Getting What You Want By Design

According to Mick Jagger, “you can’t always get what you want”. Are you getting what you want or what you deserve? More importantly, do you recognize the difference? There are times in the lives of any Business owner when the big question inevitably comes up, “do I have what it takes to succeed in Business?” You might frame it or ask it differently but the sentiment of self-doubt has visited before, hasn’t it? Okay, so now that I know you are all human and quite normal, let’s see what we can do to eliminate that little gremlin from your life and restore your confidence forever. Recognizing you’re stuck is good; not doing something about it can be fatal.

I would like to suggest it’s time to revisit the marketing plan you created when you started your venture that outlined the clear path you were going to follow and how you were going to measure and track your progress. What! You aren’t going to say you missed that little step in the development of your idea, are you? I didn’t think so. So for those that are just starting out and for some of you that need a refresher, let me give you some ideas you might want to incorporate into your marketing plan to give your Business a boost. I believe a marketing plan does not have to be complicated and time consuming to create, however it should contain the following elements. To clarify the difference between a marketing plan and a Business plan, a marketing plan is a vital component of your Business plan. It deals specifically with the development of your products and services, the industry you are in, your marketing goals, your strategies, tactics and a track to follow to ensure you stay on the rails.

When it comes to the development of your product there are some important things to consider. Why will people choose you? Will it be price, quality, speed of delivery etc? What will make you stand out from your competition, what is your unique selling proposition (USP)? This is an important one to figure out because if you aren’t clear about this, your customer won’t know either. Do you know your target market and what they want? Where will you find your customer in a receptive mood to buy? You have all heard the story, that if you give a man a fish you feed him for a day, teach him how to fish you will feed him for life. More importantly, where are you going to find fish? Metaphorically speaking, some Businesses are standing in the parking lot of their local shopping mall with a fishing rod in their hands when the river is just down the street. What are their chances of even getting a nibble?

Have you ever considered doing a SWOT analysis? This stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. What are you really good at? What are you not so good at? What other opportunities are there in your field that has yet to be explored? What are the threats that could adversely affect the operation of your Business? What about the Government, legislation, competition etc? When you first wrote your plan did you outline your short term, 30-90 day goals, mid term, 90 day to 1 year goals and your longer term goals form 1-5 years?

What about your overall objective or your strategy and what tactics or methods will you use to achieve that strategy? Most importantly, who is going to hold you accountable to your plan? What devices will you put in place that will ensure you follow your plan? It’s critical that you give yourself some timelines for your various objectives or there’s no point to the plan in the first place.

Developing a sound marketing plan is one of the many things we work on with our clients. There’s no better time than after the summer break to give your Business a recharge and to finish the year strong and profitable.

Have a great and productive week, you deserve it!

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I’m a Licensed Business Coach and President of RIY Business Group and I have been coaching business owners for over 15 years. Helping them to realize the “How” to move their business to the next level and rekindling their “Why”. I have also been able to help them re-invent their businesses to meet the changing landscape of business ownership, while making owning their business fun again.

I would love to see how can help you and your business get to where you dreamed it to be – Kevin O’Driscoll