Strategic Insights
27
WHAT’S THE “MAIN THING” FOR 2013?
“The main thing
is to keep the main thing the main thing.”
Stephen Covey
“Ask the right
questions if you are going to find the right answers.” (many)
“Be patient
toward all that is unsolved….live the questions..live..into the answers.”
Rilke
GET OUT OF
COMMODITY HELL?
Are you tired
of customers “checking prices”?
How then
to achieve a service-value edge in the customer’s mind?
A good question,
but it isn’t the “main thing”.
Each
customer niche has a different set of subtle needs for which they will trade more
volume and better selling profits. Selling “good service” to all doesn’t win.
How do you better
execute at: niching customers; defining service-value
metrics for each niche; then achieving and selling that service-value?
The “why,
what and “how” of service-excellence per niche are good questions, but what
about “the who”? Why will your employees buy into and
make any important change happen? Is creating a high-performance culture
the main thing? It’s vital, and partially “main”.
REWEAVING THE HIGH-PERFORMANCE
CULTURE? (YT playlist 8: clips 1-29)
Corporate
cultures are like spider webs in several ways. Everything is connected to
everything. Any disturbance ripples through the entire web. And, webs must be
woven (and rewoven) from the inside out, one step at a time along framework
strands. Unhealthy work cultures, like spider webs, ensnare victims and
drain their can-do energy instead of growing it.
What are
framework strands for an inspirational culture? In my hexagon model (YT 5:
1-86), I use these titles:
1.
Stuff we believe in
2.
Balanced metrics (for what each person does)
3.
Financial #s (interesting symptoms)
4.
WIIM/We (what’s in it for Me & We)
5.
Mastery (all becoming “10”’s)
6.
Partners (no more boss + subordinates in the
dark)
Now,
what is an attention-getting catalyst(s) to start reweaving the culture, one
step at a time?
START WITH
NET-PROFIT, POWER-LAW FACTS
“5% of
our active items generated 500% of our operating profit last year” will get
everyone’s attention. Start by reviewing summary results from net-profit
ranking reports for: customers, items and suppliers (SI #11). Use these reports to identify your best customer
niche(s) and the 15 accounts within each niche that generate huge: profits,
losses and future profits. These key customers will, in turn, tell you - if you
ask them and listen carefully - what next-level, “service excellence” metrics
are.
Now take
a first, weaving step between each framework strand.
·
For #1- We believe: engaged employees =>
best service => bigger share of and retention of customers => more
profits to share (?). One target niche at a time!
·
For #2- Balanced Metrics. Are the service-equation
metrics posted for all employees to see how their service-value-process team is
improving on them?
·
For #3-Financial #’s. Only symptoms that
improve from all other strand action.
·
For #4-WIIMe/We. Tell, repetitively, the line-of-sight-story
between individual metrics and improving profits that then fund gainsharing bonuses and growth capital for all.
·
For #5- Mastery. How is everyone formally learning
their way to being a “10” at what they are doing up and down the
service-value-processes they are part of?
·
For #6- Partners. Service value economics can’t
improve for all stakeholders if everyone isn’t working together with a common
incentive.
·
Back to #1. What’s the next - “Thing We
Believe In” - to guide another round of hexagon filling for ever-better engagement
and alignment?
NEED MORE EDUCATIONAL
SUPPORT?
If my
web site’s resources aren’t enough to ignite your Service Champions, then I’ll
be teaching this process story at the University of Industrial Distribution,
all-day, on March 12, 2013 in Indianapolis. Sign them up for the entire
program; it’s a fantastic offering.
You may want
to hear Executives from progressive distributors sharing their net-profit-analytics
breakthrough success stories at the 9th Advanced Profit Improvement
Conference on March 19-20 in Scottsdale, AZ. (Hold the date. Inquire about an
invitation.)
And/Or,
for immediate insights into the “how, why and what to do” with net-profit
ranking reports and tools for your core-niche, renewal journey: request an
on-line demo of Waypoint Analytics’ at www.waypointanalytics.com.
THE ULTIMATE
“MAIN THING”; UPDATING UNSPOKEN, SUCCESS ASSUMPTIONS!
Underlying
the questions on – customer niching, service value metrics and empowering
employees to execute – is the-main-thing question about your
unspoken success assumptions. Are they up to date with your channel’s life-cycle
realities? (YT 2: 1-22). How do you switch from promoting products to
too many types of customers TO ALSO selling service-value-chain, math solutions
to partner the best customers in the best respective niches for each of your
branches? Live into it!
D. Bruce
Merrifield, Jr.
December
2012