Spend time challenging yourself to answer these five basic questions before you spend a dime on budgeting and commitment. Clear your mind. Suck it up. Access what you have been doing; now GO!
- What is your mission? Drill down on this. If you are a hospital, is your mission quality health care? Or is “to give assurance to the afflicted” a better way to build your plan platform? A compelling mission must match your opportunities, competence, and commitment. The copy should be short enough to fit on a T-shirt.
- Who is our customer? Stay alert for changes over time. Here is an example from a client in the safe, affordable housing arena. For over fifty years, they have served primarily seniors and disabled people. Now, a new development has attracted needy families and residents with backgrounds in homelessness. It’s time to adjust and learn more about your resident community.
- What does the customer value? College graduates value company culture more than money. What should you focus on to attract the better candidates?
- What are our results? Do you pay attention to the effect of your efforts on others (qualitative) or look at hard data (quantitative) to determine the next steps? Do both.
- What is our plan? Actional plans are the result of the other four steps. Stay focused on goals and be prepared to pivot when the results exceed expectations. A plan is a guide that helps you stay on course.
View previous monthly morsels on our Free Marketing Advice page.