Process…

In reading Working Backwards © we get a glimpse behind the scenes of how things are done at Amazon.  No surprise – there’s a big emphasis on process.  Process in the business world is scalable as Amazon’s huge success attests to. 

I’m an advocate for the power of process.  I’ve often coached my sales process improvement clients that process is powerful and long-lasting.  Salespeople, on the other hand, (and even though I am a career salesman) are temporary.  In the B2B sales world, 36 months is the benchmark I use for “time in role” purposes. 

Including the time to hire, train, and ramp-up a salesperson, within 36 months the odds are high that the sales rep will “move”.  Move up (e.g. promoted); move over (e.g. transfer to a different role, location, business unit, etc.); or move on (e.g. leave, voluntarily or otherwise), that’s what I mean when I say salespeople are temporary. 

IMHO, success in the B2B sales field comes down to the power of your processes.  If you believe as I do that our processes for hiring; training; ramping-up; promoting; transferring; terminating, will all repeat themselves with some degree of regularity, the only question then is how well we’re prepared for them.  Because process is not stagnant, we must also address our processes for continuous process-improvement. 

Process extends beyond sales and even beyond the business world.  Here’s one example of process attributed to that fictional character we are all familiar with, true? 

In the story Silver Blaze, Sherlock Holmes is called in to investigate the mysterious disappearance of the Wessex Cup favorite just a few days before the big race.  Evidently someone has crept into the stables and abducted the horse.  But who?  And how did he elude the dog guarding the stables? 

Inspector Gregory: “Is there any other point to which you would wish to draw my attention?” 

Sherlock Holmes: “To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.” 

Inspector Gregory: “The dog did nothing in the night-time.” 

Sherlock Holmes: “That was the curious incident." 

Unknown Sage

Sherlock Holmes’ fame was grounded on the way he perfected his process of deductive reasoning coupled with incredible attention to detail.  Details we often missed at the beginning of a case that he revealed at the “surprise” ending.  

Of course, process in and of itself is not a panacea: 

The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency.  The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency. 

Bill Gates 

I’m detecting a pattern here.  Behemoths of modern industry (e.g. Microsoft, Amazon, and others) leverage the power of process to reap vast treasures.  We may want to “hero worship” their leaders, but as I’ve suggested and they proved as they scaled up beyond the ability of a single person’s operational control - people are temporary; process is powerful. 

GAP 

When life gets tough we could get a helmet… or… we could leverage the peace and share the power of a positive perspective.