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Make A Strategic Action Plan

Written by: David Cohen

Article Overview: So what do we do when sales are flat? I say you have to dig those heels in a little and get re-focused. Yes, there is no doubt that slow selling times bring forth anxiety and fears.

Make A Strategic Action Plan

So what do we do when sales are flat? I say you have to dig those heels in a little and get re-focused. Yes, there is no doubt that slow selling times bring forth anxiety and fears. Although anxiety and fear can seem real to you…I assure you it’s not. The real way to get over these feelings is to get into action. Take time to analyze all areas of your business and make a strategic action plan.

I was working with one business owner who has all kinds of thoughts and areas to focus on in their business and they just don’t seem to be accomplishing anything. There is just too much to do in their business and it has them on “overwhelm” mode.
My recommendation is take it all on, but manage each area of the business separately and divide them up into smaller projects. For example, your sales, web site, accounting, marketing, production can be broken down into categories and headings. The next step is to assign the necessary tasks to accomplish the goals and address the issues in each area of your business.

I do this on a large piece of Bristol board and use 3M post-it-notes to write down each action step I need. On the Post-it-notes are the tasks or goals. Once completed, I remove each note and put up a new task that needs to be done.
The post-it-notes act as big reminders for me and give me focus. On each note are the actions I need to take in each area of my business. The Bristol board can be decorated and fun. If you want, you can include motivational sayings and pictures as decorations and to help keep you motivated during the lean times.
Once you are re-focused to the tasks you need to take on in your business, you start to feel good because you are always in action around key areas of your business. And trust me…when you are in action, those results will come!
So work on creating your “Action Board”. It’s amazing when you think about things to do in your business, write down your goals and actions and see it in front of you every day, what can happen. I use a board similar to this and I find it keeps me focused.
On the next page, I have an example of an “Action Board” for you to see what I am talking about. So don’t get panicky about slow sales. Just take action and stay in action. You will love the results!











Marketing Sales Accounting New Projects
Create Brochures Develop Contact List Set up Books and systems Volunteer with a charity
Host an info session Meet 10 new clients/month Buy an accounting system Set up a success team
Get some “Free” publicity Call at least 10-15 clients/day Throw out the shoe box Find a mentor



As you can see above, the chart lists each key goal or task. Use post-it-notes so that once one task is complete you can remove it and identify another task, goal or action step.


Create the problem:

One other key thing you can do to beef up sales during a slow time is to create the problem. Now I can’t take credit for this kind of thinking. I read and follow the advice of one of North America’s top marketing minds. Chet Holmes. You can find out more about Chet by logging onto www.chetholmes.com

Here is what I mean when I say to create a problem. In your marketing, you are probably dazzling and amazing your customers on how good you are or how cheap you are. Maybe you are having a sale or are pitching a new product or service? These are all good things to be promoting…however, in this day and age of immense clutter and information overload, you have to show up and be different.

So how can you be different? Well one way is to create the problem. Use studies, facts, research and reports to help accentuate the problems your business solves for your client. Focus too on the end game or the benefits you offer your client. Now don’t be lame with your benefits and just state that you offer good service or are the best price, because if I got something like that on my desk, I would say, “PROVE IT”!

But if you quoted a study or report to back up what it is you do…then you have just created something more tangible for your clients to work with. I worked with one client who operated a Computer Cleaning Business. (He’s the nicest guy there is and if you want your computers cleaned after reading this…let me know and I will get you in touch with him).

So it’s all well and good to offer someone the cleanest computers and the best prices. In fact, it’s probably the route most of us would take when it comes to marketing our own businesses. Now here is the rub… My client obtained a University study that showed that there were more germs on your keyboard at work then there are on the average toilet seat.

Studies have actually been done on this. Think about it! Someone with a bad cold could rub their nose and then use the keyboard. Or you could be having lunch and we all know that breadcrumbs can be found within the keys themselves.

Now I am not trying to gross you out…but using that one study in your marketing “Pitch”, just created a whole new set of images and problems in your mind.

You can actually compare a toilet seat to your keyboard and can well imagine how many germs maybe contained within. For the .00 fee it is a month to have your technical equipment running smoothly and having it cleaned, it would be well worth it to have your computer cleaned, wouldn’t it?

Now get this. What’s the cost to having germs on your keyboard? Maybe your employees are getting sick, taking time off work and you lose some of that productivity. Makes you think even more, that the .00 cleaning service is well worth its weight in gold.

Do you see the difference? If you can create the problem in the client’s mind by using data, facts, figures, research and reports, you can really get your client to take action faster and probably with you.

In another case, used by “Home and Office Organizers”, studies within that industry show that the average business owner spends 150 hours a year looking for lost or misplaced files. 150 hours is about a week of lost time. What’s that worth to you? What would you do if you had an extra week in your year? Do you think it now becomes more imperative to hire an organizer for a few hundred dollars so that you don’t waste that kind of time on finding lost files?

So read up on anything by Chet Holmes or Jay Abraham and use some facts, data, reports and research to help you accentuate problems in your client’s mind. I guarantee it will get them to really take note and take action to correct it.

Happy Marketing!

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