If you said nothing, then perhaps you’re not doing either one right!
Remember the last time you finally got a vacation, and you couldn’t wait to go there. If you’re anything like me, no matter how much you have on your mind, no matter how busy you are at your work, the vacation is always in the forefront, somewhere.
My dream vacation always revolves around golf. I can’t wait to play the new courses. And I can’t wait to tame the last one that completely ate me up, and spit me out. I know I can beat it this time.
Obviously, your dream vacation doesn’t have to involve golf. Maybe you love to see different cities, different countries. Maybe you love to ski, sail, or go on cruises. Perhaps your greatest thrill is bungee jumping, sky diving, lying on a beach, or a trip with your family.
Whatever you like to do, you know how exciting it is to think about it.
PLANNING YOUR TRIP
Why, I’ll bet you even plan the trip. Where you will go, when you will get there, all of the fun things you will do. You probably even plan it down to the last detail, so you don’t forget anything.
As I plan my golf vacations, I believe I can smell the grass, the clean air, taste the sand as the wind blows it back into my face when I blast out of a bunker. I smile as the ball lands close enough to the hole for a gimme, and I win the hole.
And of course, if you are going with friends, or your family, you include them in the planning too. That way, everyone buys into the ideas, and there are no big surprises – hopefully. At least there will be no surprises for things you have planned and have under your control.
But sometimes the unexpected happens. If you’re golfing in Florida, you could end up with torrential rain for three days, and you can’t golf. If you’re sailing in the Gulf of Mexico, you see that a hurricane is moving in one day after you arrive.
Obviously these aren’t things you can control. So now what do you do. Well, if you’ve planned well enough, perhaps you go to an indoor driving range, take in a golf show nearby, or simply end up relaxing reading about golf, watching videos about golf, and how you can improve your swing and overall game.
The real point here is that if you plan, you can always have a good time, because you have taken into account the many contingencies that may come up. And your vacation will be more successful and fulfilling.
PLANNING YOUR BUSINESS
The same is true for your business. If you plan, you will move in the right direction. If you plan properly, you will move even more in the right direction, in spite of what the economy, your customers, the government, your bank or your staff throws at you.
And of course, the best way to plan your business, and get the results you want, just like your vacation, is to have everyone buy into your plan. This way, your entire company is moving in the right direction. And everyone is on board, because they were part of the process.
And if you have been in business for some time, you know how important it is to have everyone moving in the same direction, and particularly, in the right direction. I’m sure you can picture the results already. More revenue, more clients, higher margins, larger profits – and they all come together when everyone is on the same page, moving in the same direction.
But, it isn’t easy. I know. I’ve been there, building two businesses. But with the right plan, the right blueprint, that everyone buys into, and is excited about coming to work, to realize the plan, and to reap the greater rewards everyone receives, it makes it all worthwhile.
But how do you get the right plan, so that everyone is on board, and everyone does buy in, and is really keen to get the results you want, because they are also the results they want too?
To get the right plan, you and your senior team should be developing a Strategic Marketing Plan every year, to take into account the changes in your business and your marketplace.
STRATEGIC MARKETING ASSESSMENT
To see if you have planned your business well, I have developed a Strategic Marketing Assessment. It is a five part questionnaire that will take you less than 30 minutes to complete.
In fact, every senior member of your business should answer it independently and then compare results.
If you want to see if your business marketing is where it should be, then you can get your free here.
If you and your team don’t have similar answers, contact me and let’s work on getting your entire team going in the same direction.
Kind regards,
Ian Dainty
Ian Dainty’s Email
Image by blog.ya
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