---
title: Friday 13th - Bad Luck or No Luck at All
description: In 2023, let's never plan on luck!  Sales success will happen only as a result of your team's rigid personal commitment to your planning process this year.
---

[Derby Management's "Competitive Edge" Blog ](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog)

# [Friday 13th - Bad Luck or No Luck at All](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/friday-13th-bad-luck-or-no-luck-at-all)

 Written by [Jack Derby, Management Coach, Tufts Professor, Entrepreneur, Author](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/author/jack-derby-management-coach-tufts-professor-entrepreneur-author) | Fri, Jan 13, 2023

### If it wasn't for bad luck, you know, I wouldn't have no luck at all

[There's a superb classic blues song sung](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEO9zm_-QPU) by R&B greats, Ray Charles, Albert King, Stevie Ray Vaughn and my personal favorite Joe Bonamassa, about luck...or in this case...bad luck. 

On Friday the 13th, I thought that it was appropriate to kick off today as we enter the season of 2023 sales and business planning meetings with a couple of thoughts about luck.

Bottom line: Never plan on luck, optimism or even best efforts!  What will happen, will happen only as a result of you and your team's personal involvement and rigid commitment to a planning process this year.

I've always been a student of Sun Zhu and have drilled myself with the simplicity of his teachings:  

### Sun Zhu on Strategy & Tactics 

*"Strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory"   
"Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat"* 

Way too often I experience management teams who want to spend the majority of their planning time defining strategic intent and longer-term initiatives.  While it's clearly important to *strategically* look out 24 plus months, typically...i*n our size companies*... strategy is a foundational pillar, but what counts is the tactical planning that leads to winning every month and every quarter. 

### Sun Zhu on Tactical Plans

*"The general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple before the battle is fought.  The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand.  Thus do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat; how many more do no calculations at all!  It is by attention to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose."*

Every year, we see hundreds of business plans, sales plans and marketing plans. Taking a quick calibration of 2022 success points, approximately 20% of those companies surpassed their plans, 15% failed to achieve 80% of their top line and net income metrics, and the balance were somewhere in the middle. If I measure success related to the frequency and the discipline of the senior management team coming together in the January-February timeframe to put the final touches on their planning and then commit themselves to come together for day-long reviews three times a year, 90% of those companies either made or exceeded their plans. 

### 2023 BUSINESS PLANNING 

One of the tasks I completed during the holiday break was to update a new edition of our [Writing the Winning Business Plan for 2023.](https://27861.hubspotpreview-na1.com/_hcms/preview/content/2610397946?portalId=27861&_preview=true&from_buffer=false&preview_key=Ep2hVOLs) 

You can click above for a free copy, and, of course, connect with me at any time for questions, comments or just catching up.

 

 

### HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND & CONNECT ANYTIME!

Connect with me at any time for some quick ideas and feedback. 

There's never a cost for a call or two, plus I love listening and talking about Sales & Marketing.   

Enjoy the weekend!  Tough weather, so I'm out walking on the NH beach tomorrow morning and not snowboarding in VT. 

 

 

 

 

[View full post](https://www.derbymanagement.com/blog/friday-13th-bad-luck-or-no-luck-at-all)

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