Challenge & Selection

I work in sales for a company that manufactures a product used in picture framing and for display cases.  This quality product has many desired properties that look much better and last far longer than  competitive products. However, due to manufacturing processes it’s more difficult to work with when  making display cases. Sales are strong in picture framing applications but there is plenty of room for  growth in case fabrication. Few case fabricators are willing to invest the extra attention required and  many do not offer it as an option to their customers. Customers lose out on quality product and we, as a  company, lose sales. The challenges I face involve increasing sales of this product among fabricators and  I used mind mapping as a tool to assess viable strategies.

Application

I explored What Is and looked at patterns in interactions with fabricators, their customers, and other  stake holders and influencers, such as designers and art consultants. Ideally I would work with the rest  of my sales team to gather the data, but due to time constraints for this assignment I took this on as an  exercise to share with the rest of my team (and build upon!) at a later date.

One tool I used was journey mapping. Through journey mapping recent customer experiences, I found  that they faced multiple hurdles before they got the desired display cases made with our product.  Friction is due to a variety of factors, including conflicting information on the internet and resistance by  case fabricators unwilling to work with our product to refer potential customers elsewhere.

Looking at the value chain was another tool I used in this exercise. Distribution is an additional factor  which is influencing flow (or lack thereof). Many reputable fabricators buy directly from manufacturers  and have little or no interest in purchasing from one of our authorized distributors. Offering select  fabricators to buy directly from us, and therefore increasing their margins, could potentially grow our  business.

Insights and Approach

While mind mapping is far more successful as a group effort, this exercise helped me lay down a  foundation on which I can invite the rest of my team to participate and build on. Simultaneously, I can  take steps to gather more data, such as reaching out to fabricators that align with our company’s values  and who pride in making quality products and offering excellent customer service. I have also been  actively connecting with fabricators who, inadvertently or not, have provided misleading information to  their customers. Although sometimes difficult conversations, I was pleasantly surprised to see positive  changes and results. This included deleting erroneous information from websites and partnering with  other vendors experienced with our products.

This is just the beginning of an undoubtedly significant learning experience. I will be sure to include the  others on my team from the inception on future mind mapping projects, as this tool is far more affective  when multiple points of view are involved.


Challenge & Selection I work in sales for a company that manufactures a product used in picture framing and for display cases . This quality product has many desired properties that look much better and last far longer than competitive products . However , due to manufacturing processes it ’s more difficult to work with when making display cases . Sales are strong in picture framing applications but there is plenty of room for growth in case fabrication . Few case fabricators are willing to invest the extra attention required and many do not offer it as an option to their customers . Customers lose out on quality product and we , as a company , lose sales . The challenges I face involve increasing sales of this product among fabricators and I used mind mapping as a tool to assess viable strategies . Application I explored What Is and looked at patterns in interactions with fabricators , their customers , and other stake holders and influencers , such as designers and art consultants . Ideally I would work with the rest of my sales team to gather the data , but due to time constraints for this assignment I took this on as an exercise to share with the rest of my team ( and build upon ! ) at a later date . One tool I used was journey mapping . Through journey mapping recent customer experiences , I found that they faced multiple hurdles before they got the desired display cases made with our product . Friction is due to a variety of factors , including conflicting information on the internet and resistance by case fabricators unwilling to work with our product to refer potential customers elsewhere . Looking at the value chain was another tool I used in this exercise . Distribution is an additional factor which is influencing flow ( or lack thereof ) . Many reputable fabricators buy directly from manufacturers and have little or no interest in purchasing from one of our authorized distributors . Offering select fabricators to buy directly from us , and therefore increasing their margins , could potentially grow our business . Insights and Approach While mind mapping is far more successful as a group effort , this exercise helped me lay down a foundation on which I can invite the rest of my team to participate and build on . Simultaneously , I can take steps to gather more data , such as reaching out to fabricators that align with our company ’s values and who pride in making quality products and offering excellent customer service . I have also been actively connecting with fabricators who , inadvertently or not , have provided misleading information to their customers . Although sometimes difficult conversations , I was pleasantly surprised to see positive changes and results . This included deleting erroneous information from websites and partnering with other vendors experienced with our products . This is just the beginning of an undoubtedly significant learning experience . I will be sure to include the others on my team from the inception on future mind mapping projects , as this tool is far more affective when multiple points of view are involved .