sales process behavior charts, demonstrating the power of data to make the invisible visible in sales and marketing. - [Oh, Now I Get It!](https://salesperformance.com/oh-now-i-get-it/) - Phil Janus, founder of www.salesengineering.com discusses the power of proper pre-sales technical support for generating revenue and reducing cost. - [Five Things Sales and Marketing Can Learn From Lean Production](https://salesperformance.com/five-things-sales-and-marketing-can-learn-from-lean-production/) - Michael Webb presents readers with five best practices in sales and marketing that are parallel with best practices for the lean journey in production. - [How Should We Transition to a Proper Sales Process?](https://salesperformance.com/how-should-we-transition-to-a-proper-sales-process/) - Michael Webb responds to inquiries from companies about how to successfully launch a better sales process. - [Help Sales Managers Put Out the Fires to Improve Results ThisYear](https://salesperformance.com/help-sales-managers-put-out-the-fires-to-improve-results-this-year/) - How cause and effect diagrams can help diagnose causes of undesirable sales results in a short time. - [Why Is Sales Productivity So Hard to Improve?](https://salesperformance.com/why-is-sales-productivity-so-hard-to-improve/) - Sales managers can improve sales productivity once they have a management system that provides them with the right kinds of measurements. - [Don't Wait Until Its Too Late To Fix Your Sales Process](https://salesperformance.com/dont-wait-until-its-too-late-to-fix-your-sales-process/) - During the historic rains in Georgia last week I was putting out buckets to catch water leaking from the ceiling around my family room fireplace. At the same time leaking water was ruining the carpet and drywall in two rooms of my basement. I was reminded of an old story I heard as a kid - [Don't Wait Until Its Too Late To Fix Your Sales Process](https://salesperformance.com/dont-wait-until-its-too-late-to-fix-your-sales-process-2/) - During the historic rains in Georgia last week I was putting out buckets to catch water leaking from the ceiling around my family room fireplace. At the same time leaking water was ruining the carpet and drywall in two rooms of my basement. I was reminded of an old story I heard as a kid - [Are You Ready to Lead Your Salespeople on a Lean Kaizen Journey?](https://salesperformance.com/successfully-leading-the-sales-department-on-a-lean-journey/) - Many lean practitioners poke around the sales department because it is interesting. Michael Webb illustrates what is required to do this successfully. - [Whose Problem is Sales Quality?](https://salesperformance.com/whose-problem-is-sales-quality/) - Why don't salespeople see that quality principles apply to their work? Ask why enough times and the answers are revealed. - [Aha Moments About Lean Six Sigma In Sales and Marketing](https://salesperformance.com/aha-moments-about-lean-six-sigma-in-sales-and-marketing/) - The systems thinking of lean and six sigma leads companies to experience "aha moments." You can make these breakthroughs happen for more people more often. - [What Changes Will Create Quick Sales Improvements?](https://salesperformance.com/what-changes-will-create-quick-sales-improvements/) - A reader if there are changes that will create quick improvements in sales. In fact, there are, if you have the right data. - [Getting Other People To See The Value Of Lean and Six Sigma](https://salesperformance.com/getting-other-people-to-see-the-value-of-lean-and-six-sigma/) - Question: "How do you get other people to see that Lean and Six Sigma are not just for manufacturing functions?" Answer: Stop talking about Lean and Six Sigma! - [Engaging Sales Managers in Process Improvement](https://salesperformance.com/engaging-sales-managers-in-process-improvement/) - Question: How can you best engage sales managers in process improvement when they face so many competing priorities, such as considering new market initiatives, overseeing changes in software systems, and, of course, reaching sales goals? Process excellence leaders struggle with this question because they’ve been trained to start with “defining the problem” by gathering data - [Applying Six Sigma DMAIC to Marketing](https://salesperformance.com/applying-six-sigma-dmaic-to-marketing/) - Six Sigma, via DMAIC, is a method for maximizing sales performance and solving business problems. The sales management process and marketing (and servicing) are business functions that many companies have difficulty with. - [What Is the Top Driver of Lean Process Excellence Success in Sales?](https://salesperformance.com/what-is-the-top-driver-of-lean-process-excellence-success-in-sales/) - What is the top driver of Lean Process Excellence success in sales? - [Goodbye 2012 - Hello 2013](https://salesperformance.com/goodbye-2012-hello-2013/) - We at SPC hope you had a productive 2012 and a restful and memorable holiday season. In 2013, SPC will resume regular blog posting. The website has been redesigned to make it easier to find information relevant to making it easier to find, win, and keep customers. Please ask questions and leave comments. We look - [How Can Lean in Sales and Marketing Allocate Scarce Resources Wisely](https://salesperformance.com/how-can-lean-in-sales-and-marketing-allocate-scarce-resources-wisely/) - A General Management reader asks: “How can lean and process excellence in sales and marketing allocate scarce resources wisely?” - [It's Finally Here...](https://salesperformance.com/its-finally-here-4/) - It’s finally here… Sometime back, you expressed interest in the book “Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way.” With 4.5 stars on Amazon, this unique book has done more than any other to help businesses begin to apply evidence and data to the art of selling. Problems with the publisher took the book out of - [A Dirty Little Secret: Why You Really Don’t Need a Sales Process](https://salesperformance.com/a-dirty-little-secret-why-you-really-dont-need-a-sales-process/) - I learned a dirty secret of the sales training business: few salespeople actually implement most of the sales training they receive. Then, I learned a dirty secret of the Six Sigma business: few people actually implement most of the training they receive. - [Sustaining Gains.... How Do You Get Salespeople to Sustain Improvements?](https://salesperformance.com/sustaining-gains-how-do-you-get-salespeople-to-sustain-improvements/) - A General Manager Asks: How do you get salespeople to sustain improvements? This is a great question, and salespeople are not a unique challenge in this regard: In fact I would say that getting any group of people to sustain their process improvement gains is a critical challenge. Are there some other parts of - [How Salespeople Earn Respect from their Customer's Senior Management](https://salesperformance.com/how-salespeople-earn-respect-from-their-customers-senior-management/) - As business becomes more complex, the demands of salespeople’s jobs tend to increase as well. Unfortunately, few guideposts exist to help businesspeople understand how to both get into a senior executive’s office, AND earn the right to be invited back. I’m happy to report in my recent review about Marc Miller’s “A Seat at the - [Are Your Salespeople (and Your Senior Executives) Seeing the World as it REALLY IS?](https://salesperformance.com/are-your-salespeople-and-your-senior-executives-seeing-the-world-as-it-really-is/) - As a salesperson and a sales manager I loved it when I could get a glimpse of how the senior executives of my company thought. Sometimes, I was shocked to learn they were seeing the world as it really wasn’t. Other times I was chagrined to learn I was the one perceiving things incorrectly. Are - [Get Sales and Marketing Data Now – Simple Steps that Make the Difference](https://salesperformance.com/get-sales-and-marketing-data-now/) - It is true that people/customers seem to be driven by emotions (and relationships) in their decision-making process. - [Five Powerful Sales and Marketing Productivity Tips (That are Also Free)](https://salesperformance.com/five-powerful-sales-and-marketing-productivity-tips/) - There are tons of ways to improve productivity in sales and marketing. Here are five improvements that will make a big difference and yet don’t cost a thing. - [How Can The Salesforce Use Lean?](https://salesperformance.com/how-can-the-salesforce-use-lean/) - A recent visitor asked “How can the salesforce use Lean?” There are lots of possible answers, and the reader left no context for what they might be concerned about. Here are a couple of general thoughts that might be useful: Lean can help sell more stuff! Lean seeks to maximize value to the customer and - [Managing to Connect the Business with the Customer](https://salesperformance.com/managing-to-connect-the-business-with-the-customer/) - John Shook, Chairman and CEO of the Lean Enterprise institute, just released a newsletter titled “Managing to Connect the Macro with the Micro.” In it he chronicles another of the steps the Lean movement has taken from being “just a kit of process improvement tools” to being a method for thinking scientifically about business problems. - [Is Lean Certification Effective for Practitioners in Sales and Marketing? If not, How Does it Need to Change? ](https://salesperformance.com/is-lean-certification-effective-for-practitioners-in-sales-and-marketing-if-not-how-does-it-need-to-change/) - A recently asked question from a LinkedIn Group titled “The Shingo Prize:” Lean Bronze Certification – Is it Effective for Practitioners in Sales and Marketing? If Not, How Does It Need to Change? (Note: this link requires you to log into the Linked-In website.) Sales and marketing does produce value – for your company and for - [How Can We Convince Sales and Marketing About the Advantages of Lean in Their Processes?](https://salesperformance.com/how-can-we-convince-sales-and-marketing-about-the-advantages-of-lean-in-their-processes/) - A reader recently asked: How can we convince sales and marketing about the advantages of lean in their processes? This is a great question, and I get it a lot. The primary issue is that salespeople and marketers do not see how Lean will help them sell or do marketing. This is aggravated by - [How to Get Full Support from Top Management in Going Lean and Six Sigma With Sales And Marketing?](https://salesperformance.com/how-to-get-full-support-from-top-management-in-going-lean-and-six-sigma-with-sales-and-marketing-what-is-the-most-difficult-part-of-the-change-or-where-is-expected-to-be-the-most-resistant-to-the-cha/) - A reader recently asked…. How to get full support from top management in going Lean and Six Sigma with sales and marketing? What is the most difficult part of the change or where is expected to be the most resistant to the change? This is a great question – and a complex one. Since you - [How Many Sales Process Steps Do You Need to Analyze Data Effectively? ](https://salesperformance.com/how-many-sales-process-steps-do-you-need-to-have-in-order-to-analyze-data-effectively/) - Gary Barnes posted the above question on the Linked-In Group “Sales Science”. He added, There seems to be an age old struggle between operations and sales on how discriminating a sales process should be. The more sales steps the more insight operations and sales leadership can gather on the current pipeline, but the more steps - [Operational Definitions of Sales Qualification Criteria](https://salesperformance.com/operational-definitions-of-sales-qualification-criteria/) - One of the most valuable characteristics of process excellence is the distinction between what people can control and what they cannot. No improvement is possible without this information. The good news is that the effort spent identifying these factors helps salespeople become more effective and to elevates the performance of the team. Qualification criteria should - [Are There Aspects of Lean Process Excellence That Can Be Quickly Implemented in 90-120 days?](https://salesperformance.com/are-there-aspects-of-lean-process-excellence-that-can-be-quickly-implemented-in-90-120-days/) - I have received this question before, so I’m guessing my previous response wasn’t enough. Here is a quicker, shorter, take. I’d really appreciate knowing if this is helpful and what other questions come to mind: There are two ways lean process excellence makes an impact in a short time. The first way is to improve your - [How Do You Determine the Appropriate Metrics to Measure Against in Such an Unstructured Environment as B2B Sales?](https://salesperformance.com/how-do-you-determine-the-appropriate-metrics-to-measure-against-in-such-an-unstructured-environment-as-b2b-sales/) - The key is in your point that B2B sales is an "unstructured environment." I would argue that it is actually more structured and straightforward