A Future Framework for Understanding your Customers

I think this is an interesting framework that is worth exploring this year. This decision model closely resembles where I think sales and marketing might be headed. Our efforts will not be based on the traditional metrics as we know them now but how our stories, our content is being interpreted by our customers. For example, we will not place them emphasis on traffic to our website but rather the way our content is interacted with and the patterns that are created.

Cynefin, pronounced kuh-nev-in, is a Welsh word that signifies the multiple factors in our environment and our experience that influence us in ways we can never understand. In this video, Dave Snowden introduces the Cynefin Framework with a brief explanation of its origin and evolution and a detailed discussion of its architecture and function.

The Cynefin Framework is central to Cognitive Edge methods and tools. It allows executives to see things from new viewpoints, assimilate complex concepts, and address real-world problems and opportunities. Using the Cynefin framework can help executives sense which context they are in so that they can not only make better decisions but also avoid the problems that arise when their preferred management style causes them to make mistakes.

Related Posts:
Starting with Lean A3 Thinking in Marketing
Introduction to Marketing with A3
The 7 step Lean Process of Marketing to Toyota
Best Marketing Advice Ever, yes Ever!
Lean Marketing is a Problem Centric Discipline
Online collaboration is leading the way for Lean Marketing

The Nuts and Bolts of A3 Thinking

Daniel Matthews is an expert trainer with 30 years of training experience including Lean implementation and Training within Industry (TWI). He has spent fourteen of those years with the Toyota Company where he created and made use of the A3 as a core component of continuous quality improvement. Dan is the author of The A3 Workbook: Unlock Your Problem-Solving Mind and presently employed at the Kentucky Manufacturing Assistance Center. Website: http://kmac.org email: dmatthews@kmac.org

Powered by Podbean.com

Our Podcast discussed A3 thinking and problem solving.  With Dan’s vast experience in the subject we were able to dig deep into the subject and talk about his experiences both positive and negative utilizing A3s. It was not about how to develop an A3 culture. It was a nuts and bolts discussion.

Related Posts:
Apply Lean thinking to Sales and Marketing
Starting with Lean A3 Thinking in Marketing
Introduction to Marketing with A3
10 Sample A3s by 5 contributors + me

Rehearsing your next Sales Call, why not?

At the Serious Play conference, designer Tim Brown talks about the powerful relationship between creative thinking and play -- with many examples you can try at home (and one that maybe you shouldn't).

Tim Brown is the CEO of innovation and design firm IDEO, taking an approach to design that digs deeper than the surface. Having taken over from founder David E. Kelley, Tim Brown carries forward the firm's mission of fusing design, business and social studies to come up with deeply researched, deeply understood designs and ideas -- they call it "design thinking."

One thing that I have been encouraging lately is role playing. Since we have become a service society our product has become us. Have you ever videotaped or just talked into your webcam to see how you looked and sounded? Technology has made it so easy and  at practically no cost. The benefits of a rehearsal can make all the difference. 

How about role playing an issues they were having with your service team? Getting a few actors from your local college to role play for you could be a lot fun in a training session. Think about developing ways to mimic the problems your customer faces. If nothing else, you could be putting yourself in their shoes – not a bad idea at all!

Related Posts:
Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service
The Disney Way
Lean Six Sigma Storyboard
Crafting your Storyboard
Converting Storyboarding to Marketing or Value Stream Mapping
Storyboarding for Business