Cisco took a stand with this company where they solved the problem first before providing a solution. Of course, this could have been risky business if they would not have won the business. If so, I doubt they would have made the video.
This video is a great depiction of future marketing. Sales and marketing is in the process of shifting from a solution-centric culture to a problem-centric culture. Marketing simply needs to become part of the problem solving process of their customers. What if your marketing processes seek to identify problems versus solution? What if you were seen as a diagnostic expert rather than a solution provider? What if you guaranteed to find the problem and collaborate on the solution? Would you build a more trusting and stronger relationship?
What I really liked about this video is that it is practically a Video A3. It follows the basic nine-step process for constructing a A3:
Title/Theme: What Changes or Improvement Are You Talking About?
- Select the problem area
- Clarify the problem
- Break down the problem
- Set the target
- Investigate/analyze cause(s) then determine root cause
- Determine countermeasures and agree on plan
- Manage implementation plan
- Check and evaluate results and process
- Standardize and share, then decide next problem
I have always been told if you are not visual you are not lean! Video A3 may be an upcoming trend.
