Lean Sales: How a Sales Manager Applied Lean Tools to Sales Processes and Exceeded His Goals

Over the last decade lean methods and tools have helped manufacturing organizations improve their productivity levels significantly by focusing on data, systematic elimination of waste and improvement of flow. Today many non-manufacturing organizations are applying the powerful process improvement methods and tools employed with Lean techniques. Organizations in healthcare, education, government, hospitality, and other services are applying the improvement tools with growing levels of success. Sales people around the world have watched their organizations improve their core value added processes, and yet they have not fully engaged or embraced the use of Lean tools in their sales processes. This book illustrates lean methods and tools applications applied to a full range of sales organizations and processes. By covering these tools in various sales environments in a story book format, sales team leaders can begin to understand how these methods and tools can be applied in their organizations to drive to sales identify and reduce waste, improve performance, and speed delivery.

Dr. Jaideep Motwani is Chair and Professor of Management at the Seidman College of Business, Grand Valley State University since 2000. He also served as the E. Seidman Endowed Chair of Management from 2000 to 2002. He received his PhD in operations management from University of North Texas, and has co-authored more than 15 books and more than 175 articles on Lean, quality management, customer service, and much more. He has taught and conducted research seminars in major universities in Canada, China, Costa Rica, Hong Kong, India, France, Germany, Thailand, and the United Kingdom.

Rob Ptacek is a partner in the Global Lean Institute and President and CEO of Competitive Edge Training and Consulting, a firm specializing in leader and organizational development, and Lean Enterprise transformations. Mr. Ptacek holds a BS in metallurgical engineering from Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan, and a Masters of Management from Aquinas College, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Mr. Ptacek is an adjunct instructor of management principles, manufacturing strategy, and total quality management, and has instructed at Grand Valley State University, Aquinas College, Davenport University, and currently instructs in the Lean Champion Certification program at Grand Rapids Community College.