I recently wrote about the importance of using case studies as part of your marketing strategy. Jack Stack came out with another winner that I’d like to share from his “Open Book” blog.
Jack’s case studies all revolve around open-book management and from my perspective, paint a convincing picture of how case studies and open-book management can help your business.
This one tells the story of what happened when his company took over a mining equipment manufacturer and instituted open-book management. “we had 36 months to turn it into a sustainable operation by pleasing an existing customer, increasing profitability and diversifying the customer base…” By practicing open-book management, they enlisted the help of all employees, not just the managers to help them meet their goals.
Jack writes: “I recently visited the plant to catch up with its general manager, Rob Shear, and to find out how things have been going. Rob told me the biggest change for him and the other 60 associates in Lexington had been that they were now getting the financial information they needed to understand what was going on – the good and the bad – and how they could do their jobs better. “Open book doesn’t always paint a rosy picture,” Rob said. “But everyone can now see how their suggestions and contributions can improve things, which is very motivating.” ”
And motivated they are. Workers in the plant were taking it upon themselves to find new, more efficient and less expensive ways of working, utilizing scraps instead of ordering new equipment, as well as taking on additional duties when they weren’t busy with their regular work. All of this has made a huge difference in their bottom line, so much so that they’re ahead of schedule and are now doubling their projections – resulting in first quarter bonuses for all associates.
As usual, Jack’s case studies all point to one significant idea:
“The success so far at Lexington has validated our belief that the strength of the company was its people. It was like a puzzle: they had the pieces, and we gave them the picture on the box top and let them figure out how to put it all together…Of course, Rob and his team know they still have a lot of work ahead of them – particularly when it comes to diversifying their products and customers. But even there, there’s good news: they recently received a purchase order from a new customer in the construction industry. “Before,” Rob told me. “People used to just come to work, collect a paycheck and assume it would always be there. Now, everyone here is really interested in the business and is working toward trying to diversify it because we know what’s at stake if we don’t.”” read his case studies here
I hope I’ve given you another compelling reason to use case studies in your marketing efforts. And for all you “closed-book” professionals, I hope I’ve helped you understand how your business might improve if you implemented open-book management at your firm.
Susan Martin, marketing coach and case-studies fan.
