STRATEGY
"Start with the end in mind"
Stephen Covey
Fast forward 10 years
Envision your business 10 years from now. Do you offer exactly the same solutions? Is your ideal client precisely the same as when you began? Are you personally in the same role? Likely not.
When you start with the end mind, you form a crystal-clear vision of your ultimate business goal. Once you know what the finish line looks like, it's so much easier and more effective to work backwards, identifying the steps needed to get you there.
Your strategic plan is not a document that is written once and shelved - "ahhhhhhh, I'm finally done." It's a living document that will evolve over time. It acts as a guide to your business' future.
When implemented and communicated properly, a business' strategy will shape its culture and intensely engage its' employees.
“Everyone is not your customer”
Seth Godin
Describe your ideal customer
Who are you selling to? Do you know them? And yes, I mean personally. In fact, I mean psychologically.
In order to build an effective sales and marketing strategy, you must inherently understand your ideal customer.
What are their goals and aspirations? Where do they live and who are they friends with? Where do they go to find information? How do they communicate and what lingo do they use?
When you sell to everyone, your message and marketing is bland and generic in an effort to appeal the masses. When you build a strategy especially suited for your audience, you build their trust and form a product/service they won't want to live without.