Introducing the single-most important solution to improve the performance of your business
- Looking for innovative ways to lift your firm's sales, market share and profitability?
- Frustrated with people or teams that aren't performing?
- Have a business idea and want to know if it's worth pursuing?
- Is high work stress taking a severe toll on you, your family life, relationships and health?
- Do you want to breathe new life into your products, marketing and brands?
If you answered "yes" to any of the above questions, then here's the first thing you need to do. Engage in high-level strategic thinking and planning.
First off, what is strategic thinking? When something is strategic it is considered to be important or valuable, and thinking in this context refers to the generation of ideas and decisions. Strategic thinking therefore is the skill of generating high-value ideas and decisions. And, strategic planning is the process of putting those ideas into a structured framework.
In 2009 the Wall Street Journal featured a study revealing that strategic thinking is the most valued executive skill. Conducted by Management Research Group, the study was global in scale and canvassed the views of 40,000 managers and executives in 144 countries across 27 industries. That's what I call a big survey.
Yes, look closely at the leaders of high-performing organizations and you will find that effective strategic thinking and planning plays a central role in their successes. In other words, these high-performers devote significant time and energy to strategic thinking and planning. What about you?
Let me introduce you to a unique strategy consulting and strategic planning service that will help you to dramatically improve your strategic performance and overcome challenges such as those outlined above. With this service you will uncover ways to better deal with rampant competition, poorly differentiated products and services, declining demand, razor thin margins and sluggish sales.
You will find it easier to gain and maintain a strong market presence, your business will be seen more favorably as the brand preference in the eyes of prospects and customers, and it will be harder for competitors to imitate you.
Using the Strategic Business Growth Grid as the underlying model, this service provides you with innovative and powerful business growth strategies and plans in the areas of :
- Business and competitive strategy
- Strategic marketing and branding
- Strategic HR and human performance
The service? It's called SmartSWOT.
Why SmartSWOT?
Designed for CEOs, business owners and boards of directors who are serious about improving strategic performance, my SmartSWOT service provides a comprehensive approach to strategic business development. And what makes it so effective? Here are the key factors that underpin its power.
1. Powered by Creativity and Intuition
The philosophy behind SmartSWOT is quite simple: To win the business game you've got to out-think and out-maneuver your competitors not just once – but on an ongoing basis. The secret to doing this? Constantly develop and execute great ideas, strategies and plans.
But where do great ideas come from? As suggested by Albert Einstein, they're primarily produced from creativity and intuition. And my philosophy is that any strategic thinking and planning initiative needs to be lead by creativity and intuition, and supported by intellect.
Now, this philosophy may fly in the face of conventional business wisdom with its emphasis on skills like finance, accounting and the need to do things sequentially and orderly. But here's the reality. Ideas drive your business. And to get those ideas you need to think less sequentially and more intuitively.
Here's an important, yet little known fact about strategic thinking
Firstly, strategic thinking is intuitive thinking. And, it is the type of thinking that takes place in a particular part of the brain – specifically the brain's right frontal area.
The good news for you? My SmartSWOT service focuses on using the brain's right frontal area. So with with this service you get ideas driven by creativity and intuition.
Just as importantly however, these ideas will be supported by high quality analysis and intellect. I call them intelligent ideas. This powerful combination is the essence of creative strategic planning.
2. Introducing SmartSWOT Tools
To help create the intelligent ideas you need, SmartSWOT uses some unique tools that merge creativity with intellect. You won't find these tools anywhere else, so let me introduce them to you.
An important principle of strategic thinking and planning is that proper diagnosis precedes prescription. Put another way, before figuring out where you want to go and how you plan to get there, you firstly need to determine your current position and why you are there. This, of course, is the purpose of the SWOT analysis.
Let's be clear about this. Analysis – in which I also include intelligence or information gathering – is crucial to strategic thinking and planning. But it's important not to get too bogged down in the detail. Otherwise you run the risk of over-analyzing, which in turn will dampen your creative juices.
To help you analyze more creatively and avoid analysis paralysis, I've developed SmartSWOT visual analysis and brainstorming tools. These tools include mind maps, grids and matrices, process visuals and other visual diagrams. Why are these tools important?
Neuroscience has shown that when visual tools like these are used as part of a planning and brainstorming process, the brain's right hemisphere – that part of the brain that is more creatively oriented – is engaged more easily. As a result, creativity is enhanced, obstacles can be more clearly seen, these tools allow you to better see the forest from the trees, and ideas are generated more easily. Also, the ideas and strategies tend to be more innovative and creative.
With the SmartSWOT tools you won't get as caught up in paralysis by analysis and the process of strategy making and idea generation won't be as frustrating. Most importantly, your left brain (the analytical side) and the right brain (the creative side) will work together better. Ultimately, SmartSWOT tools means you get more good ideas, more often.
A key point. SmartSWOT is not a computer software program. Planning software is fine if you want to create a run-of-the-mill business plan. But if you want dynamic and innovative strategies and tactics, you need analytical tools like SmartSWOT.
3. SmartSWOT One Page Strategic and Marketing Plans
Another valuable strategic planning tool I've developed is SmartSWOT One Page Plans. These are simple, yet powerful plans that visually outline your strategy and key actions on a single page. This enables you and your key team members to quickly and easily understand your strategy, implement its key actions and keep track of your progress.
As you've probably learned through experience, few people take the time to read strategic plans. Reading SmartSWOT One Page Plans though is a breeze. They're a fast, easy way for everyone in your business to understand what your business is all about, and what steps need to be taken to move the business forward.
4. Strategic Business Growth Sequence
SmartSWOT is comprehensive in that it helps you to improve business performance in the twelve key components of strategic business growth.
