Do you have a battle plan?
I have the opportunity to talk with business owners on a regular basis. Sometimes I'll hear comments that the economy is poor and other times I'll hear comments that indicate that the times couldn't be better.
One thing that I know is that business is good for those that learn to roll with the times. It is good for those that learn how to adapt and change with the realities of the current marketing conditions.
Not often enough do business leaders actually plan for the future and plan for contigencies. Even more infrequent is being willing to change the plan as the situation indicates.
Helmuth von Moltke the Elder said, "No plan of operations extends with certainty beyond the first encounter with the enemy's main strength." He is often quoted as saying, "No plan survives contact with the enemy."
While we never want to consider our customers the enemy, a well laid plan can allow us to be far more successful in our go-to-market strategy. The willingness to be flexible in that plan can mean the difference between success an failure.
In war, you are never remembered as "almost winning." You are either the victor or the defeated. And the victor gets to choose how the history books will remember you.
My feeling is that the economy, like life, is what we make of it. Plan for success. Plan for contingencies. Above all, plan for changes because they'll certainly come.
Corey Smith is the president of Tribute Media a web development firm providing high performing, industry specific websites. He is a businessman, writer, technology fanatic, graphic designer and web developer. His greatest passion is teaching, consulting and speaking.
You can find him on Twitter, FaceBook, FriendFeed, and LinkedIn.
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