Plan, I don't Need No Stinkin' Plan

Conceptually, everyone one of us will acknowledge that planning produces better results, right? I certainly would but I don't always do it. For example, as the primary hunter gatherer for my tribe I noticed the other day we needed food. So I went to the grocery store and got food, no problem, until I actually attempted to create a meal. That made me think about my shopping efforts versus my wife's.

Here’s my typical approach to getting groceries.

• I notice there’s no food in the house.
• I go to the store and get food by cruising all the isles, grabbing what I think we need.
• I attempt to make dinner choosing something to go with the delightful peach salsa I couldn't resist. How about tacos? Oops no taco shells, how about taco sandwiches?
• I run back to the store for taco shells.
• I repeat the last two steps as needed.

Here's how my wife does it.

• She jots down some meals she wants to make for the next week or so.
• She looks at recipes if needed and writes down what she needs.
• She arranges the list to match the store's layout!
• She makes a single trip to the store that could last us a week, I'm in awe!

You all see what’s going on here. I don’t want to take the time to do any planning. I think I’m saving time by just getting it done! I want to dive in and make it happen. But when you compare the time I spend on wandering through the store, making multiple trips and searching for a recipe that matches my weird collection of ingredients, I spend way more time on the same activity than she does. More money, too when I give up in frustration and say… how about Chinese tonight?

Pick whatever illustration drives the point home to you. Would you try to drive somewhere without a map? Would you build a house without a blueprint? Would you repair your car without a manual? The point is every one of you would agree that taking the time to create a plan will make your results better. But who will actually do it?

So is your marketing plan more like the way I shop for groceries or the way my wife does? Do you just dive in and do it, thinking that any sort of activity must be good, or do you take the time to create a plan?

If you’re already a planner, well thanks for reading this far. You're welcome to follow along and post some tips along the way. I definitely do NOT have all the answers. But I'm going to go out on a limb and say when it comes to making a marketing plan, the majority of us don't take the time to create and work a plan. That's what this blog is about. Giving you guidance and step by step instructions to create a simple marketing plan. If you follow along and do what I suggest, here's what you can expect to accomplish.

1. You'll identify your personal brand characteristics
2. You'll use those brand characteristics to determine what message you deliver to what customers.
3. You'll identify steps to take to get from where you are now to where you want to be.
4. You'll build accountability into your marketing efforts and better identify which activities are beneficial and which aren't.
5. You'll end up with a flexible system that can easily be tweaked and changed based on your results.

So, there you have it. I hope this sounds interesting and beneficial enough for you to sign up and follow along. The great thing about a blog is you can post comments. So, if you have tips or ideas to add, or think I'm off-base, post your comment so everyone can see it.

I'm excited about this little experiment. My goal is to run through the steps of this plan prior to our national sales meeting We'll go over the plan again at the meeting adding some new information and ideas from your peers.