A Systematic Literature Review on the Use of Lean Methodologies in Enterprise Sales Processes

The number of people involved in Sales and Sales support functions is significant. However, the profession experiences high levels of turnover, estimated at twice that of the labour force average. Staff turnover includes both voluntary and involuntary attrition. Problemistic Search Theory suggests that businesses look to re-organize their sales forces, rather than conduct root cause analysis, sales process improvement, or to develop its value proposition in the market. The aim of the study was to ascertain if Lean culture could benefit businesses and Sales teams by reducing the focus on individual rankings, encouraging a co-operative approach to sales, and focusing on the process. A systematic literature review was conducted related to the literature on Lean in Sales processes. The findings were that there is a scarcity of literature related to themes based on Lean principles in Sales. Where Lean was utilised value stream mapping, the relationship between inventory levels and sales, voice of customer, value propositions and Sales performance metrics were deployed. The study also found that the Lean Startup approach aligned with the Lean principal themes identified in the systematic literature review. This study is one of the first studies to look at Lean and its deployment and relevance with Sales processes.