Refresh your focus with 5 growth action questions
I am a fan of an annual business vision and strategy, not least as it means you can break out the entire back catalogue of Post-It notes. Big ones, small ones, round ones… pink, green, or the slightly-too-dark to write-on-clearly but still quite nice purple ones. The plan is a great way to shape your business future and map a way to it.
However, things can change. Clients (current and future) might start asking for different things in response to changes in their industries. You might want to shift your positioning slightly as your business moves forward. Or you simply might want to try new ideas or freshen up an approach.
Check in with your strategic intentions and run through these focus-refreshing questions, as they will help you take stock of what’s working and what you want to bring into sharper focus and refresh. You can apply the ask / think / do format to any aspect of your business; I’ve given you 5 GAQs to start with.
BRAND STORY
Ask:
Is my brand story and messaging really working hard for my business?
Think:
What is my business really known for?
Do:
Ask at least 5 clients, associates or social media connections what comes to mind when they think of your business. If the answers are all different, or not what you think you want to be known for, then double-down with your brand and marketing messaging to put the reputation you want in clear focus for your audience.
CLIENTS
Ask:
Which of my clients allow us me to do my best work?
Think:
Consider how many clients you have and of these, who are you doing your best work for, drive good income and bring you some joy. Are there enough of these clients?
Do:
Look at those ‘best work’ clients and find the commonalities between them. This will allow you to get super-specific about asking for these types of clients in your marketing.
INCOME
Ask:
Where is my income for the last quarter in comparison to my target?
Think:
Which clients / client types / projects / service types are driving most of this income?
Do:
Identify the services / packages / projects that will most likely reap income in the next quarter and make sure you are spotlighting these in your marketing and on your website. Get consistent at asking for specific referrals from your current clients.
MARKETING
Ask:
What marketing has worked will for me this quarter?
Think:
Where have my new clients come from? Which parts of my marketing are driving new clients? Look at the marketing you are doing that is not working as well.
Do:
Plan out some simple actions for refreshing any marketing that could be working harder. Put super-clear signposts on all your marketing so that people know how to work with you and make the steps into your business for them simple and quick.
INSIDE THE BUSINESS
Ask:
What is causing me problems inside my business.
Think:
Have you got your key processes mapped out so that everything you do follows a repeatable process? Doing this will help you identify the time drains. Take time to think about smarter / quicker ways to achieve these things.
Do:
Identify areas of business process that you can automate – this will make you more efficient and free up tome to do the things you get paid to do. Consider outsourcing tasks that you can’t charge your full value for.
Getting into a monthly or quarterly habit of reviewing your business with the ask / think / do growth action questions will give you a simple way to identify what’s really working and what needs to evolve, It will certainly help you refresh the parts of your strategy that other reviews cannot reach. Cheers to that.
If you want a creative approach to a strategy refresh, book in for a Seed Sower or Cultivator session where we work together to shape your strategic plan and create a pragmatic growth map to get your business where you want it to be. Pop over an email and let’s have a chat!