than people realize, and that it is our way of understanding it - the words and thinking frames we use - that need improving. Consider: When you apply lean and process - [Operational Definitions](https://salesperformance.com/operational-definitions/) - Operational definitions are a foundational principle in process excellence. They are a means of using language precisely to ensure a group of people can connect the meaning of a term to observable reality. If a measurement is generated, the operational definition specifies the procedure for doing so. Operational definitions are crucial in all scientific and - [Units of Production](https://salesperformance.com/units-of-production/) - Production is work that creates something of value. Farming produces crops. Manufacturing produces products. Sales produce customers. Production requires input, a process, and output. It creates value in stages, and these stages need to be operationally defined and measured if the goal is to maximize output and minimize input. In manufacturing, the most rudimentary classification - [Qualification Criteria](https://salesperformance.com/qualification-criteria/) - Qualification criteria are the observable characteristics of your sales opportunities that make them more or less likely to buy from you. Sales teams benefit greatly when they work out qualification criteria in great detail. Ideally this means they are put in the form of questions salespeople can score on a five-point Likert scale. This scale - [Is Process Improvement Primarily About Doing Improvement Projects? ](https://salesperformance.com/is-process-improvement-primarily-about-doing-improvement-projects/) - A reader asked: I’ve been asked to organize a variety of process improvements proposed by our sales and marketing organizations. How do I select the right projects that will get the best results? There are lots of checklists available to remind you to do things like make sure the problem is important to the - [Process Steps (also called Standard Work)](https://salesperformance.com/process-steps-also-called-standard-work/) - A process is a set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. The purpose of a process is to enable learning and improvement. The process is a management tool, because it enables the workers to communicate to the manager exactly how they plan to achieve improved results. The process is a - [Sales Process Mapping Ideas to Consider](https://salesperformance.com/sales-process-mapping-ideas-you-can-consider/) - By Michael J. Webb Process mapping, in general, is a technique for creating a common vision and shared language among team members within an organization or project with the goal of improving business results. I have seen management training and development firms realize that people working in their sales department had cross purposes. The results - [Is [Lean process excellence] relevant to a Sales and Marketing Environment?](https://salesperformance.com/is-lean-process-excellence-relevant-to-a-sales-and-marketing-environment/) - A question from one of our readers... "Is it relevant to a Sales and Marketing Environment?" Lean process excellence originated in manufacturing. It is a means of getting more productivity from fewer resources; by understanding and improving the way work is done. The means of understanding and improving how work is done definitely applies to - [Want to Grow Your Business? Tie Decisions to the Evidence in Sales and Marketing ](https://salesperformance.com/want-to-grow-your-business-tie-decisions-to-the-evidence-in-sales-and-marketing/) - I ran across a classic article a couple days ago that should be required reading for executives trying grow their business more confidently and predictably. It was written in 1993 by Myron Tribus, who was head of MIT’s Center for Advanced Engineering Study at the time Deming’s (also classic) “Out of the Crisis” was published - [How can Lean and Six Sigma help us increment our market share?](https://salesperformance.com/how-can-lean-and-six-sigma-help-us-increment-our-market-share/) - Hector, a sales and marketing manager for a company that makes heating equipment asks: How can Lean and Six Sigma help us increment our market share? I called Hector, and he explained his problem this way: “Our product has great market share in the residential market. My job is to grow the business in the - [A Strategic Approach to Better Business Results](https://salesperformance.com/a-strategic-approach-to-better-business-results/) - As the Rate of Change Accelerates... Oscar Wilde described a cynic as “someone who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.” For business leaders this is no laughing matter. Organizations that understand how customers perceive value can create, deliver and communicate it better than internally focused / financially managed firms. (HBR July - [Champions Training October 17, 2013](https://salesperformance.com/champions-training-october-17-2013-slides/) - Champions Training October 17, 2013 Thank you for attending the Customer Team Excellence Champions Training we prepared for you. Click on the icon to download the final version of the workshop slides – including your feedback notes. If you have questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to ask them using this website, or sending an - [Is Diagnostic Consulting Better than Solution Selling?](https://salesperformance.com/is-diagnostic-consulting-better-than-solution-selling/) - A reader named Brian asked: Have you found that diagnostic consulting is more effective than solution selling when working with prospective clients? Answer: Yes. This is a perceptive question, I appreciate the fact you are asking it. There is bad news and good news in the answer. First, the bad news. Diagnostic consulting for - [Successfully Transform to a Lean Culture in Your Sales Organization.](https://salesperformance.com/successfully-transform-to-a-lean-culture-in-your-sales-organization/) - A reader asked this question: How to successfully transform to a lean culture in our sales organization? When you start thinking about it, this is a pretty juicy question. An awful lot has already been written “How to successfully transform to a lean culture.” So, first let's get our arms around that. One of the - [How To Diagnose What Is Going Right – And Wrong – In Your Sales Production System](https://salesperformance.com/how-to-diagnose-what-is-going-right-and-wrong-in-your-sales-production-system/) - Most companies apply solutions to sales and marketing before they even know what their problems are. Here is a way to gather diagnostic data instead. - [How to Get Sales & Marketing Leader's Commitment in Lean Initiatives](https://salesperformance.com/how-to-get-sales-marketing-leaders-commitment-in-lean-initiatives/) - You cannot win sales manager's (or salespeople’s) hearts and minds unless you can help them sell. This requires getting inside their skin, and helping them define their problems in more productive ways. Their hearts and minds will follow. - [What Is The Best Way To Get Buy In With Lean And CRM In General](https://salesperformance.com/what-is-the-best-way-to-get-buy-in-with-lean-and-crm-in-general/) - Executives often have difficulty getting buy in for Lean, CRM, and other initiatives in sales and marketing. This article describes simple measures that win the hearts and minds of customer-facing workers. - [How To Add Customer Value Throughout The Sales Funnel](https://salesperformance.com/how-to-add-customer-value-throughout-the-sales-funnel/) - Selling can create value for people - it doesn't always require salespeople, much less pushy ones. Michael Webb answers a reader's question about how the selling adds value throughout the entire sales funnel. - [How Do You Transfer What You Have Learned In Manufacturing To Sales](https://salesperformance.com/how-do-you-transfer-what-you-have-learned-in-manufacturing-to-sales/) - The good news is, the data driven critical thinking skills you learned in process excellence applied to manufacturing can and do apply to sales and marketing. The bad news is, the goal of the work and how it is accomplished is entirely different. So get ready to learn! - [How To Take Time Needed For Lean Strategies When You Have Few Resources And So Little Time](https://salesperformance.com/how-to-take-time-needed-for-lean-strategies-when-you-have-few-resources-and-so-little-time/) - People who want to get started with lean process excellence think it is time consuming and difficult. But it is really very simple. This article tells you how. - [How Do You Sustain The Lean Process Initiative Long Term](https://salesperformance.com/how-do-you-sustain-the-lean-process-initiative-long-term/) - Sustaining improvements in sales and marketing requires "step-after-next" thinking. Of course you must lead the teams to define their problems and solve them based on evidence. Then what? How can the team sustain the gains? More importantly, why should they? This article provides the answer. - [Why are improvements difficult to create in sales and marketing](https://salesperformance.com/why-are-improvements-difficult-to-create-in-sales-and-marketing/) - Most companies don't even try to measure productivity in sales and marketing. This prevents them from ever actually improving anything. This article asks and answers the question why this happens. The answer is not what most people think. - [What problem are you trying to solve today?](https://salesperformance.com/what-problem-are-you-trying-to-solve-today/) - What is your most important priority? Why are you on this page? What, specifically, can SPC provide that would be most beneficial? The purpose of this professional membership society is to help each other improve. This means you must first understand the problem you are trying to solve. Having others around to challenge your thinking - [What is the most effective way to get sales leadership to buy into lean process excellence in sales?](https://salesperformance.com/what-is-the-most-effective-way-to-get-sales-leadership-buy-into-lean-process-excellence-in-sales/) - A reader asked: What is the most effective way to have sales leadership buy into lean process excellence in sales? This is an important question, and I’ve answered it before (link1, link2, and link3). An interesting experience with an editor recently relates directly to this issue. The fellow did not have much background in B2B - [Do We Have the Bandwidth to Implement Process?](https://salesperformance.com/do-we-have-the-bandwidth-to-implement-process/) - A founder and CEO of a global transportation services company asked this very interesting question: • Do we have the bandwidth to implement process while the selling wheel must keep turning? Every company faces conflicts with time and resources when beginning to implement process excellence. Their people tend to perceive process as extra work they - [Oct 14 Discovery Orientation](https://salesperformance.com/oct-14-discovery-orientation/) - Objective: Calibrate the Guided Discovery method, for SPC, Inc. Attendees: Robert Smithson, President Frank Albertson, VP Sales Samantha Martin, Process Excellence Coordinator Over view: - [NOV 1 UDR Discussion](https://salesperformance.com/nov-1-udr-discussion/) - Objective: Clarify UDRs around problems defined at last meeting Usage of time, lead generation, CRM Attendees: Frank Albertson, VP Sales Samantha Martin, Process Excellence Leader Michael McKinzie, National Accounts Discussion - [What Is Operational Excellence in Sales and Marketing?](https://salesperformance.com/what-is-operational-excellence-in-sales-and-marketing-2/) - Hello, A reader from Microsoft recently asked me an interesting question: What are the key parameters which define Operational Excellence in a sales and marketing organization? I like the question, because Operational Excellence isn’t just a slogan or a matter of opinion. It is a fact that businesses that achieve Operational Excellence produce the most - [Test page](https://salesperformance.com/test-page/) - This is a test blog for LinkedIn pictures. "Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni - [How to Make Marketing Indispensable](https://salesperformance.com/how-to-make-marketing-indispensable/) - At its conference last year Marketing Sherpa hosted Kelly Harmon, VP of Marketing at Carousel Industries who presented a talk titled “How to Make Marketing Indispensable – Strategies for Turning Your Sales Team Into Your Biggest Fans.” (24 minutes – a written summary provides highlights) I thought this was an outstanding display of insight to - [The Three Stages of Sales Process Evolution (Which No One Ever Told You About)](https://salesperformance.com/the-three-stages-of-sales-process-evolution-which-no-one-ever-told-you-about/) - Companies go through three stages of maturity in their sales processes. First they need to get organized. Second, they learn it works