Three Approaches to Business Planning and Why Only One Truly Works.

Running a business or department is tough work in today’s economy.

There are a ton of strategies and tactics that need to be created, put in place and functioning well to make your business successful.

The struggle many business owners, entrepreneurs and managers face is how to find the time to do that while dealing with the day-to-day demands of running a business or department. A lot of time, it’s band-aids and catching up.

There is never time to fix what’s broken, let alone plan for future opportunities. How do you get ahead?

Strategic business planning, establishing a web presence, new hire training, recruiting, retention plans, sales scripts ­– these are just the tip of the iceberg.

And, how do you identify what you need? How do you figure out what plans need to be created? Any one of these can make, or break your business.

BUSINESS APPROACH ONE: GO IT ALONE

What typically happens, and why so many fail is you try and do it on your own. This doesn’t get you anywhere. You aren’t focused because you can’t get out of the cycle of going from one crisis to the next.

Maybe you pick one or two topics randomly to plan. But the selection isn’t based on a business need to solve. If you do manage to create a plan or solution, it’s impossible to implement and get people to rally behind it. So, things stay the same.

BUSINESS APPROACH TWO: HIRE AN OUTSIDER

Then there is the opposite problem. You hire an outside person or firm to do this work for you while you deal with running the day to day.

Time-consuming, frustrating because they don’t understand your unique issues and opportunities, and last, but not least, incredibly expensive.

And that’s not to mention, you’ll face the same problem of implementing these plans. Why? Because maybe the solution requires skills and methods that you and your company don’t know, maybe it isn’t in line with how you do business.

This report isn’t going to be remembered, used or inspire anyone to do anything different. This is not an option. This is a recipe for disaster.

BUSINESS APPROACH THREE: PARTNER ON YOUR PLAN

The solution? Do your planning with someone. This is a more affordable option because it is usually a single person instead of a large firm and you are creating something together so you share the cost.

More importantly for the success of your business, it creates accountability. There is work that is assigned that must be completed for the project to move forward. There are steps to be taken and finished. There are firm deadlines.

And probably most important, it will be in line with the culture of your business so it will be adopted and implemented in your daily workday.

But, be careful when you choose someone to do that work with you. Great planning sessions don’t just happen. You need a great and knowledgeable instructor to push you, mentor you and train you.

And the group working with the facilitator needs to be engaged, willing to learn, to change, asking questions and dedicated to doing better.

There is a great opportunity coming up that answers your planning problems.

Be great,

Chahat Sharma