Strategic Planning Can Be Simple; But It Does Take Work

Simple, easy, straightforward.

You’re a small business owner, and in today’s economy, your biggest concern is either how to grow or keeping the doors open. It’s the age-old question: How do you get more customers or clients to come to you?

More clients mean more sales, which results in more cash infusion into the business, so you can make payroll, pay the electric bill, etc. You’re competing in a difficult economy where people are holding on to what little cash they have. And you’re competing on a global scale, like it or not. But not everyone is suffering. Some businesses are thriving despite the economic situation. Why them and not you?

Perhaps the businesses which are doing well have taken the time upfront to identify a niche that isn’t being served and that they can serve extremely well. Chances are the leaders have put a plan on paper that guides the strategies they’re pursuing to succeed in today’s world. 

No Time to Plan

But, you say, you don’t have time to make a plan, right? Perhaps you don’t, but it’s the wrong conclusion! If you don’t have a plan for your business, written down as a roadmap for your future, how do you know you’re pursuing the right things? You and your team could be spinning their wheels pursuing the latest great idea someone had for a way to generate sales, but it may not be the right great idea. The great story-teller, Lewis Carroll, of Alice in Wonderland fame said: “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there.” And it’s so true.

Think about it. If you need to visit a client site, and you’re never been there before, do you just get in your car and drive? No. You find a map, on the internet or in a book of maps, or you punch the address into the GPS navigation system of your car to guide you to the destination. You need to know WHERE you’re headed to figure out HOW to get there.

A strategic plan that lays out that road map to your future destination, how you measure your progress toward it, and the strategies you need to pursue to get you there, is crucial if you want to create long term sustainability. It doesn’t have to be difficult, lengthy and time consuming. You can put the essential information down on one page, in one day, and have the start of plan that will guide your company’s future growth and development. Just answer the following five questions:

A    Where do I want to be? (at some point in the future)
B    How will I know I am staying on track?
C    Where am I today? (What are my strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats?)
D    How will I get there? (What 3-to-5 strategies do I need to implement to close the gap to A?)
E    Ongoing, keep asking: What might happen in my future environment that could affect my plan today?

Once that is done, communicate it to your staff and set them loose developing their own key actions and strategies to support that future destination. However, insist those actions are aligned with your strategies. That way everyone is on the same page, working towards the same goals, but using different tactics to get there. The path won’t be straight, and there will be deviations along the way because circumstances change, and the world will intervene to cause you to make some corrections, but if you keep your eye on the future goal(s), you will eventually reach that objective.

And if you need help along the way, contact us. We are passionate about helping business leaders create and implement solid, simple and effective plans to grow their businesses.