only if a customer wants it to. Third, they establish a flow by designing it from the customer's perspective. - [Why Your CRM Probably Won't Improve Your Sales or Forecast Accuracy (and Why It's Not Your CRM Vendor's Fault!)](https://salesperformance.com/why-your-crm-probably-wont-improve-your-sales-or-forecast-accuracy-and-why-its-not-your-crm-vendors-fault-2/) - Why CRM software only makes things worse if you have not properly defined the sales process. - [Battles, Statistics, and Order Getting All Have Something in Common](https://salesperformance.com/battles-statistics-and-order-getting-all-have-something-in-common/) - Hello, Who is your favorite heroic historical figure? I never thought I would be this way, but in recent years I’ve found biographies of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Isaac Newton, and others to be fascinating. Once you’ve been out of school for a while, I guess you develop more of an appreciation of what it - [How to Sell Process to Your VP of Sales](https://salesperformance.com/how-to-sell-process-to-your-vp-of-sales2/) - Three Principles that EngageSales Minds and Heartsto Improve Discipline, Measurement,and Performance Most Sales Vice Presidents are in a tough spot. Everybody wants a piece of them: customers, salespeople, channel partners, employees, and executives of their own company. Above all they must ... make the revenue number make the product mix forecast more accurately fulfill customer - [How a Marketing Kaizen Event Can Make Your B2B Website Rock in 90 Days or Less](https://salesperformance.com/how-a-marketing-kaizen-event-can-make-your-b2b-website-rock-in-90-days-or-less/) - Atlanta, Ga, November 30, 2008 - Sales Performance Consultants, Inc., (SPC, Inc.) and Venture Marketing, Inc., are jointly releasing new information on how B2B companies can measurably increase lead quality and deal flow in 90 days or less. Register at www.saleskaizen.com/B2BMarketingDec04.aspx (PRWEB) http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/11/prweb1681144.htm - [Is a sales process the same as a sales methodology?](https://salesperformance.com/is-a-sales-process-the-same-as-a-sales-methodology/) - Michael Webb answers an important question about "the sales process" from Susan Niemchak, Director of the Sales Training Community at TrainingIndustry.com. ## Pages - [Home](https://salesperformance.com/) - Continuously Improve Sales Results As a B2B Sales Leader, you need to combine the art and science of sales. Sales Process Excellence provides that integration. It reveals methods, tools, processes, and systems that solve persistent sales problems. Continuously Improve Sales Results As a B2B Sales Leader, you need to combine the art and science of - [Discussing Sales Process Excellence](https://salesperformance.com/book-discussions/) - After several years reflecting on the publication of Sales Process Excellence, I am writing new thoughts and observations about each chapter. This work is under development, and I am not necessarily doing the chapters in order. (Chapter 3 is complete however!) Please join in the discussion by leaving comments. We look forward to your reactions. - [Subscribe to the Sales Performance Improvement Newsletter](https://salesperformance.com/subscriptions-2/) - Put a good person in a bad system and the bad system wins every time. W. 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Webb Your products and services benefit customers. Your talented people solve customer’s problems daily. Your approaches to awareness, conversion, and retention make sense. You’ve updated training, coaching, automation, incentives, and more. Still, your results are unsatisfactory. Why Do B2B Sales Problems Persist? Why Do B2B Sales Problems Persist? Growth is slower than expected. - [Glossary](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/) - Glossary of Terms - [Our Team](https://salesperformance.com/about-spc-inc/our-team/) - Our Team Michael J. Webb, President Michael Webb is an internationally known author and management consultant. He brings data-driven management approaches to sales and marketing organizations. He worked in sales, sales training, and sales management in five industries before founding his consulting firm. When exposed to production improvement methodologies (e.g., Six Sigma, and Lean) he - [PDSA - A Scalable Method for Learning and Improvement In Sales and Marketing](https://salesperformance.com/pdsa-a-scalable-method-for-learning-and-improvement/) - PDSA - A Scalable Method for Learning and Improvement In Sales and Marketing Michael J. Webb Systems thinking aligns work around a common purpose. In sales and marketing this sets up a framework for improving productivity. The purpose, of course, is to create value for customers (and for our own company). The method (or - [Contact Us](https://salesperformance.com/contact-us-2/) - Contact Us SPC, Inc. is located in the Atlanta, Georgia area. Please use this form to contact us. If you are inquiring about a potential consulting engagement, please include the following information: checkYour role in the organization checkYour organization’s size, market geography, and industry checkSpecific challenges, and attempts to overcome them checkHow you think SPC - [Contact](https://salesperformance.com/contact-us/) - [i4w_actionset tagid='1453' autorun=1] Contact Us SPC, Inc. is located in the Atlanta, Georgia area. If you have a question for us, please don't hesitate to use this form to contact us. If you are inquiring about a potential consulting engagement, please include the following information Your sales organization's size, market geography, and industry Specific undesirable - [Thank You Page](https://salesperformance.com/thank-you-page/) - You now have access to download: “How to Avoid the Four Most Common Problems of Sales and Marketing Management” We appreciate your trust, and will never divulge your contact information to anyone. Here is our privacy policy. You may unsubscribe at any time. Please add the following names to your approved sender list now: www.salesperformance.com - [SPE Download Link](https://salesperformance.com/spe-download-link-page/) - Thank You for Your Order Click here to download the securely registered copy of your ebook. All you need to use this file across all your devices (except Kindle) is your Adobe ID. Open your favorite ebook reader and import the file. Enjoy the book! To read on your PC or web browser: Download and install - [Contact2](https://salesperformance.com/contact1/) - Contact Us Sales Performance Consultants is located in the Atlanta, Georgia area. If you have a question for us, please don't hesitate to use this form to contact us. If you are inquiring about a potential consulting engagement, please include the following information Your sales organization's size, market geography, and industry Specific undesirable results - [Unstoppable-Home](https://salesperformance.com/unstoppable-home/) - Continuously Improve B2B Sales Results We help you engage B2B executives and sales and marketing teams to find data they don’t know they have. This is the key to solving their most important problems Find Voice of Customerdata competitors don’t have. Prioritize the right sales opportunities (with data). Double forecast accuracy, productivity, and margins. At - [Webinar](https://salesperformance.com/webinar/) - Want our blueprint for continuously improving B2B sales results? Great webinar. I’ll probably watch it a 2nd or 3rd time in prep for my Aug 22 Kaizen. I’ll be in touch. Bob LeBlanc, Whitcraft Aerospace “We had a great growth rate. But we knew the time was fast approaching when our growth would - [Our Partners](https://salesperformance.com/ourpartners/) - Our Partners JMAC Europe is a leading management consultancy focused on the Lean philosophy, based in Milan, Italy. JMAC is a key part of the JMA Group, with 400 employees worldwide (250 in Japan). XONITEK is a consulting firm that enables international and multicultural companies to achieve operational excellence. Nima Hunter is an independent market - [Services](https://salesperformance.com/services/) - How Can We Help You? Get Others in Your CompanyInterested in Improving We’ve published over 300 articles on issues, principles, and case examples of process excellence in sales and marketing. Avoid the Four Most Common Problems Whitepaper A free introduction to the essential management principles that guarantee business growth, no matter what business you are - [Whitepaper](https://salesperformance.com/home-test-6/) - Want to Manage Sales and Marketing Scientifically? Use a Method Your People Will Love Struggling with commercial productivity? Lack of growth? Unreliable forecasts? Are you depending on gut-feel, sales personalities, and unmeasurable anecdotes? Or “shiny objects” that don’t pay off (like CRM, sales training, enablement, content marketing, artificial intelligence, etc.)?Traditional sales and marketing approaches are - [Our Clients](https://salesperformance.com/about-spc-inc/our-clients/) - Our Clients Industry ExperienceEngineered products and services, filtration, pharmaceuticals, software, industrial control systems, machine tools, paper products, building materials, engineered polymers, electronics, food and beverage products, business services, financial services, and more. ClientsDetails about client work are always confidential. Below are five recent large and small companies we have worked with: Large Companies Small Companies - [About SPC](https://salesperformance.com/about-spc-inc-2/) - About SPC, Inc.SPC, Inc., helps B2B companies extend operational excellence to sales and marketing, to systematically increase revenue, loyalty, and margin while wasting less time and money.Sales and marketing is not a "soft" or unmeasurable function (contrary to popular belief). Companies who believe it is unmeasurable have no choice but to constantly ask their people - [Home-Test-6](https://salesperformance.com/home-test-6-2/) - Get a Grip on B2B GrowthThrough Simple Experiments Your People Will Love For most executives, growing the business is imperative. Yet accomplishing this is far from easy in sales and marketing today, due to: Unreliable forecasts Sales personalities Unmeasurable anecdotes Shiny objects that don’t pay off, like CRM, sales training, enablement, content marketing, artificial intelligence, - [test](https://salesperformance.com/test-5/) - Please select the information you would like to receive from us. First Name * Last Name * Email * SPIF Tips (alternate weeks) Sales Process Excellence Podcast (alternate weeks) Special offers (a few times per year) Submit - [New Home - 4](https://salesperformance.com/new-home-4/) - Sales Performance Consultants, Inc., helps B2B companies improve operational excellence in sales and marketing. Learn More - [Home](https://salesperformance.com/home-2/) - About Sales Performance Consultants: We help B2B companies improve productivity, profitability, and predictability through operational excellence in sales and marketing. Learn More - [Thank you](https://salesperformance.com/thank-you-3/) - Thank you! Someone will contact you shortly to schedule your meeting with Michael Webb. In the meantime, be sure to stay informed by reading over the Sales Process Improvement blog - [Working with SPC](https://salesperformance.com/about-spc-inc/working-with-spc/) - Working with SPCSPC collaborates with a few B2B sales and marketing organizations at a time to help them progress through the stages of process excellence capability and maturity. Initially, SPC assists you in defining and discovering the causes of your current conditions. This enables us to mutually identify an approach to improvement that will work for - [Contact Us Confirmation](https://salesperformance.com/confirmation/) - Thank you for your inquiry. Someone will get back to you within 24 hours. - [Thanks for Asking Your Question](https://salesperformance.com/most-important-question-confirmation/) - Your input will help us improve our value to you. 