Whacking Your Business Plan Upside the Head for Better Results

Sometimes you have to re-examine what you're doing and think about it. Learn the vital steps to reinvigorate your business plan and profit

by Terry L. Brock, MBA, CSP

Sometimes you just gotta’ whack your existing business plan upside the head and start over. Regularly you need to infuse it with fresh, creative ideas that will give you an advantage.

Many times businesses need a new start. The best part about being your own boss (and aren’t we all in today’s world?) is that you can have a new beginning any time you want it. So why not now? In fact, as I type this, today is my birthday, so I’m having a new beginning that is uniquely my own. Come along with me as I think through some “head-whackin’ ideas” that can help move both our businesses forward.

1. Make your business a finely tuned, well-oiled engine. How efficient is your infrastructure? Does it run well without a lot of tweaking? Do you have the systems in place to achieve the success you want? A key today is to lean heavily on a well-crafted and thought-out plan that leverages the power of the Internet. For just a few dollars investment and a whole lot more of the right kind of thinking, you can take what you’re doing and get more out of it squeezing more positive results into each day. Have the systems you need in place to make a difference.

2. Build in Creative Time. Today’s world requires the small business owner and mobile professional to come up with brilliant new ideas on a regular basis. This will only come when you build time into your schedule to have downtime. You need creative, juice-generating time to come up with breakthrough new ideas. Don’t have time for it? Well, this is like not having enough time to sleep. Eventually, you find out you have to do it or suffer the consequences.

3. Focus on quality client contact. Being in contact with people is critical for your small business marketing success. Have a plan for writing letters (yes, the hand-written notes as well as those done via your word processor), making important “how ya’ doin?” phone calls, and most important---physically being there with important people. In an age of Internet speed and mass mailings, the importance of physically being there and showing someone you care about them is even more important. Think about the times that are most important for your physical presence and be there. That means more than 1,000 e-mail messages. Bonus: Make an extra effort to be there for those important people in your life at the big times like weddings, funerals, anniversaries, etc. People will remember for a long, long time who was there for the really important times in life.

4. Invest time for sharpening the axe. It was Abraham Lincoln who said if he only had a few hours to cut down some trees, he’d spend most of that time sharpening the axe. Today we’re busy with schedules that are demanding, time constraints and way too many demands on our already swamped days. However, taking that time to sharpen the axe makes us more productive. Invest your time in reading good books that help you develop and listen to quality, learning audio while stuck in traffic or on trips around town. Plan to take in at least two good conferences and seminars to add to your skill base this year. Add something new to your knowledge base and skill repertoire this year or you’re falling behind.

Bonus: Don’t just sharpen the axe; get a chainsaw! Learn new technologies and skills that can propel you dramatically forward ahead of the competition. If everybody else is using an ink blotter and a quill pen, get a good word processor and you’ll run circles around them and get better results in less time. Leverage the technology available to generate more sales. Use web-based mail for your e-mail (vs. Outlook alone), save time paying bills through the Net, use the Net to get money coming your way through sources like PayPal and sell your ideas on your website. Look into the benefits of powerful, warm audio that is available. Check out some new audio additions on www.terrybrock.com for how you can use similar features on your own website or click on http://www.terrybrock.com/sonicmemo.htm to learn how to make your own website come alive with audio.

5. Make your Net work for you. The Internet is really nothing more than a powerful way to communicate. Use it. Also use the human connections and network you have. Keep building it regularly to achieve the results you want. Remember that it is like a bucket with a slow leak. You have to continually add new sources to stay fresh. Nothing lasts forever. That’s the way things work on my planet. Deal with it! Make new contacts and new friends every week as part of your strategy.

6. Get outside assistance. Find someone who you respect that can help you examine what you’re doing, where you want to go and if you’re deploying the right tactical procedures to make it happen. Invest in yourself by parting with your capital to make these changes happen. Invest in the best expertise your can afford and find. Sure, you’ll make mistakes now and then, but don’t let that hold you back from finding the right people to enhance your life and get what you want. Some professors at the university aren’t going to be as good. However, you will do better as you invest your time and money into that unique education at the “University of You.” Unless you’re willing to expend TME (time, money and effort) to make the changes happen, you’ll stay mired where you are. Blast through the “stuck” with the right advice, action and accountability to make it happen.

2004 is shaping up to be an incredibly powerful year for entrepreneurs in business that know what to do. If you want better results, you might have to tweak and adjust your approach. Get the assistance you need. Learn. Grow. Often a slight adjustment can yield enormous benefits. Make it happen because, as you’ve already seen, things only happen in this world when you make them happen.

Remember, you can have that new beginning anytime you want. I’m doing that today on my birthday. I’ll look forward to hearing how you’ve created a new beginning for yourself and have jumpstarted your business.

Terry Brock is a marketing coach who helps business owners market more effectively leveraging technology. He shows busy professionals how to squeeze more out of their busy days using the right rules and tools. He can be reached at 407-363-0505, by e-mail at terry@terrybrock.com or through his website at www.terrybrock.com.

Copyright © 2004, Terry Brock, All Rights Reserved Internationally. No portion may be reprinted or used in any way without prior written permission. Permission granted to Biz Journals to use in regular publications.