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Focused Planning for Success: 5 Important Steps

  Focused planning is a key component for every successful business. Business planning, strategic planning, marketing plans and  short term project plans count.  Even succession planning and retirement planning are important.  In whatever format,  all  focused plans include clear direction to a company’s efforts to succeed. Those who regularly read our 'Designing Strategies' newsletter and blog know that I am an avid believer in planning for success.  I am convinced that the planning process is the most important thing business leaders and managers can do to assure achieving their unique vision of success.   Here are five important steps that need [...]

By |2016-12-27T19:08:29-05:00November 27th, 2014|Business Planning, Market Planning, Strategic Planning, Strategy|
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10 Years of Advances in Technology That Benefit Small Businesses

'Designing Strategies' Newsletter September - October 2014                                           Volume 11 -- Issue 61 OK, everyone at the same time, repeat after me: "Happy Anniversary!"  Thank you, thank you, very much. You are now reading a historic publication. We've reached the 10th anniversary of our 'Designing Strategies' newsletter.  Some of you haven't been with  us the whole way, but others have remained loyal readers since our first issue came out in September of 2004. Let's raise our glasses and toast to another successful 10 years delivering actionable business strategies that small businesses can adapt [...]

By |2017-01-04T00:31:54-05:00September 18th, 2014|Newsletter, Strategic Planning, Technology|
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Exceptional Customer Experiences Pay Off in a Major Way

'Designing Strategies' Newsletter March - April 2014                                             Volume 11 -- Issue 58   In a previous posting, we discussed the value of exemplary customer experiences.  Everyone claims to have great customer service today, but do they really? What passes for customer service has become, in many cases, a joke.  Customer service is no longer the whole story.  Customers today expect a positive experience from your firm in a wide range of services.  If they do not find exceptional [...]

By |2017-01-04T00:49:35-05:00March 15th, 2014|Customer Experience, Newsletter, Strategic Planning|
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Develop SMART Strategies That Build Success

As one year is behind us and another begun, small businesses find themselves hard at work in planning mode. Reviewing and analyzing successes and shortcomings of the previous year's goals and objectives are the basis for developing new strategy and advancing existing, incomplete ones.  Aim higher.  Incorporate SMART strategies into your small business strategic plan for the coming year. Did you achieve all of last year's strategic goals?   How SMART were the strategies you put in place for the coming year?   Were your desired results met? Are your strategies still valid for this year, or were there changes [...]

By |2017-01-10T02:10:43-05:00February 25th, 2014|Strategic Planning, Strategy|
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Strategic Planning: 7 Reasons Your Small Business Plan Might Fail

  'Designing Strategies' Newsletter     November – December 2013                                 Volume 10 – Issue 56   This is the time of year when businesses of all sizes and types focus on developing strategies for the coming year. Year-end reviews take place to determine how successful - or unsuccessful - their strategic planning for the current year was. Analysis comes into play to identify which goals and objectives were successfully achieved, on budget and on schedule. Consideration is given to whether those goals and objectives provided desired results. It is time to determine what didn't work as expected.  Decisions are made about what [...]

By |2017-01-08T02:00:47-05:00November 15th, 2013|Newsletter, Strategic Planning, Strategy|
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Give Your Company Recognition: Market For Unusual Holidays and Events

With Labor Day behind us, it occurred to me there won't be another holiday to celebrate until Thanksgiving rolls around at the end of November.  Nor will we have another regular holiday to tie into our marketing strategies for a couple of months.  Never fear!  There all kinds of official and unofficial recognitions, observations and celebrations scheduled for every month of the year.  Maybe it's time to give your company recognition. Types of Recognition and Observances Some 'special' days serve as reminders of health and wellness issues.  Others give a nod to some particular fruit or vegetable.  Yet others are just off the wall 'official anything [...]

By |2017-05-20T00:15:30-04:00September 3rd, 2013|Marketing, Strategy|
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Harness the Power of You!

There is a new series of Planter peanut commercials on the air entitled 'Harness the Power of the Peanut'.  An updated Mr. Peanut, complete with a new background voice over artist, plays the starring role in each commercial.  I caught one this evening on TV showing Mr. Peanut as a motivational speaker.  That tiny little peanut-sized character stands in front of an audience of convention attendees.   In a style ala Tony Robbins and other big name motivational speakers, he touts the values of the peanut  - protein and nutrients.  The audience, eyes glazed over in rapt attention, nod their [...]

By |2020-11-11T17:37:39-05:00August 14th, 2013|Market Planning, Strategy|
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Establish a Sales System Strategy For Your Small Business

There are a number of important elements to any business aspiring to success.  One of those elements is a good product or service.  But, no matter how wonderful your products or services might be, unless there is an audience who sees value in them, and is willing to purchase them, they are pretty much worthless. This is where establishing a sales system strategy comes into play.  Identifying target markets of people who will buy what you want to sell, then converting them into actual paying customers, may be the most important strategies you will face in developing a successful company. I found the [...]

By |2017-01-08T04:38:01-05:00July 9th, 2013|Sales, Strategy|
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Become Unreal to Stand Out – It’s Time to Be Different

Positioning your company as unreal, rather than real, can be a much better way of conveying a strong image to customers.  How many times have you heard someone walk away from an exceptional place or experience saying that it was "Totally unreal!"?   It's always a positive comment.  It shows that it was somehow so much better or different than similar experiences. Those are the kind of comments you want customers taking out your front door and sharing with others.  It's time for your firm to become unreal to stand out from competitors. I was scanning my Facebook Fan Page recently over a hot cup of [...]

By |2020-11-11T18:08:11-05:00March 25th, 2013|Branding, Strategic Planning|
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A Business Continuity Plan May Save Your Small Business

'Designing Strategies' Newsletter  March – April 2013                           Volume 10 --  Issue 52   For those paying attention, you probably noticed over the past several years, an increase in news of disasters.  We have been inundated by  news and weather reports of a growing number of natural disasters. You name the type - hurricanes, earthquakes, wild fires, tsunamis, typhoons, floods, mud slides, blizzards or drought. Regardless of your personal beliefs regarding global warming, climate change or natural cycles here on Earth, news coverage indicates that natural disasters have [...]

By |2017-01-08T01:51:12-05:00March 15th, 2013|Newsletter, Strategic Management, Strategic Planning, Strategy|
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