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First Name *Last Name *Email *Comment Submit - [Home-Test-3](https://salesperformance.com/home-3/) - Sales Performance Consultants, Inc., helps private B2B companies gain competitive advantage and increase return on sales through operational excellence in sales and marketing. Learn More - [The Definitive Guide](https://salesperformance.com/definitive-guide-download/) - Welcome to The Definitive B2B Guide This book describes powerful scientific management principles and practices that will help you blast away the roadblocks to selling value, aligning your team, and making the right decisions. It has four parts: Introduction The Sales Production System Case Studies What You Need to Know In addition, we'll be sending out new - [Home test 3](https://salesperformance.com/home-test3/) - Testimonials "Michael, Thank you for following through with your promise to equip us with methods and models that have enabled us to start and continually improve our sales process improvements. We avoided big mistakes around measuring sales and marketing productivity. Most importantly, we have a method for improving that engages our complex multi-level sales organization. - [Home-Test-3-2](https://salesperformance.com/home-test-3-2/) - Client testimonials for Michael Webb: "Michael, Thank you for following through with your promise to equip us with methods and models that have enabled us to start and continually improve our sales process improvements. We avoided big mistakes around measuring sales and marketing productivity. Most importantly, we have a method for improving that engages our - [Home-Test-3-1](https://salesperformance.com/home-test-3-1/) - Client testimonials for Michael Webb: "Michael, Thank you for following through with your promise to equip us with methods and models that have enabled us to start and continually improve our sales process improvements. We avoided big mistakes around measuring sales and marketing productivity. Most importantly, we have a method for improving that engages our - [Home test 2](https://salesperformance.com/home-test-2/) - Testimonials "Michael, Thank you for following through with your promise to equip us with methods and models that have enabled us to start and continually improve our sales process improvements. We avoided big mistakes around measuring sales and marketing productivity. Most importantly, we have a method for improving that engages our complex multi-level sales organization. - [Home test](https://salesperformance.com/home-test/) - Testimonials "Michael, Thank you for following through with your promise to equip us with methods and models that have enabled us to start and continually improve our sales process improvements. We avoided big mistakes around measuring sales and marketing productivity. Most importantly, we have a method for improving that engages our complex multi-level sales organization. - [Home](https://salesperformance.com/home/) - About Sales Performance Consultants: We help B2B companies improve productivity, profitability, and predictability through operational excellence in sales and marketing. Learn More - [Xonitek](https://salesperformance.com/xonitek-2/) - White Papers Why Sales and Marketing Needs Operational Excellence .... New Book: www.SalesProcessExcellence.com Self-Assessment: World Class Sales Process Self-Assessment Get $10 off, use promo code: "SPE" - [JMAC Europe](https://salesperformance.com/jmaceurope/) - White Papers Why Sales and Marketing Needs Operational Excellence .... 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Output is mostly intangible - [What Should the Sales Production System Look Like?](https://salesperformance.com/what-should-the-sales-production-system-look-like/) - What Should the Sales Production System Look Likein Your Company? by Michael Webb The goal of sales and marketing is to find out what customers in your market are most willing to pay for, and give it to them. Although initially potential customers may only “pay” you by giving their attention, their time, and their - [Thank you](https://salesperformance.com/thank-you-2/) - Thank you for signing up to receive our email updates. We have sent you an email to confirm your email address. (Check your junk mail/spam folder if you don’t get a message from us right away confirming we received your request. Then add mwebb@salesperformance.com to your approved sender list.) - [Thank You](https://salesperformance.com/thank-you/) - We appreciate your request and have passed it along to our team. We'll be getting back with you shortly. (Check your junk mail/spam folder if you don’t get a message from us right away confirming we received your request. Then add mwebb@salesperformance.com to your approved sender list.) - [Self Assessment Confirmation ](https://salesperformance.com/self-assessment-confirmation/) - Thank You for Completing the Client Readiness Self-Assessment. Shortly, you will be receiving a diagnostic assessment email uniquely configured according to your responses to the assessment questions. In the meantime, you may enjoy reading Michael's follow up article "Avoid the 5 False Assumptions That Prevent B2B Sales and Marketing Improvement." Additionally, you might be interested - [Home Old](https://salesperformance.com/home1/) - [jwplayer config="400x225" mediaid="4702"] You Know the Power of Operational Excellence in Manufacturing ... … Now, Sales Process Excellence Can Power the Production of Customers and Revenue as Well. Operational Excellence, including Lean, Six Sigma, continuous improvement, and similar approaches is more than just a set of tools and projects. It is about how to think - [5 Assumptions that Prevent B2B Sales and Marketing Improvement](https://salesperformance.com/5-assumptions-that-prevent-b2b-sales-and-marketing-improvement/) - Avoid the 5 False Assumptions that Prevent B2B Sales and Marketing Improvement by Michael Webb Improving sales and marketing productivity can be maddeningly difficult. There are so many different points of view – so many competing theories and motives. And, how do you even measure it? Most executives struggle to improve sales and marketing, because - [Test Home New](https://salesperformance.com/test-home-new/) - About Sales Performance Consultants:We help B2B companies improve productivity, profitability, and predictability through sales process excellence. You Know the Power of Operational Excellence in Manufacturing ... … Now, Sales Process Excellence Can Power the Production of Customers and Revenue as Well. [jwplayer config="400x225" mediaid="4702"] Operational Excellence, including Lean, Six Sigma, continuous improvement, and similar approaches - [Sales Process Training](https://salesperformance.com/how-to-launch-a-process-improvement-in-sales1/) - Sales Process Training Program[accordion][title]Align the Goal and the Team for Success - Overview[/title][details]Thinking carefully about how to align the goal and the team for success is a wise investment. First, consider the most likely causes for the failure of improvement initiatives:Inappropriate (lousy) mission, not viscerally sponsored by managementInvolving the wrong peoplePoor project planning, usually lack of ## CM Tooltip Glossary - [Principle](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/principle/) - A general statement that serves as a standard for judgement and action in a given domain. - [Moral](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/moral/) - Relating to principles of right and wrong; i.e., having the most impact on enabling life (good) or destroying it (evil). - [Reason](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/reason/) - Reason is the faculty that identifies and integrates the material provided by man's senses. It is man’s moral faculty, insofar as it enables him to choose actions leading to success, survival, and ultimately, happiness. Reason works by means of concepts, propositions, and inferences. - [waste](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/waste/) - That which customers would be unwilling to pay for (such as warehouse space for storing excess inventory). Also, that which your own company is unwilling to pay for (such as a department established to rework production errors). In production manufacturing, the seven categories of waste include transportation, inventory, movement, waiting, overproduction, over processing, and defects. - [VOP](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/vop/) - Voice of Process: Data and information that emanates from people’s experiences doing the work, their efforts to meet targets, and their problems, frustrations, instances of rework, and so on. VOP also includes the data from the processes themselves, such as machine monitoring or sensor data, including results and measurements of variation. - [Voice of Process](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/voice-of-process/) - VOP: Data and information that emanates from people’s experiences doing the work, their efforts to meet targets, and their problems, frustrations, instances of rework, and so on. VOP also includes the data from the processes themselves, such as machine monitoring or sensor data, including results and measurements of variation. - [Voice of Customer](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/voice-of-customer-2/) - VOC: Data and information on the customer’s experience of the business — on their wants and needs and the extent to which the business is fulfilling them over the entire time horizon of the relationship. VOC comes in many forms, including structured survey data, complaints, suggestions, warranty claims, product returns, and other verbal and written - [VOC](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/voc/) - Voice of Customer: Data and information on the customer’s experience of the business — on their wants and needs and the extent to which the business is fulfilling them over the entire time horizon of the relationship. VOC comes in many forms, including structured survey data, complaints, suggestions, warranty claims, product returns, and other verbal - [Voice of Business](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/voice-of-business/) - VOB: Data and information on what business owners want to achieve through management — revenue, profit, growth, market share, and other related matters, such as costs and headcount. VOB is generally represented in the financial, operational, other standard reports of the business. - [VOB](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/vob/) - Voice of Business: Data and information on what business owners want to achieve through management — revenue, profit, growth, market share, and other related matters, such as costs and headcount. VOB is generally represented in the financial, operational, other standard reports of the business. - [visual management](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/visual-management/) - A valuable management technique that makes work more visible to people. Charts and graphs are used to make data more visible. Dials, status lights, and other indicators are used to make the functioning of production lines more visible. - [Value stream mapping](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/value-stream-mapping/) - Technique used to analyze and design the flow of materials and information required to bring a product or service to a consumer. At Toyota, where the technique originated, it is known as "material and information flow mapping." It can be applied to nearly any value chain. - [Value stream](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/value-stream/) - The means by which an organization creates value for customers and delivers it to them. It consists of multiple work processes that are interconnected. Traditionally, a value stream is thought of in terms of manufacturing physical goods. However, sales and marketing is also a value stream to the extent that it produces something tangible and - [value proposition](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/value-proposition/) - A statement that communicates what a product or service will allow the customer to gain, keep, maintain, or avoid. - [usual fix](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/usual-fix/) - A typical sales or marketing initiative (such as sales training, CRM, lead generation, compensation, etc.) that fails to sustainably achieve objectives. The cause is improperly defining the problem you are trying to solve. - [USP](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/usp/) - Similar to value proposition. A real or perceived benefit of a good or service that differentiates it from the competing products and gives the buyer a logical reason to take action with you. USPs are a critical component of a sales presentation, or an advertising or promotional theme. - [Theory of Profound Knowledge](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/theory-of-profound-knowledge/) - Edwards Deming's four interrelated principles comprising the foundations of his approach to scientific management. He introduced them in “The New Economics” (MIT, 1994, Chapter 4, pg 92). They are well described in "The Improvement Guide, 2nd Edition" (Jossey-Bass, 2009), Chapter 4, pg 76): Appreciation for a system Understanding variation Building knowledge Human side of change A description of - [standard work](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/standard-work/) - A set of shared knowledge and respectful agreements about the currently known best way of doing the work or accomplishing a specified objective (subject to change or improvement). Also known as "a process." It requires operational definitions, work standards, a structured improvement process (e.g., PDCA), willingness to practice and improve, and