By Ahmed al-Akber/Dubai
Why does growing a new business feel so difficult at times? You seem to work night and day but you spin your wheels and don’t get very far. Things are reactive rather than proactive: you are taking orders rather than seeking out new customers, you are frantically trying to deliver these orders, many with costly and time-consuming errors, and you barely have time to think. Not a great situation to be in!
Imagine a week where you would get to work and not have to think about what to do. Each day of your week would be already planned out. You would know why each activity is being done – what greater goal you are trying to achieve by carrying out that specific task.
You would know how to get them done – as it would have already been thought out by you before. And finally you would know what you need to get them done – the tools, the templates, the resources, and so on.
I’m not saying to forget that you have a pulse and work like a robot. That’s when things just “get done” and you forget why you are doing them (a risky way to work that inevitably leads you down a path of drifting and complacency while the rest of your market speeds ahead of you).
I am saying that following a marketing process will help you to scale your efforts in a way that enables you to achieve more than you would if didn’t have one. It’s up to you to find the balance between both extremes.
Here are some ideas on how to develop your own marketing process:
What marketing goals do you want to achieve? List out your specific marketing goals to remind you of why you are doing this in the first place. The clearer you are on your goals, the greater the chance that you’ll succeed in achieving them.
What activities will help you achieve those marketing goals? Simply list these out. Can you classify them as “nice to haves” or “must haves”? Highlight the ones that you do on a regular basis. Start small here – work from daily, weekly, and then monthly activities. Do you see any patterns? Are there any activities that can be delegated to others, minimised, or eliminated altogether?
Implement the process. Perhaps others in your organisation will be involved. In this case it’s best to include them in the above process – you’ll have a better chance of their buy-in and understanding that way.
Document the steps you have just agreed on and communicate them in whatever way you can – just telling someone that a new ‘marketing process folder’ is now available for view in the shared drive usually won’t work.
Get them together for however long it takes and walk them through it. Even better, get them to do it with you.
- Ahmed al-Akber is the managing director of ACK Solutions, a firm that helps companies to improve their marketing and sales results by offering more effective ways attracting customers and significantly better products and services. Ahmed has worked internationally in marketing, sales, and strategic planning at companies such as the Coca-Cola Company, Philip Morris International and Dell. Questions or comments can be sent to Ahmed on [email protected]
