Vision, Strategy, Tactics

The first step for you as a new business owner would be to create the vision for the business. Then you must define the steps necessary to bring this to pass.

This process begins by asking a few key questions.These questions include: What special skills or advantages can I market? What groups do I want to target? What geographic area do I want to target?

Next, you have to consider the competition. Who are they? How do they market their services?

Then you have to create your strategic objectives. Your strategic objectives must be measurable. An example of this would be to acquire a certain number of new clients over the next three months. After defining all of your strategic objectives, you then have to define your tactical objectives.

Tactical objectives are the steps necessary to bring about the strategic objectives. Usually there will be several tactical objectives for each strategic objective. Using the example above you might define one tactical objective as developing two new centers-of-influence (COI) relationships in the next 45 days. Another tactical objective could be to hold one seminar per month for the next two months.

I would add one more step to this. Once you have your tactical objectives defined you need to break down the steps to accomplish them. For example, if your tactical objective is to develop two new COI relationships, how will you do this? Will you take them to lunch? Will you demo your unique services?

I am using four steps and have created forms for each. The first is called the “Marketing Plan Checklist,” the second is the “Strategic Objective Master List,” and third is the “Tactical Objective List.” Finally, there is the “Tactical Objective Worksheet.”

Everything we do on a daily basis should spring from the strategic objectives and, if you stay on track, you should succeed.

This is what I am getting back to.

Thanks for reading. Have any comments? I’ll keep you posted.