leaders trained to support - [Qualification tool](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/qualification-tool/) - A tool (check sheet) for use by a salesperson or channel partner to capture the observable characteristics of a sales opportunity. When properly designed, qualification check sheets can enable the sales team to determine how likely specific prospects are to buy from you (i.e., the quality of the prospect). By selecting the criteria that most - [Product Development](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/product-development/) - The department or function within a business responsible for defining, developing, and managing everything related to producing, providing, and supporting products with customers. - [fishbone diagram](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/fishbone-diagram/) - A means of capturing and visually organizing the causes of an undesirable result. AKA cause-effect, or Ishikawa diagram. - [Customer](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/customer/) - The person or persons who pay for and/or use your products and services. Also can be known by their buying role, such as "end user", "coach", "decision-maker", etc., (as opposed to channel partner) . These individuals must be explicitly identified for every business, market segment, and prospective customer firm. - [Channel Partner](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/channel-partner/) - Any person or business that participates in work enabling goods and services get to the ultimate end-user. - [Salesmanship](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/salesmanship/) - The professional skill that generates win-win relationships among individuals and groups. - [Law of Rationality](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/law-of-rationality/) - We ought to justify our conclusions by adequate evidence. ("Logic, An Introduction - Second Edition," by Lionel Ruby, 1960, J. B. Lippincott, pg 131) - [humanities](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/humanities/) - The academic disciplines that study human culture. - [Q.E.D.](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/q-e-d/) - Abbreviation of Latin, "quod erat demonstrandum". This means, "which was to be demonstrated." - [usual fixes](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/usual-fixes/) - Initiatives (such as with sales training, CRM, lead generation, compensation, etc.) that fail to sustainably achieve objectives. The cause is improperly defining the problem you are trying to solve. - [research meeting](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/research-meeting/) - A highly professional method for conducting a customer meeting, where the salesperson uses preparation and active listening techniques with the goal of enabling the customer to talk for 95% of the time during the meeting. This skill is central to the IMPAX process, and is described in "Beyond Selling Value - A Proven Process to - [value map](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/value-map/) - Template for capturing what customers value. Includes to whom something is of value, and what it is valuable for. There is a good article about Customer Value Maps on this website: - [value maps](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/value-maps/) - Templates for capturing what customers value. Includes to whom something is of value, and what it is valuable for. There is a good article about Customer Value Maps on this website: - [PDSA](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/pdsa/) - Plan, Do, Study, Act. This refers to the Deming Management Cycle. It is a means of applying the scientific method to business. It is often referred to as PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act). Here I use them interchangeably, though there are some technical differences between them. Deming preferred PDSA. - [PDCA](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/pdca/) - The Deming management cycle: Plan, Do, Check, Act; a means of applying the scientific method to business. It is sometimes referred to as PDSA (Plan, Do, Study, Act). Here I use them interchangeably, though there are some technical differences. Deming preferred PDSA. - [Deming management cycle](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/deming-management-cycle/) - The Deming Management Cycle (Plan, Do, Study, Act) is a way of managing people that embodies the scientific method. (It is also known as Plan, Do, Check, Act in some circles.) The method is scalable from individuals making sales calls, to managing large accounts, local sales teams, sales and marketing organizations, all the way to - [management system](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/management-system/) - The framework of processes and procedures used to ensure that an organization can fulfill all tasks required to achieve its objectives. - [numbers game](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/numbers-game/) - A way of thinking that assumes the presence of a problem is determined by whether or not the department or individual "made their numbers." This is managing by results only, and promotes a "black box" view of the work. - [Systems thinking](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/systems-thinking/) - The process of understanding how things, regarded as system, influence one another within a whole. - [System](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/system/) - A set of connected things or parts forming a complex whole intended to accomplish a specific purpose. - [data](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/data/) - Knowledge or information derived from observation of reality. If something is observed via evidence of the senses (or via sensors or instruments), it can be counted and it is evidence/data. - [sales process excellence](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/sales-process-excellence/) - The name commonly given to a long-term initiative that continuously improves your company's ability to find, win, and keep customers. This is also the name of the methodology developed by Michael Webb in his book by the same name. - [Sales Process Design](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/sales-process-design/) - A method that uses VOC to design customer interactions, such as offers of helpful information, tools, assessments, or ways of positioning value that are more likely to encourage customers to take the actions we desire, and be happy they did so. - [rationality](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/rationality/) - Rationality is the commitment to the fullest perception and knowledge of reality. Rationality requires actively using one's mind in a specific manner. The product of this active process is knowledge. - [throughput](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/throughput/) - The movement from input to output through a process. - [prospect](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/prospect/) - An individual in the market who themselves believe they may want to purchase your product in the future. Also, a company who has that potential. - [suspect](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/suspect/) - An individual in the market who the salesperson believes has the potential to buy from them in the future. - [standard deviation](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/standard-deviation/) - A statistical measurement of the variation from or dispersion around the average (mean), or expected value. - [SIPOC](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/sipoc/) - Supplier, Input, Process, Output, Customer. A tool that summarizes the inputs and outputs of an entire process, ideally on one page. - [sales value stream](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/sales-value-stream/) - Work you do to help your customers along their customer journey. (Also known as the sales production system.) - [sales production system](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/sales-production-system/) - the end-to-end set of linked, measurable activities that are used to find, win, and keep customers. (Also known as the sales value stream.) - [rolled throughput yield](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/rolled-throughput-yield/) - A calculation of the probability of producing a defect-free unit across a multiple-step production process, especially when applying six sigma methods. (Also known as RTY.) - [problem solving](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/problem-solving/) - In business, a shared method for defining, analyzing, and solving problems, and for sustaining the gains. Six sigma is one common problem solving method. - [process capability](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/process-capability/) - The measured capacity of a process to produce the desired output. - [process excellence](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/process-excellence/) - A management philosophy that creates an environment where managers and workers constantly engage in identifying, analyzing, and improving results. (Sometimes synonymous with process improvement, although process improvement is a narrower term.) - [process improvement](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/process-improvement/) - A series of actions of actions taken by a process owner to identify, analyze, and improve results. (Sometimes synonymous with process excellence, although process excellence is a broader term.) - [operational definition](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/operating-definition/) - Specifies the procedure by which an observation is made or a measurement is taken. Operational definitions specify the meanings of words in terms of specific observable characteristics. - [measurement system](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/measurement-system/) - The means by which measurements are gathered and validated within a business. - [measurement](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/measurement/) - The identification of a quantitative relationship by means of a standard. - [management by process](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/management-by-process/) - The method of managing that requires direct and open communication (catchball) throughout the business around both the desired results and the resources and methods necessary to achieve them. - [management by results](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/management-by-results/) - The method of managing where managers give workers objectives, let them use any method they desire to achieve the objectives, and reward or punish them accordingly. (Also known as "management by objectives.") - [management by objective](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/management-by-objective/) - The method of managing where managers give workers objectives, let them use any method they desire to achieve the objectives, and reward or punish them accordingly. (Also known as "management by results.") - [management by directive](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/management-by-directive/) - The method of managing where managers direct workers on what to do and how to do it. (Also known as micromanagement.) - [little "x"](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/little-x/) - The variables within a system that may be responsible for the ultimate result, or big "Y." (Also known as "independent variables.") - [marketing](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/marketing/) - The American Marketing Association defines marketing as "a set of processes to create, deliver, and communicate customer value." - [KPI](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/kpi/) - Key Performance Indicator. A type of performance measurement depicts what is important to the organization. Ideally, it is linked to a thorough understanding of the cause system within a business. - [improvement frame](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/improvement-frame/) - A template for launching an improvement effort most effectively. - [gatekeeper](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/gatekeeper-2/) - An individual within an organization who is attempting to block a salesperson from their goal. - [DMAIC](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/dmaic/) - DMAIC stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control. It is the problem-solving sequence applied in the six sigma approach to process excellence. - [countermeasure](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/countermeasure/) - An action taken to offset an effect, action, or condition you do not like. (This term is preferred over the term "corrective action." - [corrective action](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/corrective-action/) - An