Maybe next time, you'll plan better!
In our recent post, we discussed “Sun Bathing” in regard to marketing planning. This is when a company has no formalized plan, process or guidelines to their marketing efforts. In Corporate America, without a plan, you will simply be “putting out fires.” Meaning… you will be acting reactively versus proactively. No company wants their marketing professionals focused solely on fire extinguishing, so how can you change your approach? I like to use the PDCA (Plan * Do * Check * Act) management process:
Plan – Take time each morning to plan your day. Identify what “needs” to be done versus what can wait. This can be as simple as taking a sheet of paper and jotting down tasks, prioritizing and then…
Do – Stick to your plan, do not vear from the plan, if at all necessary. Make the plan attainable, if it’s two items, then focus on those two items before taking on something else. If you get pulled away for a meeting or conversation, put those items on the list for later… and return to your day’s plan.
Check – Check to be sure you have completed all necessary items, and be sure to follow-up on the projects, with the people, or communicate to the group that is awaiting a response from you. Communication is a key factor in the checking process.
Act – Once you do the tasks, then act upon what’s next! You may begin doing what else earned a high priority, or you may want to focus on creating the next day’s list. This may also be a good time to start brainstorming other projects that could be of value to your company.
If you are a company who needs help focusing on the right projects, contact us to allieviate some of the burden, so you can put all your energy into the most profitable areas of your business!
Watch for our next entry regarding the second phase of marketing planning: “Taking a Dip.” This is when you are putting your toe in the marketing water, but not in a formalized / measurement fashion.
