Have you taken the path of your customer?

One of my steps in working with a client is that I like to put together their Marketing calendar to understand what they have on the table, events, conferences, advertisement, flyers, etc. They usually have some type of marketing in place, and we are looking at improving the system not dismantling it. After the marketing calendar has been constructed, I start moving, sometimes  just the post-it-notes from a chronological order to a marketing flow stream based on the customers' viewpoint.  We could even call it an assessment, but in initially I am just on a fact finding mission, in Lean terms = Current State Map. The next step in the process is diagramming this current state map and in Duct Tape Marketing terms, their Marketing Hourglass.

However, this week the procedure took a strange turn. I completed the process but I happen to know one of the client’s customer very well. So, after constructing this hour glass with the new client, I was able to sit down with his customer and my friend and map the process from the customers' point of view. Voice of Customer seems to an over-used word in our Industry but this was one of my best experiences. We actually pulled the clients file from the customers file cabinet, reviewed the folders on his computer including e-mails and bookmarks. I then laid out all the marketing material that had accumulated, highlighted and even taking note of the bent corners in the catalog. This was all followed by an interview.

Of course, my sample size of 1 is not a good indicator. The key to this process was the awaking to the client and myself on what the customer valued and what his procedure was in making the decision. His process was simply different. We talk about going to Gemba and walking the walk from the customers' point of view, but do you? How much non-effective marketing could you save by doing this? How much effecting marketing could you implement?
 

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Technorati Tags: Duct Tape Marketing,Marketing Calendar,Marketing Hourglass,Value stream Mapping

Marketing needs Six Sigma Methodology to Improve

Understanding Variation - The Key to Managing Chaos by Donald Wheeler is a book I recently re-read. I had remembered it and thought it had some good points. Not for the depth of analysis, most Black Belts will not find it too challenging, but for the examples and flavor of the writing. This book was originally published in 1993.

Marketing needs to do a better job of using statistics and especially variation. When I start talking numbers to people, and what they mean, I get looked at like someone that is just trying to complicate a creative process. Improvement is about numbers. Measurement is about numbers. The truth is, marketing is about numbers. So why not employ more of the Six Sigma methodology? I understand that achieving the quality that Six Sigma represents may be difficult but the principles and tools should, nevertheless be utilized.

Your present marketing data more than likely is flawed and ineffective. Comparing one number to another is just ineffective. Comparison is limited because numbers are subject to variation and without variation taken into account the data is distorted.

Don Wheeler starts his book by saying that comparing numbers to specifications will not lead to improvement. Specifications are the Voice of the Customer. The specification approach will not reveal insights into how the process works and as a result will not tell you where you are, how you got there and how or what to improve to get out of it.

Defining this a bit: Voice of the Customer defines what you want. Voice of the Process defines what you will get from the system. Management job is to bring Voice of Customer in alignment with Voice of the Process.

Don uses examples of Control Charts,X-Charts, XmR Charts and a few other graphs. He does a nice job of mixing practical stories and making a statistical book as easy of a read that it can be. He sums up one story by saying:

1. Optimization of the parts does not equal optimization of the whole.
2. Traditional cost accountings can hide or miss the essential figures.
3. Analysis by osmosis is very ineffective.
4. Graphs communicate the data better than the tables.
5. It is dangerous to confuse a target value with the voice of the process.

Can you start using proper data in your marketing process? The book recommends starting tomorrow by:

1. Begin to collect the right data
2. Insist upon interpreting within their context
3. Filter out the noise before considering any value as a potential signal
4. Cease to ask for explanations of noise
5. Understand that no matter how the results may stack up against the specifications, a process which displays statistical control is
   performing as consistently as possible.
6. Always distinguish between Voice of Custom and Voice of Process.
7. Help others take action on assignable causes.

P.S. I typically find that most companies are not ready to start a Six Sigma project because of the lack of measurement in their processes. Having the working knowledge of Black Belt can greatly enhance getting started down the path. It is a journey and depending upon the scope of the project, one not to hastily jump into.

BTW: I recommend reading the book first.

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Another word for Marketing - How about Voice of the Customer?

If you are going to Improve, you have to know your math

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Technorati Tags: Six Sigma,Methodology,Marketing,Black Belt,Voice of Customer

Power of Visual Thinking in your Visual Workplace

If you follow my blog you know the respect I have for the David Armano and the Logic & Emotion Blog. He had a great blog post on the power of visual thinking and also shared this slideshow presentation. A clear demonstration of visual thinking.

An excerpt from their Blog Post…The Value of Visual Thinking

Educating
So what's the value of visual thinking for business? For starters it can help educate, especially if you are launching a new product, initiative or idea.

Communicating
It doesn't matter if we're talking about consumers or employees — attention is becoming scarce. If you want to communicate something, you need to capture attention and communicate your point quickly.

Training
In the design of business, visual thinking will be key in the design of new processes, systems, and structures. Expect to see the mapping of ecosystems, flows, org charts, social systems and data visualization.

The Value of Visual Thinking in Social Business

View more documents from David Armano.

I think Visual Thinking is a powerful tool. For evidence, look at the tools I surround myself with, Value Stream Mapping, The Lean Marketing House and Mindmaps. I believe it is the most effective way to learn. As David said in his last paragraph of the blog cited above: “We're not all visual thinkers (though we all have the potential). However, we are all visual learners. Don't believe me? Simply pay a visit to any grade school and you'll see evidence of it everywhere. "A is for Apple," showing both the letter and a picture of an apple next to it. The cognitive recognition of the image often happens first."

I have an upcoming podcast with Gwendolyn Galsworth of the Visual Workplace. She is author of the book, Visual Workplace/Visual Thinking, a Shingo Prize Winner. Gwendolyn has a fall webinar series on Implementing a Visual Workplace. The next webinar is this Thursday, November 5th. She begins her book by stating: “The technologies of the visual workplace represent a comprehensive strategy for installing vital information as close to the point of use as possible.” Now, when you think of a visual workplace are you on the same page? If not, maybe you should take a look at her book,Visual Workplace, Visual Thinking: Creating Enterprise Excellence Through the Technologies of the Visual Workplace?

 

Technorati Tags: Visual Thinking,Visual Workplace,David Armano,Value Stream Mapping