“Make no little plans, They have no magic to stir men’s blood.”
If you want to grow and especially if you want to sell anything, you have to make a damn good plan. If you execute a damn good plan you should be able to deliver what your boss needs and wants. You should be able to get it on two sheets of A4.
Here’s my formula:
All you need are a (very) short list of aims, objectives, tools, actions, a calendar and a budget.
Aims
The ‘Why’s. The things you want and need to achieve to grow. Brand awareness sure, but more importantly sales. [no more than four]
Objectives
Measurable things that you can do to achieve your aims and that you can tick off as done. [no more than ten]. Make sure you are very clear about how you are going to measure their success. See below*, but often simply ‘Done’ is all that’s needed.
Actions
The ‘What’s. Who is going to do what with which tools?
Tools
The ‘How’s. What are you going to use to meet your objectives? A rich mixture of digital and traditional works best. Events, newsletters, blogs, Instagram, factory tours, how to guides, videos, training courses, Twitter, post, even (ugh) whitepapers.
Calendar
When, specifically, are you going to do all of the above? “I love deadlines. I love the noise they make as they go whooshing by” is funny but unhelpful. If you think something will take a week tops, allow at least two.
Budget
How much will each action cost and who will do it? What will they cost? (That includes you and your team’s time too.)
That’s all you need. Just stick to it and review it regularly.
NB: Make sure every point is achievable in the time and with the agreed budget and get you boss to sign it off. Preferably the top boss. Things change, people come and go, stocks rise and fall, but if you’re working to a damn clear, achievable, properly resourced plan, the chances of success are very, very high.
*Measuring success
If you are using the right tools, to do what you said you’d do, when you said you’d do it, and it’s costing what you said it would, you should be able to tick off your objectives., and you’ll have achieved your aims.