5 steps to lean six sigma marketing success

Business901 Product Marketing Lean Marketing

5 Steps to Lean Six Sigma Marketing Success

http://www.business901.com/

http://www.productmarketingprocess.com/

http://www.marketingwithlean.com/


Define(Map Current State)

Measure

(Lean Metrics)

Explore

(Value Stream)

Develop(Map Future State)

Implement

(Kaizen)





What if your marketing was based on these principles? 1. Deliver what the customer really needs or wants?

2. Which marketing creates value and which creates waste?

3. How can your marketing flow with little interruptions?

4. How will your marketing be balanced?

5. What processes will you institute to achieve future state?

Now think about this, what is your customer looking for?

1. Solving their problem.

2. Not wasting their time.

3. Simple Solutions

1. Get them what they want.

2. Where they want it.

3. When they want it.





Can you have such a thing? Is your marketing team disciplined enough? Is there a better

way to market your operation? Is there a more efficient way to advertise, promote, and refer

your products or services? Is there a way getting your customer only the information they want

and when they want it?

Lean marketing is a whole-systems approach that creates a culture of continuously improving

processes. It is a system focused on and driven by customers, both internal and external. Lean

manufacturing isn’t just an industry buzzword or quick-fix alternative. Increasing competition

demands a continuous focus on minimal costs, maximum customer options, fast delivery, and

high-quality products and services.

Today’s companies must be innovative while focusing on waste reduction, improved lead-time,

maximized flexibility, and upgraded quality. Remember the old adage about marketing - only

50 percent of your marketing works, you just did not know which 50 percent. Lean marketing

principles will allow you to implement proven strategies. The components of Lean Marketing

include Value Stream, Lean Metrics, Current State, Future State, and Kaizen.





Lean Six Sigma Marketing Perspective Overview

In today’s business world, both large and small companies are trying to find solutions to be more cost

effective, more efficient, and more innovating. One such solution is using a combination of Lean Six

Sigma Marketing . Let’s first look at what is the traditional approach to Lean Six Sigma, which would be

the following DMEDI process:

1. Define the problem or requirements.

2. Measure the process and gather data associated with the problem or requirements.

3. Explore the data to identify a cause and effect relationship between variables.

4. Develop a new process so that the problem is eliminated and the new results meet the new

requirements.

5. Implement the new process under a control plan.





Without understanding these steps in the process, people become confused with what planning

and standards are meant to be. Standards are not control mechanisms. Having a process does not

stunt creativity. A true standard is actually the direct opposite as it allows time to focus on the

creative aspect as it is part of the plan. Standards and plans are dynamic. They let you know

where the problem is quicker, where to begin a search for solutions, and prevent you from making

the same mistake twice. Continuous improvement cannot happen without a standard. Continuous

improvement in any part of the organization is the only true advantage that you have as a

company.

So you tell me, is your marketing giving you a sustainable

advantage over your competition?





Define – Marketing Segment and Buyer Persona

It is extremely important during the defining stages of the process to compose and describe the

market segment and buyer persona. These strategic steps are so often overlooked and under-

utilized by both small and large businesses. If these steps are done, and eventually improved upon

in the Lean Six Sigma fashion, significant marketing dollars can be saved and used properly to

grow the business. The one factor of Lean Marketing that should not be minimized during this

process is the use of existing and non-existing customers in defining these terms.

Knowing your current state is one of the most powerful tools but is the least understood.

Establishing a baseline or as it is so well put in Michael Kennedy’s book, Product Development for

the Lean Enterprise: "The root issues must be understood from two perspectives: what is causing

them and what stands between how things should be and what they are. Failure to understand will

result in widespread wishful thinking and superficial solutions.“

There is a true art to mapping and takes quite a bit of work to become proficient. However, utilizing

a current state mapping process of your marketing is important to precisely know where you are

and be able to define that to your customer.





http://www.amazon.com/Product-Development-Lean-Enterprise-Productive/dp/1892538180/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1238646158&sr=8-1





Define – Marketing Segment and Buyer Persona

The first step in building a Lean Six Sigma marketing process is Define. We typically start with a customer

by building his present marketing calendar with all his present materials and events. In many cases, after

completing just the marketing calendar, the customer realizes how little of his process is actually tied

together. Taking it a step further and discussing his target market and ideal customer, they realize the

waste in their present marketing process. Michael Collins, in the Manufacturer’s Guide to Business

Marketing , talks about the four marketing myths:

Myth #1: More sales = More profits.

