In the world of sales management, it is typical for a manager to go on a “ride-along” with a sales force member to observe and later, critique. These ride-alongs tend to be negatively focused, which can actually inhibit a manager from finding places where the process of the sales call can be improved.
Meet the Gemba walk. Gemba is a Japanese word meaning “place of action.” When applied to sales, it means taking note of the different areas of action, like the car, technology, and meeting place and observing the actions that drive the desired results (i.e. call outcomes).
A Gemba walk has four requirements:
1. Know your purpose
2. Know your Gemba
3. Observe the framework
4. Validate
Still unsure how a Gemba walk differs from a traditional “ride-along?” Use this chart as a reference:
Check out more Gemba thoughts here: http://smartsellingtools.com/gemba-walk-along/#sthash.aH4Tc9HQ.dpuf
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Chloe, I have never heard of a Gemba walk before. Very interesting. I do feel that managers today can be much too focused on just realizing the negatives in a situation. Their position should be require them to assist employees to be more successful in their line of work. I like how the Gemba walk focuses on finding a way to be helpful and have respect when asking questions rather than just telling someone how to do their job.
I really enjoyed learning about the Gemba Walk. This reminds me a lot of the show Undercover Boss. Instead of trying to fix things that you don’t understand, the boss should attempt to understand why the salesperson is doing what they are doing. The employee may know that a certain client wants to be pitched to in a certain way and the boss should understand this before trying to fix what the employee is doing. This is a pretty cool technique.
This is neat! It seems like each alternative is the positive twist which is what a salesperson needs to be because each customer is looking to make their situation better and they want their salesperson to be on the same track with them.