3.2a.(2) Customer Support Archives

So, the blue yarn. What does it mean?

The best way to understand the blue yarn is to follow it. That’s exactly what Dr. Gary Kaplan did. In 1998, he was CEO of Virginia Mason Medical Center, which was losing money. As he searched for a better system to manage the hospital, he ‘wound up’ at a Toyota factory in Japan where he spoke to a sensei familiar with the Toyota Production System.

What he found was something very simple that, at the time, had been around for nearly 100 years. Sakichi Toyoda developed a self-correcting loom that could stop when thread was broken or defective. They ultimately automated the process and made it mistake-proof. This process is called Jidoka, or autonomation, and means automation with human intelligence.

Why Jidoka?

Jidoka is important because it stops a process immediately when a problem first occurs. Not only does it fix the condition, but it ultimately eliminates the root cause of the problem or defect. In an automated Jidoka process, equipment monitors its output (products) independently from operators, thereby enabling operators to operate multiple pieces of equipment and improve productivity.

Why the blue yarn?

Back to the hospital. The sensei used the blue yarn to map the path a patient would follow in a visit through cancer treatment. What they found was a mess. Cancer patients were already low on time and energy, but this ‘process’ had them winding all over the building in a seemingly needless pattern: a waste of time and energy.

When they ‘re-mapped’ the process, the savings from insurance expense alone were 37% and they were able to increase the number of patients without additional staff. Ultimately, they reduced patient receive treatment time by 50%. Dozens of hospitals have since adopted the Virginia Mason Production System. Based on a recent study of US hospitals, for two years Virginia Mason has placed in the top one percent in safety and efficiency.

Clearly, the flow of the process is one piece of the puzzle. Of equal importance is the decision to enable employees to: monitor a process, identify defects, stop the process, fix the problem, identify the root cause, and, ultimately, help eliminate the root cause of defects.

Imagine following a blue yarn through every step of one of your processes, including mistakes, corrections, delays, handoffs, miscommunications, etc. Recurring mistakes building on other recurring mistakes will create a big mess. Now imagine every person in that process having the ability to address those gaps and improve the process. Addressing the root cause will build a mistake-free and efficient process that is much cleaner and direct.

There is a method to achieve this. It starts with:

Clarity around your dream or whatever it is you want from your business (i.e., ultimate business outcome and whatever ‘freedom’ means to you)
Your mindset to achieve your dream
Your decision to use a methodology and management system to bring your dream to life.

Ready to achieve your dream?

Email me so that we can learn more about your business: chrisscherer@ceofocusmi.com
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Listen to the original story

Here: 99% Invisible – The Blue Yarn

Treat Prospective Clients Like a Future Spouse or Friend

Getting clients is (not) picking up girls…

After spending some time discovering, understanding, and applying solid principles of any good methodology, you notice they are actually quite familiar and also very simple, at the same time. As with anything of value that lasts, they require a FOUNDATION and some ONGOING attention.

If you are looking for clients and struggle to convert and retain them, remember what you’ve learned from seeking a life partner or friend, for that matter. Sure, it’s easy to meet people, strike up a conversation, have some fun, and move on. Any relationship that lasts requires time. You know something about each other. You share something that differentiates you from everyone else. You have some common interests. You keep in touch. At some point, they know, like, and trust you, and the relationship has a reason to continue over time. This means you can do more stuff together that you probably wouldn’t do on the first, second, third, or 10th interaction.

You’re more likely to find a lasting relationship if you know what they’re like. If you live in The City and don’t like country things, it probably doesn’t make sense to find that special person on a farm. Similarly, you wouldn’t seek someone in a retirement home if you want to start a family. You have a PROFILE of the person with whom you want to connect. This same process applies to finding a prospective client. You need to define the demographic, the psychographic, the title/position, the industry, the location, the revenue, the maturity. It’s no different than finding the right person. You’ll know when you come across it.

At some point, you need to POSITION yourself to that prospect. It might work to walk up to them and just ask them if they want to do something, but that’s less likely to last. Wouldn’t it make more sense to somehow differentiate yourself from everybody else? What makes you special? Better yet, how do they know you’re special? Now, some people are fortunate and have special differentiators. A-listers, billionaires, models, Nobel prize winners, and professional athletes come to mind. Good luck with that. If you plan on having a lifetime relationship, you’ll probably spend considerable time demonstrating how you’re different and why you deserve their attention. You build some level of authority and are a leader to them…somehow.

Unfortunately, not every ‘attempt’ (even with time) pans out. You have to play the numbers and PROSPECT. This isn’t Andy Griffith, where you can just pick up girls and see how much they weigh. You might have to properly introduce yourself. Maybe meet a couple times. Learn something about each other. Have coffee. Go somewhere they like to go. Meet the parents. Make sense? You need to understand where they hang out and you might even need to meet more than one such person.

Let’s pretend for a moment we’re talking about friends here. We all have best friends, but things happen in life where even best friends move. It’s a good idea to have some other friends. This requires time and attention to CONNECT and BUILD the DATABASE of prospects. All of this foundation is regular and ongoing. In a business, it doesn’t stop until you exit.

Now that you have your foundation, you have to keep the relationship. You want the prospect to know, like, and trust you, so that they will pick up the phone when you call them. MESSAGING never stops in a relationship. You’ll always have communication to reinforce that trusted connection.

While it may not be as simple as ‘picking up girls’, it is as easy as:

Profiling, Positioning, Prospecting, Connecting, Messaging