What’s Your Plan?

Our world is built on systems. To stay in good working order, everything successful has a predefined process that creates an effective and efficient methodology for a desired outcome. Everything from open-heart surgery to paying your taxes is based on a system. Failure to adhere causes problems ranging from death to jail time.
Systems offer reassurance that we’re doing the right things to achieve success and that if we, for some reason, don’t do the right thing at the right time, we  know the consequences and know exactly what to do differently next time.
You wouldn’t expect a new McDonald’s franchise, for example, to experiment with its own way of doing things. McDonald’s has spent a tremendous amount of time, effort and energy perfecting its processes. It knows what works when it comes to greeting customers, frying potatoes and assembling a cheeseburger. It does it the same way every time.
It’s the same way with the Federal Aviation Administration on how to fly an airplane or with UPS on sending and receiving packages. How would you feel if next time you’re on an airplane, the pilot announces he or she won’t be following federal protocols and instead has his or her own way of flying the plane?
For your business, you wouldn’t dare operate without systems for managing cash flow and handling invoicing. Your business likely has systems for processing freight, managing production or scheduling deliveries, to name a few. Over time, you’ve developed procedures because experience has taught you what works. Repetition of the right behavior breeds success.
So why wouldn’t you have a system for your sales and marketing? Experience has shown me that most companies leave this critical component of their business to whim and gut instinct.
If I had a dollar for every time a salesperson said to me, “I have my own style of selling,” I’d be a gazillionaire. Typically, the salesperson who says this is inexperienced or hiding behind a lack of productivity. What that statement really means is, “I don’t want to be held accountable, I especially don’t want any scrutiny, and I don’t plan on learning anything from you.” 
It’s unfortunate, but this mindset closes people off from learning new things and prevents them from being as happy in their careers as they could be. It also keeps companies stuck at a level of revenue that they can’t seem to break through. We all want our companies to produce more, but how many of us are willing to sacrifice the sacred cow of “the old way of doing things” to do something different? How many are willing to submit to a systematic approach and be open-minded to any uncovered inefficiencies in their current methodology?
Despite the obvious benefits, one consistent objection to implementing a process is the belief that it stifles creativity and individuality. That’s simply false thinking. For example, assume you want a vanilla birthday cake for your birthday, something delicious to share with friends. You bake the cake by following the recipe exactly. Because you follow a proven recipe, you know the outcome will taste fantastic. But you want the cake to be yours, so you express individuality by selecting the color and flavor of icing, the message on top and any decorations. Once a system is perfected, there’s always room for individuality, process improvement and unique situations. We might embellish the system, but we don’t abandon it. Creativity simply personalizes an already proven plan.
For marketing and advertising to be successful, you’ve got to have a plan. I coach businesses in seven critical areas that require a systematic approach to be successful. Because they’re interconnected, failure to have a system for each causes weakness in the other six. In no particular order, those seven areas are: sales, prospecting, communication, CRM, negotiation,         objection-handling and behaviors.
Do you know what’s required to get to a particular step? When you reach a certain point in any of these systems, do you know what is or isn’t supposed to happen next? How do you measure success in each step? Do you know if you’re on track or falling behind?
You’ve heard the adage: Plan your work, and then work the plan. Well-defined systems are crucial to any business’ success. Sooner or later, you’ll have to give in and create a plan. What IBM, McDonalds and countless others have successfully demonstrated should cause you to stop and think.
So, what’s your plan?
Catherine Atkins is an authorized Missouri franchisee for Sandler Training, a global leader in business development training, systems and strategy. Visit www.savant.sandler.com