Myth #2: Any customer is a good customer.

Myth #3: Build a better mousetrap and the world will come

Myth #4: Macro markets are more profitable than niche markets.

Michael goes on to say, "It is extremely difficult for a company to design new products, advertise, provide

appropriate customer services, or efficiently cover a sales territory if it can’t identify specific

customers. And uncover their needs.“




http://www.amazon.com/Manufacturers-Guide-Business-Marketing-Companies/dp/1556238371/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224562153&sr=1-3

http://www.amazon.com/Manufacturers-Guide-Business-Marketing-Companies/dp/1556238371/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1224562153&sr=1-3


Measure

(Lean Metrics)

Measure/Lean Metrics

The measurements you use determine your success. Having good measurements are the key. Six Sigma

is typically seen as a problem solving tool and therefore difficult to relate to marketing. This is where the

theory of Lean Marketing will benefit you the most. Measuring simply by results is just not enough in

today’s world. Using Lean Metrics measured by drivers are at the heart of making your marketing plan

effective.

Remember, the purpose of Lean Marketing is to reduce waste and provide to the customer’s needs.

Marketing should be effective, efficient, and innovating, while focusing on understanding the customer’s

needs. If we keep these thoughts in mind, we will only produce materials of value to a customer and

only give the material to the customer when he needs it versus a constant barrage of information.

What about using measurements determined by shorter sales cycles and based on starting when the

customer need has developed? What about measuring the amount of downloads on a whitepaper and the

resulting request for information? What about workshops centered around improving metrics of your

customer versus your sales volume?

Below are a few guidelines for good metrics:

• You must be able to establish a number to it.

• Are structured so the number is easily obtainable and updated.

• Do not measure everything.

• Have key measures that are monitored closely and often.

• Used to make you aware of a problem, nothing more.





Measure

(Lean Metrics)

Measure/Lean Metrics

A traditional form of measurement building is the checklist. However, checklists fail to provide much

information since it is either completed or not completed. Scorecards are much better measurement

devices. A true Six Sigma practice would include an integrated system of scorecards, which should

identify not only what to measure and how well parameters satisfy the set of criteria, but also when to

measure.

Many people believe just completing a marketing calendar is a marketing plan. To be more successful,

people need a system for consistent and repeated contacts with their prospects, including a summary of

one’s plan for continuous contact and education of prospects until they become clients. Simple sales

forecasts and marketing expense budgets should be included, as well as what may be considered more

important - key marketing metrics. Just simply looking at any one of these and not all does not provide

enough information to see a future trend, and this is what is so important. Going through such an exercise

will allow you to see trending and define results, so you will know what to concentrate more time on to

grow their business and what to concentrate less time on.





Explore

(Value Stream)

Explore

At first glance, there may seem a lack of synergy between these items but when one accepts the fact that

it is still in the strategic stages of the development of the marketing plan, the relationship starts coming

together. The data needed to identify a cause and effect relationship between two variables can be

simply put as Customer Needs and Your Solution. This being said, your product/service innovation must

directly relate to solving the customer’s needs. Spending time understanding this market opportunity

and applying it to the customer’s requirements is imperative. We must not forget to explore and evaluate

these opportunities against our competitor’s offerings.

Once this is completed, we would translate the product offering into a Future state Map that must be

customer centric and fit the organization’s processes and culture. In telling the story, we must commit to

something that not only differentiates ourselves from our competition, but is powerful and has the

ability to quickly communicate that message. We must also devise an offering at each stage of our sales

funnel, which specifically describes the offering in detail so the conversion process can be flawless.

Does each and every person who is part of your sales funnel know what the specific offerings are

throughout the entire process? Do they all know the next step?





Explore The Value Stream is defined solely by the customer. Your product must meet the customer’s needs at

both a specific time and delivered with the required message. The thousands of mundane and

sophisticated things that marketers do to deliver a message are generally of little interest to

customers. To view value from the eyes of the customer requires needless messages to be reduced.

Having identified your ideal customer is to understand all the activities required to explain the

benefits of a specific product and, as a result, optimize the whole marketing process from the view of

the customer.

