Archive for October, 2009
Lean Six Sigma Marketing Coach certified by Duct Tape Marketing
Posted by: | CommentsI was one of a group of eleven Duct Tape Marketing™ Coaches to be certified recently in the Duct Tape Marketing program. This award was presented at the annual gathering in Boulder, Co. this October.
John Jantsch, author of Duct Tape Marketing and founder of the Duct Tape Marketing organization developed this initiative and established levels of Duct Tape Marketing Coaching accreditation in an effort to place heavy emphasis on the success factors of the Duct Tape Marketing system and reward those who establish pre-defined levels of success using the Duct Tape Marketing approach, tools and point of view. To obtain this advanced level, there were twelve additional requirements above and beyond the initial level. At this time, it is the highest achievable level within the organization.
It is a honor to be recognized with such an outstanding group and would like to thank John Jantsch, the Duct Tape Marketing organization and recognize the other ten coaches that achieved this level; Jeff Bishop, Troy Braithwaite, Scott Campbell, Joe Costantino, Bill Doerr, Fiona Friesen, Adrianne Machina, Cidnee Stephen, Michael Thompson, Liz Walker. I firmly believe in the Duct Tape Marketing Process and to use an old cliché, I not only talk the talk but walk the walk. As you may know there are few people that believe in a marketing system as much as I do.
The Duct Tape Marketing system allows business owners to create and build their very own marketing system complimented by a coaching system that has proven effective with small businesses for over 20 years. The system is perfect for those who already own a business, but want to make it soar. It’s also designed for those who want to start a business but don’t know how to get it off the ground.” This system will help entrepreneurs build the perfect business establishing a proven marketing system to their growing company. “Why reinvent the wheel? Take a proven process, a package of tools, a trained coach and run with it.
Related Post: I believe in a Marketing System
Have you taken the path of your customer?
Posted by: | CommentsOne 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 we? How much non-effective marketing could you save by doing this? How much effecting marketing could you implement?
P.S. Use a larger sample size.
Related Posts:
Is your Value Stream Mapping backwards?
Another word for Marketing – How about Voice of the Customer?
Have you listed all your delivery processes? What did you learn?
Posted by: | CommentsDeveloping a Marketing hour glass for a client, I was using my Systems2win Family Matrix Chart(it’s a plug). The chart is not that unique in that it has you list your product services down one side and then across the top it has you list your Delivery processes. The uniqueness of the template is a few other tricks it has as part of the package, but I wanted to address your delivery processes. BTW, this template is a great way to start your journey in creating a Value Stream Mapping process. 
What this template forced me to do with this customer is to identify first his product groups or services and then his marketing delivery process. Listing all the delivery processes across the top identifies the foundation in the Lean Marketing house, as I placed an “X” in the box. It is good to identify your marketing processes. it helps you with budgeting, but it really is the first step in moving from just a simple marketing calendar to a marketing system.
Building this process allows you to discover:
1. Each Medium you are using for your marketing.
2. The overlap of the marketing message of your different products.
3. The uniqueness of several of your processes.
4. What items happen with the most frequency, the least.
5. The time it takes for the process.
6. Where a constraint may be on a resource!
However, after really reviewing the document for a while it was blatantly obvious, which of these of processes were important and were not to the customer. HOW MUCH TIME WERE WE SPENDING ON THE WERE NOTS?
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