Get Out of Your Head - Why It’s Time to Write A Plan
The other day my client said they didn't see the need to meet about sales strategy.
I chuckled. But they weren’t kidding.
From their perspective the two lead sales people (the owners) were aligned in their approach and since the lead generation/qualification process was so fluid and unpredictable, they saw no point in reading the other management team members into their thinking.
There are lots of reasons I think this is a bad idea.
Which is why I thought they were joking.
To start with, these plans and ideas about which the owners are aligned only exist in one place.
Their heads.
And although they may seem to share a brain, they don't.
It's not like their business development activities don't impact other members of the leadership team and staff. Other people are brought into the process all the time. It's on a case-by-case basis, without any understanding of the unspoken, unwritten plan for how this one opportunity might fit together with current and future projects, sales goals, or desired customer mix.
Not to mention, because the opportunities are coming from far and wide, it's nearly impossible to play out all the scenarios in your head and know which ones are truly aligned with current revenue and profitability goals. Depending on which ones come to fruition, it could mean very different growth trajectories.
Fundamentally, it goes back to the owners defining what long-term revenue and profitability goals they want to achieve AND how they will achieve them. The decision about HOW to achieve your goals in STRATEGY. Or as stated in Good Strategy, Bad Strategy, "strategy is a cohesive response [plausible and feasible immediate actions] to an important challenge."
A clear picture of success - which itself can and usually does change in some ways over time - includes ideas about things like your product and service mix, customer types, geography served, and staffing. These ideas hinge on defining what an ideal client looks like, the criteria for new product and service development, who/what opportunities are a "good fit" , what different growth scenarios will require in terms of adding staff and other resources, and which of those paths you're willing to take at this time.
You can't possibly keep all of that in your head!
Nor can you expect the other people on your team to be able to contribute their best work to achieving your business goals without clarity about where you're headed, the analysis you've done, the decisions you've made, and the variables at play.
Whether it's your overall vision for your company, specific ideas about how to increase sales, or what new products to develop, in most cases the hard work is usually already done. You've already thought it all through.
Now you have to put it down on paper. Then share it with and be open to feedback from your team.
One reason you might be hesitating to put your thoughts on paper is because you feel like it commits you to one path and one path only.
The act of writing things down doesn't tie your hands. It frees your mind.
It captures your best thinking, decisions, and strategic next steps based on what you know today. This includes the other options or scenarios that exist and either why you haven't chosen them or what it will require for you to choose them (pivot) as you move forward. This then gives you a filter through which to make decisions as new information becomes available. You always get to choose how to build the business that fulfills your dreams and desires.
Perhaps you’re resistant to writing things down because you believe your ideas are hard to explain.
Don't worry about making sense in your first draft. Get it on paper then edit and rearrange. Fill in the blanks. See where more thinking is needed or a key decision needs to be made. Make sure your "if this, then that" train of thought is on track.
If it's too vague to explain, more thought is needed. Probably with a trusted team member or advisor.
If it's just too complicated to write down, it's probably too complicated to actually do.
The other reason I often hear is that people don't want to slow down to write a plan. They don't have time. There are too many things to do.
It's hard to know if what you and your team are doing is impactful if you don't have a shared understanding of what you're trying to accomplish. Many busy people have exhausted themselves treading water, going down rabbit holes, and chasing shiny objects.
Planning IS doing.
Ready to give this a try?
Get started by:
Having someone interview you and write up your responses, then you can edit and refine
Using a whiteboard exercise to get your ideas out of your head before you start writing or typing
Grabbing a notebook and writing whatever comes to mind
Using voice to text to dictate your ideas
Recording team meetings where you're talking about strategy and have them transcribed
Engaging a professional facilitator to help you arrange your thoughts and align your team
