Read your business plan and maybe you have a goal to increase your profits by 20% for 2013.  What is it you have to do every week, month, and quarter to insure that you are reaching that goal.  Maybe it is increase your pricing and rolling that out to your clients.  Maybe it is bringing on three more retainer clients for your services per year.  Maybe it is to reduce expenditures in four areas.  Are you reviewing your budget and financial results each and every month to insure you are on track in all of those areas?

Action items are only as good as the action.

If you are acting like a manager, what is a simple thing you can do today to start being the leader of your organization?

Business attire is the same way – there is the right way to dress and the oh so wrong way.  Here in the Old Pueblo “business casual” dress takes on a whole new meaning.  And some business owners think that dressing like you are going to the ballpark is ok just because the   every day run around and do your errands people dress that way.  It is NOT ok when someone plans to spend serious money on your products or services. They want a professional and we should look like one.

So think about your mom when you get dressed tomorrow – what would she say about your business attire?

We are working our way through a simple and straightforward business plan.  We have talked about vision and mission statements and setting objectives.  Today I want to talk about setting the strategies for your plan.

Strategies set the direction, philosophy and values, they define the business model, establish guidelines for evaluation important decisions,  and set limits on what you will or will not do.

There are two areas to focus on : Customer and Process Improvement Strategies.  Here is an example of each, just fill in the blank:

Customer Service: Critical elements to customer service are ____________,                                             ______________, and ____________.

Tracking Results: Upgrade tracking results of _____________ & ____________ by                                   ___________ & ______________.

Ok, you are on the road to completion – next week will work on the action plan.  Once that is done – you have an entire business plan!

Sponsorship often comes with you logo on websites, banners at events, ads in programs, etc.  Volunteering you meet others you might never have met and inevitably the “what do you do for a living” conversation occurs.

So maybe you should go help those folks at Habitat build a house AND connect with all sorts of people for your business!

Objectives provide a quantitative pulse of the business.  They focus resources toward a specific goal, define success in a measurable manner, give specific targets, establish a framework for accountability and incentive pay, have minimal subjectivity and emotionalism and you can measure the end results of the work effort.

A great way to write an objective is:  VERB + NOUN + DATE = GOAL  For example:   Increase sales to $100,000 in FY2013

Categories of objectives are usually financial and customer oriented.  To get a simple start for each category, fill in the blank:

Revenue: Achieve 2013 sales of $___________

New Accounts: Add ___ new accounts in 2013, ___ each quarter (or project by quarter)

See, that wasn’t so hard!  Now, keep going.

Think of a concept called News Releases.  Write them as informational (look at how good press release content should be constructed) then find newsworthy things happening in your business to write about.  Then determine who is the proper audience   It could be the press, your clients, know prospects and alliance partners, or even your Facebook business page fans.

Guess what?  You have a news release!  Integrate this concept into your regular marketing cycles (I suggest monthly if you can, no less than quarterly) and see how much more traction you can get with your targets.  Easy to accomplish once you get the hang of it.  Send me a news release and I will give you feedback if you want.  Seriously!

This statement is what you want them to think about your business, what you want them to remember, and for you to focus each and every day on your business activities to achieve.

Here is an example for a window covering business:  Bring light, air, and the beauty of nature into homes through creative windows. 

Imagine how that would compel everyone to create that experience when their customers deal with that business.  I love that!

So, how many businesses do NOT want the world know information about what they do?  No one.  Yet I see that 99% of the business owners I meet do not have a blog.  A blog showcases you as a thought leader and has the additional benefit of helping out the SEO of your website.  People often see your blog before they see you!

If it gives you a headache to think about having a regular blog – be creative.  I have a client who is a real estate professional and she is quite social.  So instead of a blog about real  estate, I suggested she do one about things around Tucson.  She loved that concept because it was of value to her clients and she could make it fun and interesting!  I struggled with my own blog, so finally I came up with the concept of left and right brain entries so that I could talk about the side that is hard for me (left) and the one that gives me joy (right) and stay focused on themes on both sides.  It showcases the whole business – just what I wanted to accomplish.

So, when are going to start your blog???

The statement says what type of business you have, how much you want to earn in a certain period of time, serving what markets, and in what geographical area.  This can include the world!

So here is a template you can use for yours.  Try it, then focus all your work toward reaching this vision:

With the next ____ years grow (company name) into a $_____________ (local, region, national) (type of company) providing (description of products/services) to (describe target customer).