These twelve components – outlined below – are essential to the growth of any business. And only SmartSWOT helps you to excel in each component, in a methodical manner.
5. The SmartSWOT Strategic Planning Process
In terms of a process my work involves:
- Getting clarity and an understanding of a client's current situation, problem or challenge
- Gathering research data and market intelligence
- Analyzing intelligence and data using proprietary analytical tools and processes
- Identifying points of competitive advantage and weakness
- Creating strategies, tactics and ideas to take advantage of opportunities, and to counter threats
- Formulating plans and systems
- Working with clients in an advisory, mentoring and/or coaching capacity to ensure that plans are executed effectively.
When it comes to ideas, strategies and tactics, these may involve minor strategic tweaking, or they could be far more comprehensive. Recommendations and ideas may include:
- Re-positioning your business or products
- Adjusting your product portfolio, by
- Changing target markets
- Altering sales model and systems
- Changing pricing structure
- Re-branding
- Amending business structure or systems
- Liquidating/selling off business units
- Implementing different marketing campaigns and approaches
So there you have it? The key reasons why you should consider SmartSWOT as the strategy consulting and strategic planning service for your business. Now as for service options there are several available, which I will now outline.
The Strategic Advisor Program
The Strategic Advisor Program is a hybrid strategy consulting, planning and coaching program that gives entrepreneurial firms access to a range of services on an ongoing basis. These services follow and apply the Strategic Business Growth Sequence outlined above and include:
- Market intelligence and research
- SWOT analysis and troubleshooting using SmartSWOT system and tools
- Development of a dominant strategic position and strategy
- Revenue stream planning and modeling
- Improving Strategic HR structure and processes
- Product and service development
- Building a brand awareness system (branding/marketing tactics and campaigns)
- Creating an effective opt-in system
- Developing customer conversion system
- Designing a customer service and retention system to service and retain customers
- Building a customer development system to sell more, more often to customers (increase purchase frequency and unit sales value)
- Coaching, training and mentoring
The Strategic Advisor Program has two versions – one for small to mid-sized businesses, and the other for CEOs or senior executives of larger firms.
Strategy Sessions
A key component of the Strategic Advisor Program are Strategy Sessions. So what are they? Essentially Strategy Sessions are short, one-on-one or small group strategic thinking, planning and consulting sessions to help you address an immediate need, challenge or problem that exists in your business.
Designed to be a time-efficient and affordable means of accessing high-level strategic expertise, you can use Strategy Sessions in a number of ways such as:
- Figuring out why sales are not growing as they should
- Identifying growth markets and outlining the best ways to reach them
- Reviewing your existing strategy and/or plan
- Determining the underlying cause of poor team performance
- Auditing sales and marketing systems
- Brainstorming new product ideas
- Formulating new business or product/service brands
- Evaluating business ideas or opportunities
Strategy Projects
When you have a specific, one-off need, your best option is usually Strategy Projects, which are designed for projects ranging in duration from several days to several months. The types of projects available to you? They vary and include:
Business Strategy
- Business model design
- Development of organizational vision and mission
- Creating or re-defining organizational values and culture
- Forming organizational architecture
- Traditional business planning
- One page strategic plans
Strategic Marketing
- Market research and analysis
- Revenue stream and pricing modeling
- Targeting and positioning
- Product development
- Channel development
- One page marketing plans
- Strategic Brand development – Including naming, design and production.
- Sales process and customer conversion development
- Sales force development
- Marketing structure and human resource development – Developing an effective marketing structure and human resource performance management systems.
Strategic HR and Human Performance
- Auditing organizational culture and climate, and the alignment of values, strategy and behavior.
- Troubleshooting human resource and human performance/behavior issues. Tools used include behavioral interviewing and 360 degree feedback.
- Advising on organizational structure and architecture.
- Designing skill recruitment processes
- Designing performance management systems
- Business restructuring and change management
- Coaching for CEOs/owners, managers and team members
The SmartSWOT Strategic Planning Bootcamp
Like the name suggests, the SmartSWOT Bootcamp is where you and your team come together for 1-2 days to engage in serious strategic thinking and planning. It is also an avenue to help you to develop dynamic and actionable strategies, tactics and plans for your business.
Essentially, the SmartSWOT Bootcamp is a strategy workshop combined with group strategic facilitation and brainstorming.There is a strong learning element in the bootcamp as you learn the essential elements of strategic thinking and planning. However the key component in the bootcamp is where all participants engage in serious analysis, brainstorming and strategic and tactical ideation.
A warning. this bootcamp is not like one of those "strategic retreats" some business executives attend, which are more like social gatherings as opposed to serious strategy sessions. It is hard work, mentally and creatively demanding, and so requires focus and commitment from those who participate.
The process followed is flexible, while still following a clear pathway. This allows you to focus on those issues that are strategically important to your future success and development.
Summary
SmartSWOT will help you improve your ability to think strategically, and also to develop stronger, more innovative strategic plans. Further, instead of generating cookie-cutter recommendations that traditional consulting so often produces, SmartSWOT will stimulate ideas, solutions and plans that are insightful, highly creative and are potentially more valuable to you.
If you want left-brain,data and numbers-focused strategic thinking – which will in turn generate boring, uninspiring strategies, ideas and plans – my strategy consulting services and SmartSWOT tools are definitely not for you. But, if you want innovation, creativity and competitively superior strategies, then they're just what you need.
For more information about strategy consulting and SmartSWOT please email or call 0064 9 534 9314. When you call, request a copy of a sample SmartSWOT tool to get you thinking about how creative and innovative your strategies could be.
