Yea, yea, I know you’ve heard this before – but you know what? IT IS TRUE.

Nothing about business today is “as usual” and you shouldn’t invest any of your hard-earned money or valuable time on anything “off the cuff”. Developing new business is no exception. You need a plan.

First, there's a result you’re looking for; what is it? Without having a clear purpose in mind, the reason you’re going through the effort and expense, how will you know if the money and time you invested was worth it? You say you’ll “know”? You’ll “feel it”? Wrong.

Follow these 6 steps for any project or goal you have and you’ll not only have a good plan, but you’ll see the results you want, too. Isn’t that what it’s all about?

1. Why: Define your goal(s). What is the outcome you want? It’s important to be S.M.A.R.T. here. (25 new clients in October, $7,500 in new revenue by the end of the year, 20% increase in sales in 2006, etc.)

(Make sure any goal you set is S.M.A.R.T. – Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound)

2. What: What programs (i.e. promotions, speaking engagements, workshops, etc.) will you use to achieve the above results? Let’s say you own a small café. Yes, you could advertise in the local paper or magazine, but so do most of your competitors. Other ideas that you can implement with or perhaps in place of traditional advertising might be: Participating in a fundraising “Cook-off”; join forces with a local gourmet store and offer one, or a series, of cooking lessons; write a cook book, etc.

3. Who & When: Create an action plan. Who’s going to do what when? Make sure you complete your plan including a timeline and “champion” for each step. A champion is the individual responsible for accomplishing that action step. They may not be the actual person to DO the task, but they have the responsibility to make sure the task is completed.

4. Now do it. Execute. Put your plan into action. Nothing happens if nothing happens – get it? A tip for you on this one. Eliminate the words “Yea, but….” from your vocabulary. “Yea, but my key sales person quit….” “Yea, but traffic was way down because of the gas prices….” “Yea, but …” blah, blah, blah. You’re in business. Make your plan based on what is best for your business and execute the plan.

5. Review the results as you go along, make adjustments as needed, resume. Nothing is set in stone. If the situation changes, adjust your plan accordingly. HOWEVER, don’t make major changes mid-stream unless something major has happened to warrant it. Be disciplined and stick with the plan, but use your gut and common sense. Don’t lose sight of your goal.

6. Celebrate! When you see success, even little victories along the way, celebrate. Let’s face it; you know marketing and advertising is a long-term effort. Chances are you won't see breakthrough results over night. It can be discouraging spending so much time and effort and not seeing an avalanche of new business right away. It’s important to Trust the process and Celebrate progress . Acknowledge little successes along the way.

Remember, having a plan is critical, but it’s about more than planning. It’s about you, your determination, your perseverance and your passion to succeed. Put it all together and you’ll get the results you need to compete and thrive in your marketplace.

Next week: Workshops & Seminars as a marketing tool.

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