action taken to correct or improve a condition or outcome you do not like. - [cause system](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/cause-system/) - The set of variables affecting the performance of the business system. - [cause and effect](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/cause-and-effect/) - Also known as the "law of cause and effect." The essential characteristic implied by "systems thinking." It says entities (elements of a system) behave according to their nature (i.e., their identity). - [Coach](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/coach/) - Buying Role: A potential customer who wants to help a salesperson win the business, and can help them win by providing information, guidance, and introductions. Manager or Leader: An individual responsible for helping you accomplish a goal, often by asking questions. - [Catchball](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/catch-ball/) - A frank discussion across functions and hierarchies about the ends and means necessary to accomplish the objective. - [Problem](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/problem/) - A problem is the poor or undesirable result (UDR) of a job or process. - [Myron Tribus](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/myron-tribus/) - [Deming](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/deming-theory-of-profound-knowledge-myron-tribus/) - [Wholesaler](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/wholesaler/) - A person or firm who buys a large quantity of goods from a number of sources and resells them to retailers. Generally non-exclusive. - [variation](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/variation/) - Difference from the standard or expected. All processes produce some degree of variation, some of which may be good, and some of which may be bad. Understanding variation is the key to understanding cause and effect. - [value driver](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/value-driver/) - Something that is an important factor for an individual, or a collection of individuals that determine how they make evaluations of one option over another. - [value](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/value/) - That which one (i.e., the customer) acts to gain and/or keep. Also, that which our own company acts to gain and/or keep. - [undesirable result](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/undesirable-result/) - A measurable effect, outcome, or condition you do not like. UDRs distinguish facts and evidence of results from interpretations of potential causes and are a powerful way to clarify a problem. - [UDRs](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/udrs/) - Measurable effects, outcomes, or conditions you do not like. UDRs distinguish facts and evidence of results from interpretations of potential causes and are a powerful way to clarify a problem. - [UDR](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/udr/) - A measurable effect, outcome, or condition you do not like. UDRs distinguish facts and evidence of results from interpretations of potential causes and are a powerful way to clarify a problem. - [tampering](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/tampering/) - Reacting to common causes of variation as if they were special causes. For example: a "knee-jerk" reaction to change business priorities based on last month's financial (or sales) results without actually determining the cause. - [structured diversity sampling](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/structured-diversity-sampling/) - A scientific approach that dramatically reduces the amount of data required to understand a process. It works by carefully defining the types of data samples required to achieve the goal. - [statistically stable](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/statistically-stable/) - The characteristic of a process whose behavior falls between the upper and lower control limits on a process control chart. It can be expected to vary within those ranges until something changes the system. AKA “statistical control.” - [sponsor team](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/sponsor-team/) - Senior executives responsible for coaching the team leader and core team members and ensuring they have the resources they need to succeed. - [sponsor](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/sponsor/) - Senior executive responsible for coaching the team leader and core team members and ensuring they have the resources they need to succeed. - [special cause variation](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/special-cause-variation/) - Variation caused from outside the system you are measuring. This is distinguished from "common cause" variation, which is variation inherent to the system itself. - [Six Sigma](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/six-sigma/) - A widely used problem-solving method that incorporates a five-step process - DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) - and often relies heavily on statistical analysis. - [service company](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/service-company/) - An organization which bases its revenue and profit primarily on service. Although these companies make money on both the labor rates they charge for site visits, often a significant portion of their business model is also based on selling parts. - [segmentation](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/segmentation/) - The process or practice of subdividing a market into distinct subsets of customers that behave in the same way or have similar needs. - [sales process mapping](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/sales-process-mapping/) - A technique for creating a common vision and shared language among team members within an organization with the goal of improving business results. - [retailer](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/retailer/) - A person or firm who sells goods or services to the end-user. - [quality](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/quality/) - The science of defining what the customer wants, and enabling your organization to provide it to them. - [qualification criteria](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/qualification-criteria/) - A statement describing the observable characteristics of a prospect that make them more or less likely to buy our products and services. - [qualification](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/qualification/) - The measure of how well a prospect compares to the ideal prospect. Done properly, sales teams develop observable qualification criteria that are assessed using a qualification tool, and converted into a numeric quality score by a statistically valid method. - [project plan](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/project-plan/) - A list of key points which provide a "10,000 foot" view of how the initiative will be carried out. Usually provides guiding information on timing, phasing, and structure(s) for doing the work, and how the initiative will be managed. - [project frame](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/project-frame/) - A tool used to create an “operational definition” of a critical business initiative. Similar to a "project charter." - [process orientation](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/process-orientation/) - A mindset that seeks to understand the system of causes and effects that underlie a given result or outcome. - [pre-discovery ](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/pre-discovery/) - Research about a prospect or target account, either an end user or a channel partner, done previous to live discovery interviews. - [pilot](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/pilot/) - A small test of a theory or hypothesis. Often, used to prove or disprove something prior to the full roll-out of a change. - [PDCA management](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/pdca-management/) - The application of PDCA to managing a business. - [organizational chart](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/organizational-chart/) - A visual depiction of the relationships between the roles of people and departments in a business. - [org chart](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/org-chart/) - A visual depiction of the relationships between the roles of people and departments in a business. - [operational excellence ](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/operational-excellence/) - Operational excellence is the management system required to continuously improve the organization's ability to meet customer needs and grow through leadership, teamwork, and problem solving based on data and evidence. - [master distributor](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/master-distributor/) - A business that buys and warehouses non-competing products or product-lines, and resells them to retailers or end user customers. - [levels of fix](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/levels-of-fix/) - A concept that identifies the systemic causes of process problems. 1) Fix the Output. 2) Fix the process (that produced the Output). 3) Fix the system that produced the process. - [level of fix](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/level-of-fix/) - A concept that identifies the systemic causes of process problems. 1) Fix the Output. 2) Fix the process (that produced the Output). 3) Fix the system that produced the process. - [Lean](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/lean/) - A business management philosophy with two inter-related goals: continuously improving the company’s ability to eliminate waste, and practicing respect for people. - [kaizen event](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/kaizen-event/) - A time-limited event where a team of volunteers focuses on accomplishing a specific improvement goal within a process. (Mostly used in North America.) - [ISP](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/isp/) - Independent Service Provider. - [growth deployment chart](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/growth-deployment-chart/) - A set of interlocking project frames designed to achieve a set of high-level business objectives. - [gemba](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/gemba/) - Japanese term for "the place where truth is found"; In customer-facing work, it is where the customer interacts with you (e.g., a website, customer's office, construction site, sales floor, etc.) - [gatekeeper](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/gatekeeper/) - An individual within a potential customer who is trying to prevent you from winning the business. AKA "blocker." - [franchisor](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/franchisor/) - The parent company, or brand owner, who licenses their brand to a 3rd party (franchisee) for delivery of goods or services to the end user customer. - [franchisee](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/franchisee/) - The person or business who licenses the brand from the franchisor. - [First Time Fix](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/first-time-fix/) - One of the primary metrics used by service organizations to measure their effectiveness with their customers. - [Find-Win-Keep](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/find-win-keep/) - The primary phases of value-add in customer-facing sales production system. - [discovery guide](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/discovery-guide/) - A set of standardized questions used to learn and collect information about any channel partner, influencer, or end-user. Sometimes called a "qualification tool." - [decision maker](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/decision-maker/) - An individual within a potential customer who makes the decisions for the organization with respect to your products and services. - [Customer Journey](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/customer-journey/) - Stages the customer goes through from the time they do not realize they have a problem/need to the time they are spending time and money to solve that problem/need. - [Control Chart ](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/control-chart/) - A means of visualizing the behavior of a process over time. One of the seven basic quality tools. (http://asq.org/learn-about-quality/seven-basic-quality-tools/overview/overview.html) - [Company "A" vs Company "B" ](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/company-a-vs-company-b/) - Two contrasting methods for improving a business. Company “A” is a conventional hierarchical approach where an “office of improvement” is established to impose change on functional groups. Company “B” requires existing management to be responsible for learning and applying knowledge. - [Common Cause Variation](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/common-cause-variation/) - Variation inherent to the system you are measuring. This is distinguished from "special cause" variation, which is caused by a disturbance or outside influence to the system. - [CAP-Do](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/cap-do/) - A form of PDCA that begins with Check. CAP-Do is especially applicable in meetings, where the first step is to check the current situation. - [big "Y"](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/big-y/) - Big "Y" is the result or outcome you want to improve. This requires identifying the variables within the system that may be responsible (little “xs”). - [A3](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/a3/) - A one-page template (A-3 size) that serves as a guideline for thinking and communicating around a problem you are trying to solve, especially in a PDCA environment. - [kaizen](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/kaizen/) - The Japanese term for continuous improvement of a value stream or individual process (AKA continuous improvement) - [process](https://salesperformance.com/glossary/process/) - A set of activities, through which work flows, aimed at a common result. ## Categories - [Articles](https://salesperformance.com/category/articles/) - [Blog1](https://salesperformance.com/category/blog1/) - [Press](https://salesperformance.com/category/press/) - [Sales and Marketing Leader Articles](https://salesperformance.com/category/articles/sales-and-marketing-leader-articles/) - [General Manager's Most Important Questions](https://salesperformance.com/category/blog1/general-manager-questions/) - [Sales and Marketing Manager's Important Questions](https://salesperformance.com/category/blog1/sales-and-marketing-manager-questions/) - Questions and answers from Sales and Marketing VPs around applying process improvement and Lean to sales and marketing. - [Lean Process Leader's Most Important Questions](https://salesperformance.com/category/blog1/lean-process-leader-questions/) - [General Manager Articles](https://salesperformance.com/category/articles/general-manager-articles/) - [Lean Process Leader Articles](https://salesperformance.com/category/articles/lean-process-excellence-leader/) - [Unpublished Blog Posts](https://salesperformance.com/category/unpublished-blog-posts/) - [Wacker Team Page](https://salesperformance.com/category/wacker/) - [Special Topics](https://salesperformance.com/category/special-topics/) - [Membership Pro](https://salesperformance.com/category/membership-pro/) - [Member Blog](https://salesperformance.com/category/member-blog/) - [Training](https://salesperformance.com/category/training/) - [SPC, Inc.](https://salesperformance.com/category/spc-inc/) - [Upcoming Webinar](https://salesperformance.com/category/upcoming-webinar/) - [Blog](https://salesperformance.com/category/newblog/) - [Sales Process Excellence Podcast](https://salesperformance.com/category/sales-process-excellence-podcast/) ## Tags - [Sales and Marketing the Six Sigma Way](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-and-marketing-the-six-sigma-way/) - [sales process improvement](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-process-improvement/) - [six sigma selling](https://salesperformance.com/tag/six-sigma-selling/) - [sales process measurement](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-process-measurement/) - [selling cost improvement](https://salesperformance.com/tag/selling-cost-improvement/) - [process management](https://salesperformance.com/tag/process-management/) - [sales funnel management](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-funnel-management/) - [sales management](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-management/) - [customer's journey](https://salesperformance.com/tag/customers-journey/) - [improve sales results](https://salesperformance.com/tag/improve-sales-results/) - [VOC](https://salesperformance.com/tag/voc/) - [Voice of the Customer](https://salesperformance.com/tag/voice-of-the-customer/) - [PDMA Discussion Panel](https://salesperformance.com/tag/pdma-discussion-panel/) - [Sales Process Design](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-process-design/) - [Sales Training](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-training/) - [sales training companies](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-training-companies/) - [customer value](https://salesperformance.com/tag/customer-value/) - [sales operating definitions](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-operating-definitions/) - [sales value creation](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-value-creation/) - [books on marketing](https://salesperformance.com/tag/books-on-marketing/) - [marketing processes](https://salesperformance.com/tag/marketing-processes/) - [pharmaceutical selling](https://salesperformance.com/tag/pharmaceutical-selling/) - [lean sales and marketing](https://salesperformance.com/tag/lean-sales-and-marketing/) - [lean selling](https://salesperformance.com/tag/lean-selling/) - [causes of variation](https://salesperformance.com/tag/causes-of-variation/) - [common causes](https://salesperformance.com/tag/common-causes/) - [special causes](https://salesperformance.com/tag/special-causes/) - [sales negoitation](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-negoitation/) - [sales results](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-results/) - [systems thinking in sales](https://salesperformance.com/tag/systems-thinking-in-sales/) - [CEO's role in selling](https://salesperformance.com/tag/ceos-role-in-selling/) - [organizational sales process](https://salesperformance.com/tag/organizational-sales-process/) - [Selling Power](https://salesperformance.com/tag/selling-power/) - [lead generation](https://salesperformance.com/tag/lead-generation/) - [marketing process](https://salesperformance.com/tag/marketing-process/) - [changing the sales process](https://salesperformance.com/tag/changing-the-sales-process/) - [customer perception of value](https://salesperformance.com/tag/customer-perception-of-value/) - [Salesmanship](https://salesperformance.com/tag/salesmanship/) - [sales methodologies](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-methodologies/) - [Sales process](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-process/) - [sales techniques](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-techniques/) - [changing selling behaviors](https://salesperformance.com/tag/changing-selling-behaviors/) - [improving sales results](https://salesperformance.com/tag/improving-sales-results/) - [organizational change](https://salesperformance.com/tag/organizational-change/) - [deal flow](https://salesperformance.com/tag/deal-flow/) - [Sales Process Metrics](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-process-metrics/) - [sales production flow](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-production-flow/) - [Sales Quality](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-quality/) - [sales quality metrics](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-quality-metrics/) - [sales quantity metrics](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-quantity-metrics/) - [business week](https://salesperformance.com/tag/business-week/) - [six sigma](https://salesperformance.com/tag/six-sigma/) - [six sigma misunderstood](https://salesperformance.com/tag/six-sigma-misunderstood/) - [operating definitions](https://salesperformance.com/tag/operating-definitions/) - [sales qualification criteria](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-qualification-criteria/) - [sales quality measurement](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-quality-measurement/) - [sales process voc](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-process-voc/) - [Voice of Customer](https://salesperformance.com/tag/voice-of-customer/) - [sales defect](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-defect/) - [sales value add](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-value-add/) - [sales waste](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-waste/) - [cost of sales](https://salesperformance.com/tag/cost-of-sales/) - [sales cost](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-cost/) - [Sales Process Cost](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-process-cost/) - [CRM](https://salesperformance.com/tag/crm/) - [CRM Software](https://salesperformance.com/tag/crm-software/) - [defining the sales process](https://salesperformance.com/tag/defining-the-sales-process/) - [Marketing process Improvement](https://salesperformance.com/tag/marketing-process-improvement/) - [sales project charters](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-project-charters/) - [undesirable sales results](https://salesperformance.com/tag/undesirable-sales-results/) - [internet marketing](https://salesperformance.com/tag/internet-marketing/) - [internet selling](https://salesperformance.com/tag/internet-selling/) - [ERP and the sales process](https://salesperformance.com/tag/erp-and-the-sales-process/) - [sal](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sal/) - [sales and marketing management](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-and-marketing-management/) - [sales operational excellence](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-operational-excellence/) - [helping salespeople sell](https://salesperformance.com/tag/helping-salespeople-sell/) - [making sales easier](https://salesperformance.com/tag/making-sales-easier/) - [sales organizational change](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-organizational-change/) - [sales forecast accuracy](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-forecast-accuracy/) - [customer centric marketing](https://salesperformance.com/tag/customer-centric-marketing/) - [customer centric selling](https://salesperformance.com/tag/customer-centric-selling/) - [customer focus](https://salesperformance.com/tag/customer-focus/) - [sales production](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-production/) - [sales process help](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-process-help/) - [Sales Process Management](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-process-management/) - [Technical sales](https://salesperformance.com/tag/technical-sales/) - [sales effectiveness](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-effectiveness/) - [Sales Kaizen](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-kaizen/) - [sales productivity](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-productivity/) - [sales theory of constraints](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-theory-of-constraints/) - [sales process education](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-process-education/) - [problem solving](https://salesperformance.com/tag/problem-solving/) - [Process Improvement](https://salesperformance.com/tag/process-improvement/) - [sales contests](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-contests/) - [business process](https://salesperformance.com/tag/business-process/) - [selecting sales talent](https://salesperformance.com/tag/selecting-sales-talent/) - [customer value map](https://salesperformance.com/tag/customer-value-map/) - [sales value proposition](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-value-proposition/) - [lead nurturing](https://salesperformance.com/tag/lead-nurturing/) - [selling system](https://salesperformance.com/tag/selling-system/) - [sales process components](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-process-components/) - [Sales leadership](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-leadership/) - [5 Whys applied to sales](https://salesperformance.com/tag/5-whys-applied-to-sales/) - [sales coaching](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-coaching/) - [sales performance improvement](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-performance-improvement/) - [sales management problems](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-management-problems/) - [sales problems](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-problems/) - [sales metrics](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-metrics/) - [sales process behavior charts](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-process-behavior-charts/) - [B2B Internet Marketing](https://salesperformance.com/tag/b2b-internet-marketing/) - [B2B lead generation](https://salesperformance.com/tag/b2b-lead-generation/) - [sales bottlenecks](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-bottlenecks/) - [sales conversion](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-conversion/) - [sales