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!

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. What does the customer value? College graduates value company culture more than money. What should you focus on to attract the better candidates?
  4. 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.
  5. 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.