This week, I’ve spent much of my time on physiotherapy which will strengthen my muscles and my skeleton. For my business, I’ve been concentrating on my planning and my systems, and I realised that well-managed planning and control, and the use of established theory and models and mechanisms for a business, are akin to a healthy skeleton for your business. They provide strength and the ability for you to move forward when it’s required, if your business has the correct underpinning. That’s why I will provide a cabinet of templates and checklists in my forthcoming Resources Centre on the website for my clients to apply to their own businesses.
Planning needs to be written down carefully in a document which can be revisited whenever you need to be reminded of your primary objective.
Control is all about monitoring and measuring your achievements in relation to your stated objective. This week, I’ve spent time organising my banking system and my invoicing procedures, so I’m now better able to track my financial deliverables online. I realised when I wrote my piece on blue sky thinking that I have applied an established marketing strategy model to my business without being conscious of doing so at the time. I’ve effortlessly applied the Ansoff matrix to identify how to develop my business.
The Ansoff matrix looks like this:
I have decided to develop my product by taking the marketing clinic format online; my plan to hold a clinic in Rusthall in August represents market development. I have not decided to diversify, preferring to stay close to my original mission of making pure marketing theory accessible for small businesses and sole traders to grow strong. Over time, there will be other avenues for me to consider, but for the time being I’ll stick to my plan and track my progress towards my stated objectives. Self-monitoring is an important part of the marketing process. Constant evaluation of your results will alert you whenever there is a need to adapt your strategy by trying a new tactic. Always keep a close eye on what works and what doesn’t for you and your customers.
If you would like to strengthen the skeleton upon which your business is built, please make use of the templates and checklists and models which will soon be available free of charge in the forthcoming Resources Centre on my website. If you’d like to be informed when it’s ready, please email me to request notification: [email protected]