Sales and Marketing - How I can get them on my side

[Edith]

Hello everyone!

Hope you are all doing well!

Just a question I want to throw out there....

I have a meeting next week with our VP of Marketing and Sales, and his entire crew. I am really lacking by-in from that group, and was wondering if anyone has any suggestions, as to how I can get them on side? I don't want to go through the boring elements of the 2000 standard, otherwise I will not only lose them, but put them to sleep!

HELP!!!!! Who has strategies?

Thanks again!!!

Edith

 

[energy]

Hi Edith

Please do a search for Marketing, then Sales. You will find threads where this was discussed in length. I'd do it for you but I'm up to my ears in jump starting our ISO effort.

 

[Russ Kochis]

Edith,
I had a similar problem, marketing and sales seem to think that there is no value in QMS.
Prior to the meeting, I did some research on customer complaints that were associated with the group, thing like wrong ship-to or bill-to addresses, inputting wrong part numbers on the PO verifications, and a summary of the impact of these problems.

I started the meeting with an emphasis of their importance as the “customer-organization interface”. I discussed their role in customer communication and their realm of influence on customer satisfaction. After all of this, I gave them the list of marketing/sales based customer complaint with the dollar amounts for resolution and asked them how these could have been prevented.

Since most of the problems were the result of their errors in contract review, the value of controlling their processes became more important. This meeting was held last week and I really don’t know if any progress has been made, but they have spent more time talking to me about thing that they can do to improve their performance.

Russ

 

[energy]

Sales, Yup. Marketing, maybe.

Traditionally, at least here, Sales makes the sale. The request for quote (RFQ0 is forwarded to others who do the actual "Contract Review". We call it Inside Sales.
Marketing, as I have been convinced here in the Cove, is responsible for the accuracy of their publications, hard copy or Internet materials, if they provide part numbers and descriptions as part of their promotions. Other than that, no involvement. Marketing strategies are nobody's business except your company's. JMHO

 

[Edith]

Sales and Marketing the Challenge...

Hi Guys, thanks for the quick reply.

Jim, "Buy in" from my perspective is the polically correct way of saying, getting their **** attention before they ruin the audits for the rest of us!

I have been hearing about some major issues that are bypassing the system (CAR's) and are just being "dealt" with as they happen. I recently did a "self-assessment", and I was appaled at some of the things that they were telling me straight to my face. Example: "We spend more time on quality, that we do on sales some of the senior management really need to get a grip on priorities, especially when they mandate sales to bring an additional 2 million dollars in business this year".

I was speechless, but kept my cool suprisingly enough. So, I tried another approach. The standard talks about the management representative being "promoting customer focus", well using that as my in, I suggested to our sales force that I go on calls with them, sit there as an observer, and try to understand the customer's needs.

Wow, did that go over well NOT. I finally had them agree into this meeting which I am having next Friday. I am walking into the lions den, let me tell you. I just need some good examples to present to them to at least not get them thinking what a waste of time this meeting is. I know I won't convince them in the meeting, but I need to give them a win somehow. I don't know, maybe I should tell them all to take a vacation during the audit!

Thanks Energy, appreciate the point in the right direction.

Russ, did you find them blaming everyone else but themselves? How did it work?

Edith:truce:

 

[Randy]

I promote ISO as being a marketing tool in and of itself. You need to try to present to your sales folks the advantages your company has with the system over competitors that do not have a system in place. "Our product, service, etc...is better because....."

You need to learn some marketing lingo and how to integrate it and ISO jargon.

Study marketing itself. Learn what it is about and what makes it tick. I'm not telling you to become an MBA like me, but everyone in our line of work could use some good solid understanding of finance and marketing to help round us out.

Your sales and marketing should be audited elements of your quality system also.

 

[Edith]

Very Interesting Concept

Hi Randy,

Very interesting concept! Can you refer to me to possibly a web page that will helping with this type of jargon and familiarization.

I would like to give that a try.



Jim, Going to try the:

The latter approach is worth considering: ask them how the system can be changed to help them (as opposed to telling them they must comply with something that they 'know' is unhelpful).

Who knows, I may even learn a few things!

I hate using the senior management persuasion. People tend to think that you can fight for yourself and you need the big bosses to help you out all the time.

Thanks,

Edith

 

[Russ Kochis]

Edith,

You guessed it, the problems were "beyond their control". But that is what I expected. I just treated the problems as things that got away from us and tried not to assign blame (blame always seem to make them more defensive). Hopefully, they will respond. And I did get some real good backing from the president.

Good luck.
Russ

 

[JRKH]

Need anothe 2 cents?

Edith,

I second Jim Wade on the carrot approach.

Couple of questions:

Do you have problems with customer complaints traceable to marketing/contract review/order entry?
How about internal problems?
Do people from the shop floor have to get clarifiaction during production or production planning?

If your experience is like others you'll find a lot of money lost because someones "pencil slipped". These are things easily fixed in their area (make an updated sales order) but can be very expensive on the shop floor in materials, labor and throughput.

If you don't have problems with the area then it is all the more reason to get in there and help them simplify the process of complying. After all the output is what is expected.

James

 

[Edith]

Carrot approach

That is too funny!! "The carrot approach" Maybe I should begin my presentation that way!

It's funny, I am already getting emails from the sales guy's saying "Do I really need to be there?"

We do get customer complaints, but the problem is they are going to sales who is not using the CAR system to lodge the complaint, but I will use examples like that to get their attention.

Thanks for your help once again!
Edith