“The company without a strategy is willing to try anything. If all you’re trying to do is essentially the same thing as your rivals, then it’s unlikely that you’ll be very successful.”

 – Professor Michael Porter. Harvard Business School.

So what’s your firm’s winning strategy? Your blueprint for a successful future?  These are important questions to answer because as suggested by world-leading strategy professor, Michael Porter, if you don’t have a good strategy then you will most likely fail.

As a business owner, analyzing your competitive landscape and then developing powerful strategies are two of the most important tasks you need to perform.  Trouble is, if you’re like most business owners, you haven’t been taught key principles and techniques of effective analysis and strategy development.

Until now.  Why?

To help you create your winning business strategy, Ben M. Bartlett offers a strategy planning and development service that helps to produce:

• Innovative analysis, strategies and ideas
• Concise, dynamic strategic and marketing plans
• Powerful execution, leading to improved performance and growth in sales, profits and equity

You will learn about this service in greater detail shortly.  However, let’s firstly share the three key things you need to develop a winning strategy for your business.

Three key things you need to analyze, develop and execute a winning strategy

1.  A mindset and a commitment to strategy

As a business owner literally every minute of the day your mind is generating ideas and making decisions.  However, due mainly to the day-to-day operational pressures of running a business, the things you most often think about are mundane, urgent and operational in nature.  Put another way, little of your time is devoted to strategic thinking.

When taken to its extreme, getting too caught up in your day-to-day business operations can be disastrous, and can adversely affect personal and business relationships, stress levels and even general health. Just as importantly though, when you’re heavily involved “in” your business, you can’t see enough of the forest because you’re too much in the trees.  In other words, your capacity to think strategically is impaired.

Actually, if you take a look under the hood of your business, then you’ll find a number of strategic weaknesses.  Rampant competition, poorly differentiated products and services, declining demand, razor-thin margins and sluggish sales are just some indicators of this.  They are also indicators that you may lack effective structures and systems to deal with growth demands.

The solution? You need to call “time out”, engage in some strategic thinking, and start working “on your business.”  And that requires a commitment to strategy.

When your business is strategically strong it is easier to gain and maintain a strong market presence, your business is more favorably seen as the brand preference in the eyes of prospects and customers, and it is harder for competitors to imitate you.   And when you have the right structures and systems in place you become more operationally effective. Ultimately, you will be more successful.

Again though, it starts with strategic thinking and a commitment to strategy.

2.  Powerful strategy tools and systems

To develop powerful strategies and plans you need a powerful strategy system that has high-level strategic thinking at its core, applies proven strategy principles, and uses the best tools.

As any good builder, electrician or doctor will tell you, to do a good job you need a good toolkit.  Such a toolkit comprises tools, techniques and models needed to properly perform a role and complete a task.

The “good toolkit” principle also applies to the skill of developing and executing strategy.  Put simply, to skillfully develop and execute strategy, you need a good strategy toolkit. Indeed, without one you run the risk of royally screwing up your strategy.

Thankfully, you can develop and execute winning strategies with the help of The Strategy Toolkit.

Created in 1994, The Strategy Toolkit is a set of strategy tools and models you can use for better strategic thinking, decision-making and planning.  And with a rich history behind it, the tools and models in The Strategy Toolkit are time-tested and proven to work.

You can liken the tools in the Strategy Toolkit to recipes for your favorite cake.  As you know, when baking a recipe tells you the ingredients and tools you need, and then provides step-by-step instructions on how to use the tools to turn the ingredients into a delicious delight.

In essence, the cake recipe provides structure and a process that when properly followed, produces a great result.

And the benefits of using these tools?

• Analysis is much more creative and insightful.  Because you’re using visual tools to analyse you can better see the forest from the trees.
• Your strategies and ideas are more innovative. The tools will help you to identify and create the right strategies you need to compete.

Another key benefit of these tools is a strategic priority on the development of intangible assets.

Intangible assets have been shown by modern day business development and valuation practices to be the core drivers of business growth and performance.  Therefore, it is imperative for every serious business owner to focus strategic time, attention and energy to the development and optimisation of intangibles.

3.  Access to a master strategist

You have your accountant.  You have your lawyer.  And you likely have marketing and HR partners and suppliers helping you. What’s missing?  Your strategist.

The Collins dictionary defines a strategist as “Someone who is skilled in planning the best way to gain an advantage or to achieve success.” So, the strategist fulfills the role of an analyst, troubleshooter, planner and advisor.

Top performing businesses engage the services of strategists to help them.

Some firms employ Chief Strategy Officers (CSOs) who are tasked with assisting the CEO or business owner on matters relating to strategy. And, many business leaders also engage external strategy consultants who perform a number of roles including strategy audits, strategy facilitation and strategy design.

In the corporate world the CSO is a highly valued member of the executive team, while some strategy consulting firms command as much as $300,000 a month for their strategy expertise.

Why hire a CSO or external strategist? The reason is simple.  Strategy is the key, and to craft a winning strategy you need access to qualified strategy experts.  

Introducing Strategy Projects – Strategy Planning and Development Projects

Our one-off strategy planning and development service is called Strategy Projects.

Depending on the complexity of your project, time is allocated for strategic war room sessions, which can be divided into 1-4 hour blocks over the period of the project.  There is also unlimited contact available by text, email and phone during this period.

In terms of priority, the focus of Strategy Projects is the planning and development of instangible assets, outlined here:

• Values system (Including the development of the firm’s mission statement)
• Strategic positioning and economic franchise development
• Profit model and growth strategy
• Productised IP/IA development
• Strategic brands
• Champion Team system
• Strategic relationships
• Marketing communications system and database
• Strategy support systems
• Human capital development

If you’re considering investing in another business, our Strategy Projects can help you there as well. Post-analysis reporting will highlight strengths and weaknesses of that business, and then offer recommendations based on the results of the analysis.

Strategic Writing

Another project offering is strategic writing.

As highlighted on our strategic writing page, strategic words are the fuel that drive business strategy.

Strategic words?

When it comes to developing and driving strategy, there are specific words you need. They’re called strategic words, and they are the fuel of business. Strategic words fuel the business strategy engine.

Strategic words are words with power and meaning, and you use them to:

• Develop and codify your values system, philosophy and purpose
• Communicate your strategic position
• Share your vision of the future
• Define your mission
• Craft engaging brand stories
• Create memorable product and service names
• Develop robust strategic plans
• Formulate persuasive investment pitches and proposals
• Build a powerful team culture
• Improve brand awareness
• Present your products and services better
• Strengthen internal and external relationships

So as you can see, strategic words are hugely important.

With Strategy Projects you can access our strategic writing service to produce:

• Strategy documents
• Intangible assets/IP
• Thought leadership assets

The cost?

The fee for Strategy Projects starts at just $20,000 per project.

If oue projects service meets your requirements and is within your budget, contact Ben M. Bartlett to arrange to receive a free consultation, either by video call or in-person. We’ll go into more detail about the service and how it will help you.  To arrange your consultation email ben (at) benmbartlett.com

Also, if you haven’t yet done so, get your free copy of The Strategy Book.  And a free subscription to the Strategic Lessons Newsletter.