marketing discommect](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-marketing-discommect/) - [B2B sales performance](https://salesperformance.com/tag/b2b-sales-performance/) - [Presales Engineers](https://salesperformance.com/tag/presales-engineers/) - [Technical sales training](https://salesperformance.com/tag/technical-sales-training/) - [best sales practices](https://salesperformance.com/tag/best-sales-practices/) - [definition of sales process](https://salesperformance.com/tag/definition-of-sales-process/) - [selling methodology](https://salesperformance.com/tag/selling-methodology/) - [cause and effect diagram](https://salesperformance.com/tag/cause-and-effect-diagram/) - [fishbone diagram](https://salesperformance.com/tag/fishbone-diagram/) - [Ishikawa diagram](https://salesperformance.com/tag/ishikawa-diagram/) - [sales excellence council](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-excellence-council/) - [sales management systems](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-management-systems/) - [sales management effectiveness](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-management-effectiveness/) - [kaizen](https://salesperformance.com/tag/kaizen/) - [the kaizen way](https://salesperformance.com/tag/the-kaizen-way/) - [Leadership](https://salesperformance.com/tag/leadership/) - [Sales Process Mapping](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-process-mapping/) - [Brian Carroll](https://salesperformance.com/tag/brian-carroll/) - [continuous improvement](https://salesperformance.com/tag/continuous-improvement/) - [Customer journey](https://salesperformance.com/tag/customer-journey/) - [customer relationship management](https://salesperformance.com/tag/customer-relationship-management/) - [integrated marketing](https://salesperformance.com/tag/integrated-marketing/) - [marketing management](https://salesperformance.com/tag/marketing-management/) - [nurturing customer relationships](https://salesperformance.com/tag/nurturing-customer-relationships/) - [product management](https://salesperformance.com/tag/product-management/) - [sales and marketing mangement](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-and-marketing-mangement/) - [sales infrastructure](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-infrastructure/) - [sales measurement](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-measurement/) - [sales process change](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-process-change/) - [sales process effectiveness](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-process-effectiveness/) - [sales process engineering](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-process-engineering/) - [sales process excellence](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-process-excellence/) - [sales process mistakes](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-process-mistakes/) - [sales prospecting](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-prospecting/) - [starving market](https://salesperformance.com/tag/starving-market/) - [systems perspective](https://salesperformance.com/tag/systems-perspective/) - [value propositions](https://salesperformance.com/tag/value-propositions/) - [quick improvements](https://salesperformance.com/tag/quick-improvements/) - [Lean sales process](https://salesperformance.com/tag/lean-sales-process/) - [sales value stream](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-value-stream/) - [Six Sigma in sales and marketing](https://salesperformance.com/tag/six-sigma-in-sales-and-marketing/) - [Quick sales improvements](https://salesperformance.com/tag/quick-sales-improvements/) - [vustomer value map](https://salesperformance.com/tag/vustomer-value-map/) - [value map](https://salesperformance.com/tag/value-map/) - [B2B sales and marketing](https://salesperformance.com/tag/b2b-sales-and-marketing/) - [personal improvement](https://salesperformance.com/tag/personal-improvement/) - [Sales Compensation](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-compensation/) - [solving sales problems](https://salesperformance.com/tag/solving-sales-problems/) - [managing by process](https://salesperformance.com/tag/managing-by-process/) - [Sales and Marketing](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-and-marketing/) - [CRM leadership](https://salesperformance.com/tag/crm-leadership/) - [lean leadership](https://salesperformance.com/tag/lean-leadership/) - [value creation in sales](https://salesperformance.com/tag/value-creation-in-sales/) - [helping customers buy](https://salesperformance.com/tag/helping-customers-buy/) - [lean in sales](https://salesperformance.com/tag/lean-in-sales/) - [process excellence in sales](https://salesperformance.com/tag/process-excellence-in-sales/) - [sales turn around](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-turn-around/) - [sales problem solving](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-problem-solving/) - [getting started with sales process excellence](https://salesperformance.com/tag/getting-started-with-sales-process-excellence/) - [starting with lean selling](https://salesperformance.com/tag/starting-with-lean-selling/) - [sustaining sales improvement](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sustaining-sales-improvement/) - [continuous sales improvement](https://salesperformance.com/tag/continuous-sales-improvement/) - [sales and marketing leadership](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-and-marketing-leadership/) - [Sales management improvement](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-management-improvement/) - [Systems thinking for sales](https://salesperformance.com/tag/systems-thinking-for-sales/) - [Sales performance measurement](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-performance-measurement/) - [Sales performance management](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-performance-management/) - [Motivating salespeople](https://salesperformance.com/tag/motivating-salespeople/) - [boost sales](https://salesperformance.com/tag/boost-sales/) - [sales](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales/) - [negotiating](https://salesperformance.com/tag/negotiating/) - [prospects](https://salesperformance.com/tag/prospects/) - [performance measurement](https://salesperformance.com/tag/performance-measurement/) - [marketing](https://salesperformance.com/tag/marketing/) - [management](https://salesperformance.com/tag/management/) - [sales improvement](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-improvement/) - [recession](https://salesperformance.com/tag/recession/) - [business growth](https://salesperformance.com/tag/business-growth/) - [branding your business](https://salesperformance.com/tag/branding-your-business/) - [differences between marketing and branding](https://salesperformance.com/tag/differences-between-marketing-and-branding/) - [efficiency](https://salesperformance.com/tag/efficiency/) - [effectiveness](https://salesperformance.com/tag/effectiveness/) - [buy-in](https://salesperformance.com/tag/buy-in/) - [ways to deal with human variable](https://salesperformance.com/tag/ways-to-deal-with-human-variable/) - [connecting authentically](https://salesperformance.com/tag/connecting-authentically/) - [active listening](https://salesperformance.com/tag/active-listening/) - [sales calls](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-calls/) - [purpose of enterprise](https://salesperformance.com/tag/purpose-of-enterprise/) - [listen with your whole body](https://salesperformance.com/tag/listen-with-your-whole-body/) - [more confidence](https://salesperformance.com/tag/more-confidence/) - [work through fears](https://salesperformance.com/tag/work-through-fears/) - [rewiring your brain](https://salesperformance.com/tag/rewiring-your-brain/) - [tell a story](https://salesperformance.com/tag/tell-a-story/) - [improv](https://salesperformance.com/tag/improv/) - [skills of improvisation](https://salesperformance.com/tag/skills-of-improvisation/) - [sales operations](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-operations/) - [use data more effectively](https://salesperformance.com/tag/use-data-more-effectively/) - [investment community](https://salesperformance.com/tag/investment-community/) - [corporate management](https://salesperformance.com/tag/corporate-management/) - [lean community](https://salesperformance.com/tag/lean-community/) - [power of lean in different industries](https://salesperformance.com/tag/power-of-lean-in-different-industries/) - [importance of asking questions](https://salesperformance.com/tag/importance-of-asking-questions/) - [how managers add value](https://salesperformance.com/tag/how-managers-add-value/) - [how leaders add value](https://salesperformance.com/tag/how-leaders-add-value/) - [mistakes senior leaders make](https://salesperformance.com/tag/mistakes-senior-leaders-make/) - [what the customer is really buying](https://salesperformance.com/tag/what-the-customer-is-really-buying/) - [what we want the customer to do](https://salesperformance.com/tag/what-we-want-the-customer-to-do/) - [different way of thinking about prospects](https://salesperformance.com/tag/different-way-of-thinking-about-prospects/) - [increase sales accepted leads](https://salesperformance.com/tag/increase-sales-accepted-leads/) - [empathetic marketing](https://salesperformance.com/tag/empathetic-marketing/) - [expectations](https://salesperformance.com/tag/expectations/) - [choose what to do next](https://salesperformance.com/tag/choose-what-to-do-next/) - [seeing the whole picture](https://salesperformance.com/tag/seeing-the-whole-picture/) - [five levels of listening](https://salesperformance.com/tag/five-levels-of-listening/) - [deep listening](https://salesperformance.com/tag/deep-listening/) - [making and sustaining change](https://salesperformance.com/tag/making-and-sustaining-change/) - [importance of energy](https://salesperformance.com/tag/importance-of-energy/) - [staying focues](https://salesperformance.com/tag/staying-focues/) - [role of measurements](https://salesperformance.com/tag/role-of-measurements/) - [role of standards](https://salesperformance.com/tag/role-of-standards/) - [understanding broader processes](https://salesperformance.com/tag/understanding-broader-processes/) - [shorten learning curves](https://salesperformance.com/tag/shorten-learning-curves/) - [follow progress](https://salesperformance.com/tag/follow-progress/) - [look for evidence or data](https://salesperformance.com/tag/look-for-evidence-or-data/) - [avoid using the word 'problem'](https://salesperformance.com/tag/avoid-using-the-word-problem/) - [laser focus on evidence](https://salesperformance.com/tag/laser-focus-on-evidence/) - [team more engaged](https://salesperformance.com/tag/team-more-engaged/) - [making progress](https://salesperformance.com/tag/making-progress/) - [understand your audience](https://salesperformance.com/tag/understand-your-audience/) - [creating clarity](https://salesperformance.com/tag/creating-clarity/) - [evidence and data](https://salesperformance.com/tag/evidence-and-data/) - [stronger organization](https://salesperformance.com/tag/stronger-organization/) - [focus externally](https://salesperformance.com/tag/focus-externally/) - [use language precisely](https://salesperformance.com/tag/use-language-precisely/) - [respect for people](https://salesperformance.com/tag/respect-for-people/) - [Voice of Market](https://salesperformance.com/tag/voice-of-market/) - [Market Research](https://salesperformance.com/tag/market-research/) - [Customer Research](https://salesperformance.com/tag/customer-research/) - [Plan](https://salesperformance.com/tag/plan/) - [Do](https://salesperformance.com/tag/do/) - [Study](https://salesperformance.com/tag/study/) - [Act](https://salesperformance.com/tag/act/) - [See what exists](https://salesperformance.com/tag/see-what-exists/) - [Business is a series of experiments](https://salesperformance.com/tag/business-is-a-series-of-experiments/) - [sales communication](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-communication/) - [sales funnels](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-funnels/) - [value of standards](https://salesperformance.com/tag/value-of-standards/) - [ask the right question](https://salesperformance.com/tag/ask-the-right-question/) - [language barrier inside organizations](https://salesperformance.com/tag/language-barrier-inside-organizations/) - [look for what gets in the way of work](https://salesperformance.com/tag/look-for-what-gets-in-the-way-of-work/) - [focus on who we are trying to make happy](https://salesperformance.com/tag/focus-on-who-we-are-trying-to-make-happy/) - [sales team call](https://salesperformance.com/tag/sales-team-call/) - [start off differently](https://salesperformance.com/tag/start-off-differently/)