Business901 will be hosting the “Lean Marketing Assessment” to the attendees of a webinar hosted on Wednesday mornings at 11:00 AM . This program will allow participants to gain a clear snapshot of their present marketing conditions and practices. The participants can use the assessment to determine areas in need of improvement and develop a plan accordingly.

The Business901 Lean Marketing Assessment is used to determine a company’s current position relative to the recognized practices of a Lean Enterprise. It begins with an outline of the Key Performance indicators and the scoring system that is used in the evaluation of each. The participants complete the assessment during the process and active participation is encouraged to reinforce the evaluation of each indicator. The final element is a review and explanation of the scatter diagram that is created. This will allow participants to see the areas of greatest concerns and strengths.

Exploring the data to identify a cause and effect relationship between variables is an important part of the webinar and in building a Lean marketing process. Knowing your current state is one of the most powerful tools but is the least understood. “Establishing a baseline and understanding your root marketing issues will result in a true reality check,” says Dager. He also added: “Without wishful thinking and superficial solutions creep into your marketing process."

An assessment will make it easier to create standards and once the standard is in place, it will then allow companies to continuously look for better ways to do the work because to be truly of lean fashion, it must be realized the work is never done, it is continuously improving. Without understanding this step 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.

You must register 7 days in advance to allow proper time to prepare for webinar. You will be asked to review and gather certain material beforehand. The Monday preceding the webinar you will receive an Excel spreadsheet to complete that will highlight your strengths and weaknesses. The 90 minute webinar will used to interpret your findings and address issues that you may have discovered.

About Business901: Joe Dager is president of Business901, a progressive company providing practical, information-rich services and product offerings designed as implementable systems that work in the real, not enough time, not enough people world we operate in. Business901 tools simplify the marketing process, not complicate it. Joe is a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt and his experience includes manufacturing, retail, and professional services and has been through several start-ups and turnarounds.