Overcoming Planning Phobias
An astonishing number of corporate leaders we talk to do not have a go-to-market plan which Gartner defines as, “A plan that details how an organization can engage with customers to convince them to buy their product or service and to gain a competitive advantage.”
When we inquire the reason why, the response is typically, “I need revenue, not a plan.”
At this point in the conversation, we often invoke Saint-Exupéry’s observation, “A goal without a plan is just a wish” and brace for the leader to rationalize not having a plan. Usually, it has to do with whether the company views the market through either an engineering or sales point of view.
It’s not uncommon for engineering-oriented leaders to embrace a “Field of Dreams” perspective rooted in the belief that they’ve built the product and it’s only a matter of time before the buyers come.
Similarly, it’s not surprising for sales-oriented leaders to adopt an “Al Davis” perspective based on the conviction of “Just sell, baby” because buyers are out there and, if you have enough sales reps calling into the market, they’ll find deals.
In our years of experience, we’ve found neither of these approaches to be an efficient and effective path to revenue. And, more poignantly, we’ve discovered that even a halfway decent plan will deliver better results than no plan at all.
So, what’s the real reason these leaders don’t have plan? Candidly, they dread it because they don’t have a proven methodology to simplify the process of developing a plan that is useful in guiding business decision-making.
There’s really no need for planning phobias. Plans don’t have be complicated. They don’t have to take a long time to create. And they don’t need to be tomes that never looked at after they are written.
To learn more about planning and our proven process, please contact us.
Oh, and if you’re a leader who’s still not convinced about the need for a go-to-market plan, consider these questions:
- Would you embark upon a drive across the country without a travel plan?
- Would you sign up for a marathon, century or triathlon without a training plan?
- Would you build a house without a construction plan?
Of course you wouldn’t. So, why run your business without a plan?
