08 Jan Are You Marketing Your Problems?
LEAN RAPID IMPROVEMENT OR MARKET YOUR WAY TO PROFITABILITY?
Many business owners find themselves struggling to grow their enterprise and opt for the much sexier course of marketing their way out of problems. After all, they reason that an increase in revenue will offset industry constraints or changes in consumer preferences. The LEAN road is a pathway much less travelled although enlightened owners are increasingly choosing this avenue to make substantial and lightening quick improvements. Why put the cart ahead of the horse and simply market your problems?
One particular business (pharmacy) owner is located in a downtown metropolitan location with significant landlord imposed restrictions on marketing along with high rent costs. The community is comprised of office buildings and hotels which are exceptionally transient yet delivery to a low income surrounding community contributes a substantial proportion of his daily prescription business. This is his first and most lucrative value stream. The Pharmacy Manager was essentially tied full-time to the job of being a Pharmacist and working on “other issues” a>er hours. This created a lifestyle for both owner and manager that was exhausting and minimally rewarding. They tried coaching for many years with varying degrees of success but no relief to their situation.
Onsite LEAN based workflow improvements re-engaged their team and allowed the manager to be freed up 40-50% of the day to work on the business and the owner to utilize 20% of his time to detail to other doctors and facilities in the community. Operations focused attention first to create stability and accountability while improving the performance level of all employees. “Eagles” need not apply as they o>en look good to the detriment of full team engagement.
The LEAN approach is based upon the pre-eminent global management system known as the Toyota Production System (TPS) that drove the rebuilding of Japan post World War 2, and, more recently, tsunami devastated mainland. This process is not a program which typically has a beginning and an end, but rather a process that is constantly evolving and improving based on customer/patient care and need. It is not a process taught from a manual or guide but rather hands-on, fully immersed mentoring from experienced practitioners. They are not coaches. They are “doers” who lead by example while providing the roadmap to success. Many industries globally are effectively using the LEAN principles as a means to quickly but effectively become responsive to customer/patient needs and wants with the byproduct of lower costs, shorter lead time to deliver products/services and improved quality at the source. We call that “creating value at the pull of the customer”, while minimizing nonessential activities that drive waste which is typically referred to as “hard work”. Only then…will the greatest rewards and profits come from the dollars and resources expended on marketing.
Aren’t you tired of waiting for that next “BIG” thing to happen? Take back control of your business and, more importantly, your life and make change for the better happen quickly and decisively.
– Rafi Benamoz, CEO, Benamoz Business Entrepreneur Solutionz, rafi@benamoz.com
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