Sound like a perfect world and impossible to do? Many marketers need to critically evaluate their

processes to determine their effectiveness in bringing maximum value to customers. Today’s

techniques are creating more efficient methods to deliver targeted messages in the particular manner

that customers wish to receive it. It must be remembered that it is our job as marketers to deliver the

message in a manner a customer wishes to receive. As an example, one customer wishes to receive

less frequent information in written form while another may prefer daily bits of information

delivered in a blog. As stated earlier, lean marketing is a system focused on and driven by

customers. Optimizing the value stream from their eyes and in an efficient process takes marketing

to a level not experienced before. Review your past sales to your ideal customers. Determine when

and what was of value to them. That is your value stream and your vision.

Explore

(Value Stream)






Develop

Lead Generation is how we change the

marketing process. We take the strategies we

have created and how we are going to judge

success [measurements]) and put them into a

plan through our lead generation efforts.

Web Strategy, Public Relations, Referral and

Advertising can be used as the categories

for all your efforts and the events, ads,

articles, and other actions will be the tactics.

To be successful, you must have a

measurement for everything and do not accept

less. If it doesn’t work, justify it with data and

stop doing it.

We also make use of DMAIC Marketing

funnel to create a system to ensure the

customers needs are met through every step of

the process.






Develop – Lead Generation, Lead Conversion,

When you then add the Lean Marketing component, Map Future State, we start seeing it all come

together. This is the step everyone typically wants to jump to immediately. It is much like project

management and thinking that it is just about scheduling. As a result, it is the most abused and where

most of the process waste occurs. We make plans and instead of having a sound basis, we use

instincts and tools that are not directed and often based on what I call "The Deal of the Week."

An example is the practice of placing advertising to reach a mass audience. The thought process is

that not only do I reach my core constituency but also others. Forget it! That simply is not going to

happen. Do the math! Take your core constituency and divide that by the ad dollars spent. Now, are

those ad dollars well spent? Can you do it more effectively through another media?

Using your current state map, ask yourself where would you like to be and realistically what time

frame can you accomplish this? Map the needed tactics to fulfill the metrics you developed. Take

one of the metrics you have mapped in your current state and create a future state map on what is

needed to be accomplished through both the Lead Generation process and the Lead Conversion

stage. Take it all the way to the finished product, if possible, and then go back and remove any waste

in the process. I challenge you to just try this on one metric and see how it would look ideally. Now

set your timeline on what is achievable. Use this exercise and you can start understanding

value stream mapping much better. Are your processes getting leaner?





Implement

(Kaizen)

Implement(Kaizen)

We will now add the Lean component of creating a Kaizen Plan, but first we need to know

what is Kaizen.

Kaizen is the Japanese word for continuous improvement. It is all about idea submission,

not acceptance. Kaizen has three steps. First, create a standard. Second, follow it. Third,

find a better way. Now that we’ve mapped our current and future states, we must start

implementing. We’ve created the plans, therefore creating a standard. Standards will make

life easier because they will create real and lasting value. But for any standard to work, it

must be clearly identified and people must be trained in this method. Once the standard is

in place, we will then continuously look for better ways to do the work because to be truly

of lean fashion, we must realize the work is never done, it is continuously improving.





Implement

(Kaizen)

Implement(Kaizen)

If you have a sound plan and have the discipline to follow it, implementing the process under a control

plan should not be difficult. Why? Control means maintaining the process, keeping operations stable,

predictable, and meeting the customer’s requirements. If it is not stable, you are unable to implement

it. The purpose of control is very simple. Once the improvements have been made, you should make

sure this new process does not revert back to old processes. Old habits die hard.

The most difficult part of this process occurred in earlier stages when establishing the objectives or

goals. I believe these goals should not be result driven. You do want to have the end in mind, but you

must have drivers along the way to see results in real-time. These drivers must be very customer

centric. Remember, people do perform on the way they are measured. A simple method for

implementation is to follow these four simple words: plan, do, check, act. You have the plan intact, do

it, check it against your drivers, and then act upon the knowledge that you now have. This is called the

PDCA cycle. Without adding this part into the implementation phase, you will only plan, act, plan, act,

plan, act. This will result in little improvement and a return to the old habits to get the job done. Have

the patience to do it right.




If you would like to learn more about

how to use Lean Sigma Marketing

Contact Joe Dager @

[email protected]

Phone: 260-438-0411

Website: Business901.com



