11 Additional Sales Days for Field Sales – Lean Sales in Action

Background:
A leading pharmaceutical company implemented the Lean Sales methodology to enhance their field sales operations. While their sales results were satisfactory, both management and the sales team recognized an opportunity to boost productivity and overall performance.

Challenge:
Field sales representatives were spending excessive time on non-sales-related tasks. These activities, such as managing product presentations, attending events, and handling invoicing, had accumulated over time, reducing their focus on core sales activities.

Approach and Methodology:
To address this, the company adopted a structured Lean Sales approach to optimize their sales processes:

1. Process Mapping
   The entire sales process was mapped out to identify all activities. It became clear that many tasks were not contributing to sales success, revealing inefficiencies and distractions.
2. Activity Analysis
   Each step in the process was analyzed to determine its value to the sales outcome. The goal was to streamline the sales workflow by:
   • Eliminating non-essential activities that did not contribute to sales.
   • Delegating tasks that could be handled by support roles, freeing salespeople to focus on selling.
   • Improving necessary tasks through better practices and efficiency gains.
   • Automating repetitive tasks using technology to save time.
3. Workshop Implementation
   During a one-day workshop, the team identified opportunities to increase time spent on value-adding activities by 110%. This laid the foundation for a more focused, efficient sales process.

Outcome:
The results of implementing Lean Sales were transformative:

• Increased Selling Time: Each field sales representative gained 11 additional days per month for customer-facing, sales-driven activities, such as meeting clients, understanding their needs, and closing deals.
• Enhanced Sales Potential: The organization saw a 110% increase in available selling time, effectively doubling its capacity for driving new business.
• Support Structure Adjustment: To support this shift, the company hired two additional staff members to take over administrative tasks previously handled by the sales team.

Conclusion:
This case study illustrates how applying Lean Sales principles, like eliminating waste and focusing on value-adding activities, can dramatically improve sales productivity. By streamlining processes and leveraging support staff and automation, the company unlocked significant time savings, leading to increased sales potential and more sustainable performance.