Thanks very much for the comments and ideas from last week's blog post on "The (first) Five Rules". As promised, here are the remaining five. It may well be that you have your own, so let me and our readers know about your ideas by commenting below...
1. Establish a Rhythm of Planning
Strategy or Business Planning Sessions are typically worthless
...unless you, as the senior management either of the company or as part of the sales planning team, subscribe to this as a consistent practice in your business.
"Consistency" is the key word here, and all of the members of the planning team should know what that means in terms of the Rhythm of the Business. Our recommendation for setting up a rhythm for planning meeting is to...
1. A Different Location
2. Comfortable Chairs
3. The Right Food
1. Someplace "Different"
Where you do not want to meet is the first floor of the average, local Marriott or Residence Inn with no windows. You need "something different" to stimulate interest, excitement and innovative thinking since that's the reason that you're coming together.2. Comfortable Chairs & Other Stuff
All of the prep material needs to be presented prior to the meeting either with robust PPTs or using a video and voice platform such as Brainshark. In that way, everyone comes to the meeting prepared to engage, to discuss, and to argue out the very best solutions on what it will take to grow profitable revenue.
The real purpose of these meetings is to engage everyone, and nothing is worse than a CEO who not only wants to "hold the chalk", but also wants "to control" what is discussed in the room.
In a one day meeting, at the very most, you will only have time to discuss and develop the framework of solutions to three major initiatives...and three's a big stretch.
Business, strategy and sales planning meetings are not the place to squeeze in "as long as we're together" items. The rule that you need to hold yourself accountable for is that if it is "a simple issue", then it does not belong at a business or sales planning session.
"I would have brought that up, but I didn't want to upset him"
"l agreed because I wanted to move the discussion ahead, but..."
These are meetings where you and everyone on the planning team must agree. You're looking for "The Amen" since that is a full agreement of where you are going to invest your valuable time and financial resources over the period of the next 12 to 24 months in order to grow the business. If you would never settle for a "good enough" player on your management or sales team, then you should never settle for "good enough" in setting the strategic directions for your business or your sales team.
Make sure that you aim to achieve full agreement and not just consensus!
Hope that this is helpful as all of us enter into the planning season, while bringing in the balance of this year's numbers. Any questions, or want to know more, just schedule a call with us.
If you want a more detailed read of what it takes to create a full business plan for either your emerging or well-established business, you can click on to the download noted to the right and get a free copy of our 100 page "Writing the Winning Business Plan". We had fun writing and editing this and hope that you will have fun reading it. Let us know what you think!
Jack's Rules:
Have specific business or sales planning questions that you want to bounce off me or other Derby Management Coaches (George for Finance, Bob for Entrepreneurship, Steve for Organization and Management Development, Jan for Marketing and everyone for Sales Productivity), just email me, and we'll set a time to talk at the end of your day.
Derby Management...for 25 years
-Sales & Marketing Productivity Experts
-Business & Strategy Planning Specialists
-Senior Management Coaching for CEOs & VPs
Box 171322, Boston, MA 02117
Jack's Cell: 617-504-4222