In his blog "A view from the Q", Paul Borawski, ASQ CEO asks us a question:
How I can convince senior management that Quality is important and an essential strategy for the survival of organizations?Paul remarks that is a question that's been in business for over 70 years. I remember Deming's life and that had a long time to be recognized in his own country, and that USA companies take her ideas seriously. But Deming until the end of his days always had a clear mission in life: promote Quality
Let´s define some strategies from my own experience, which could be useful for generating your own, because what works with a client does not necessarily result in another environment.
1. To sell quality, you must be a fully convinced that this is necessary in all facets of human life, starting with the small things of everyday life, in business and expanded Quality that lead us to seek a better society. If you want to succeed in this sale “you must first love Quality" and have a permanent enthusiasm facing obstacles in the process as necessary, but never stop trying to convince customers. That make feel you are not selling but helping others to improve their performance. This inner passion has to be communicating in all the places where we can talk that message.
2. You must study permanently Quality both in philosophy and in methodology and never feel that enough is known. That leads to beginner's mind to develop "deep knowledge" of which E. Deming was spoken.
3. You must speak the language of management; this is to understand the impact that Quality has in results, either by increasing organizational effectiveness (support in achieving the objectives) or efficiency (better use of resources). This means talking with data and evidence of actual results that can be obtained.
4. You must have a strategy to sell Quality to appropriate levels, and see that "sale" as a process with multiple clients. First you must sell to senior management, then middle management, then at each level of the company. That sale should be done of the philosophy and methodology and the lifelong learning should be done with. The sale to senior management is difficult, then permanent reinforcement is needed, since all processes are eroded.
5. It is important to get to the heart of the company and therefore working with core values is critical. After the conviction with "data", you must achieve to get to "love" Quality. This is the only way to sustain the process since it makes everybody always seek improvement as a way of life.
6. It should motivate managers to convince to other managers of the need for Quality, this is the best way to sell. To lead by example and talk about Quality they begin to have a conviction from the inside out.
7. We must learn to convince, persuade and always have creative actions putting emotions beside us.
Quality is very important in the lives of individuals and businesses, but as they do not feel the urge to adopt, they are slow to do it ... the question is How I create a sense of urgency about Quality?
An important point of reflection is that when we want to sell Quality focusing only on the economic side, in the long run be counterproductive, since there will be no compromise based on the passion for it, and eventually may be that the Quality decreases.The selling of Quality is an ongoing process and will be seen throughout our lives ... success will come when its time and depending on our continuing desire to achieve the results.
Recall that a symptom of insanity is doing the same thing and expect things to change, so if the way we've been "selling" Quality has not worked is time to seek best practices and innovate in this process.
One final thought, reading the Code of Ethics of the ASQ, I think that should be the starting point and end of the sale of any Quality process:
• Being honest and impartial in serving the public, their employers, customers, and clients.
• Striving to increase the competence and prestige of the quality profession, and
• Using their knowledge and skill for the enhancement of human welfare.
Cesar Diaz
