Strategic Planning: How to Keep the Vision
By Kay C. Godwin, CPSM
Thanks to the members
of the Management Roundtable whose discussion on the topic led to this article:
Lesley Allen,
Degenkolb
V-Anne Chernock,
Luster/GKO
Nancy Guinther, BBI
Construction
Linda Hummel Parker,
Huntsman Architectural Group
Marta Self, McGill
Martin Self
Cindy Shaw, Geomatrix
Consultants
Lisa Thorburn,
Thorburn Associates
The firm’s principals and associates left their planning retreat energized and excited. They had created a vision for the firm and a marketing plan to support it. Every person felt prepared to do his or her part—contacting clients, networking, following up, writing articles, increasing the firm’s visibility.
Two Months Later
These same principals and associates sit at the weekly marketing meeting discussing progress made.
“I called Joe Brown. They have a project coming up.”
“We submitted on the Z project; we’ll know results next week.”
“I still need to schedule lunch with Mary Smith to see what’s going on over there.”
People may be plugging away. But the enthusiasm and sense of purpose are gone. What happened?
Where Is the Vision?
Why is it easy for technical and design professionals to retain their enthusiasm for project work, yet lose all incentive for business development? One reason is that they feel uncomfortable—and, worse, unproductive—when doing business development. Projects have clear demarcations: Phase 1, we do this activity; Phase 2, we do these. Tasks are accomplished. All tasks lead to a larger product that will be delivered to the client. The client is updated, task by task. The client is invoiced. And it’s over until the next project begins.
Business development, by comparison, is very different. We call for an appointment, lunch perhaps. It can’t be fit in this week—how about next? Once on the calendar, it may get postponed. Or the RFP expected last week is delayed. Or... It goes on.
Business development is a flowing river—sometimes moving so fast it’s hard to keep your head above water; sometimes so sluggish it’s hard to see progress. There are no clear benchmarks, no beginnings or endings. Yet, that river of business development is absolutely essential to the health of the business.
So, how can we give more structure to business development activities? Give people a greater sense of accomplishment in the process rather than making them wait for the final payoff—winning the job.
One key is to find ways to keep the vision—the primary goals driving the marketing plan—in sight. It’s hard to stay focused on the vision once you get into the action plan’s specific tactics. But the vision is critical to motivation.
Keeping the Vision in Sight
There are a number of things we can do to keep the vision in sight and people motivated at the same time.
First, it is important to define a structure for business development goals and strategies. Set up action plans like projects, with assigned marketing job numbers and strategies broken out into tactics (or tasks). As people use marketing task numbers in filling out their time sheets, they will be reminded of the larger strategies.
Once the structure is in place, it is equally important to chart progress graphically. For example, if the firm’s vision is to gain national visibility (do larger projects on a national scale), one of the primary goals supporting that vision might be to increase projects for Fortune 500 companies by 20%.
Some of the strategies to accomplish the goal might include:
Whatever the goals, strategies, and tactics, using a visual tool to show progress, tactic by tactic, will help keep the overall vision and goals in sight. The visual tool might be a chart, a map, a free-flowing diagram or a symbolic representation. Whatever tool suits your firm will work, provided it illustrates the firm’s progress toward its goals in minute detail, tactic by tactic.
Whenever marketing progress meetings are held, people can look at the graphic illustrating progress made. If the graphic is posted in the conference room, the kitchen, and/or on the internal web site or bulletin board, everyone can see the big picture—the progress made with each small step, each tactic, toward the major goal. Graphically illustrating progress toward the vision is equally important. It might be updated quarterly.
The benefits of visually portraying progress are many. It helps achieve our primary goal of retaining enthusiasm, motivation, and momentum for the marketing plan. Also, in keeping people focused, we are more likely to use marketing and business development time and dollars more efficiently. People won’t be as tempted to go after clients and projects that are not in the plan.
A Caveat
Many entrepreneurial types do not work well with structure. If you have a successful business developer who bridles at being tied to a weekly, monthly, or quarterly plan, don’t insist. Allow that person’s intuitive energy to function. But check in with him or her periodically to get an update—and to update the progress graphic for all to see.
Kay C. Godwin, CPSM, is principal of Oakland, Calif.-based Marketing Avenues, a consulting practice specializing in coaching and motivating technical and design professionals in marketing, sales, and communications. Before starting her own company, she directed corporate marketing services for Woodward-Clyde Consultants and Environmental Resources Management. A past president of the SMPS San Francisco Chapter, she can be reached at 510-530-2297 or by e-mail at kgodwin@marketingavenues.com.
Copyright 1998, Society for Marketing Professional Services