Marketing consultants have to come up with great ideas and sell them to their client. Some take it a step further and create project plans. A few even stick around to execute the marketing plan. How do you know how your marketing consultant can perform through this marketing continuum?
Some of the key variables to getting marketing projects done include how individuals naturally focus their energy and prefer to work. At the Association for Strategic Planning annual conference in February, I was introduced to a unique assessment system designed to help individuals and teams maximize performance while minimizing stress. The underlying assumptions of the 5 Dynamics assessment/reporting system assessment are based on neurobiology, not personality.
I took the assessment in 2-3 minutes online, and in short order was served up a 13 page report that allowed me to review my ideal work environment, motivation, communication, interaction with others on my team, task orientation, preferences for taking direction, leadership, sales orientation and learning style. The result told me that I love the exploration stage of a project, and I’m deliberate in the proposal, planning, and execution stages. Some of the points from my report are:
When you enter the 1st Dynamic, you instantly have new insights, ideas and connections.
You put time and energy into feelings, people and developing community.
You will stay within the boundaries necessary to get through the 3rd Dynamic. You very seldom distract the team from the agenda.
You will implement plans within deadlines and other boundaries.
I felt the assessment was accurate, and it explains why I love strategic marketing planning and easily adopt and assimilate new marketing techniques, technologies and methodologies for my clients. It also explains why my process of working from a one-page, written marketing plan and working with great teams leads to successful execution. I also loved the validation of my business name, New Incite. I chose the name because I incite my clients to positive change by offering new insights into their marketing!
Many thanks to Dr. Joyce Reynolds-Sinclair for showcasing the 5 Dynamics tool at the ASP Conference. By the way, the tool also provides analyses for teams – it quickly pinpoints any of the 5 Dynamics that a team is lacking. If you want to know more about 5 Dynamics, visit the web site at www.5dynamics.com.
I attended the Association for Strategic Planning’s annual conference in Pasadena, California on February 22-24, 2010. I got value from great networking, exhibits on strategic planning tools, methodologies and materials, author book-signings, workshops and breakout sessions. The keynote speakers were outstanding. They truly are some of the rock stars of strategic planning.
Here are some of my takeaways (note that these are not in order of importance or level of strategic-planning-rock-star-ness):
Dave Logan, co-author of Tribal Leadership, Professor at the USC Marshall School of Business
Strategic planning has a “first mile problem.” It’s critical to execute and show some results for strategic plans, but few do this.
Micro-strategies create a burst of implementation.
Businesses that are demoralized should focus on the assets they have first, instead of on the assets they don’t have.
Sometimes an asset that you don’t think is that important becomes a critical success factor (example: followers on social network can be a major factor for marketing communication).
When businesses execute based on core values, the values act as a booster for getting results sooner.
The micro-strategy process lends itself well to strategic thinking’s nested strategies.
Daryl Conner, Chairman of Conner Partners and Blogger, Change Thinking
Number one reason for failure to execute strategic plan is leader’s lack of sponsorship for the plan to change.
Strategic planners and plan implementers should spend more time talking to each other over the fence.
Winners see themselves as both leaders and students at the same time.
In order to change, an organization must have a “burning platform” – something too painful or expensive to continue the status quo.
Charles Kennedy, SVP of Research, ABC Television Network
Referencing The Fourth Turning, Kennedy sited the authors’ 80-100 year cycles of American history: 1.) Awakening; 2.) Unraveling; 3.) Crisis; 4.)Heightening.
We are currently in the crisis era, which the authors of The Fourth Turning predicted would start in 2005.
Each stage in a cycle of history brings new meaning for society and how we tell our stories.
In the crisis stage, there are nine new social contexts: intense parenting, rising community, simplicity, gender gap, stigma, survival, secular heroes, urgency, big & friendly.
Robert M. Malchione, SVP, Corporate Strategy and Technology, Avery Dennison
Use ring-fence investing on key growth initiatives
For OEMs, it’s important to focus on end-users of product as well as OEM customers
Transparent communication is critical for innovation and agility
ASP’s annual conference on strategic planning will be in Dallas, Texas, next year – a perfect fit for one of Kennedy’s nine social contexts for our crisis era: big and friendly. The dates will be announced soon; the plan is to have the conference in early March of 2011.
Dave Logan, Co-Founder/Senior Partner of Culture Sync, Professor at the Marshall School of Business at USC, and C0-Author of the book Tribal Leadership, presented the opening keynote at the Association for Strategic Planning annual conference in Pasadena, California. In a little over an hour, Dave gave the audience of strategic planners a new model for [...]
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Critical elements of the one-page marketing plan:
Vision, Mission and Goals. Before planning, you should know what your company does (mission), where you want it to be in the next three to five years (vision), and how you are going to get there (goals).
SMART Goals. Goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely.
Customer Segments or [...]
I hired Jennifer to project manage the development of new corporate logo, web site, and ancillary materials. Her grasp of the subject matter and ability to manage the creative and functional processes was excellent. The result of our collaboration and her expertise provided superb results in a relatively time-constrained schedule. — Don Matso, Founder, The Valere Group
Some of the key variables to getting marketing projects done include how individuals naturally focus their energy and prefer to work. At the Association for Strategic Planning annual conference in February, I was introduced to a unique assessment system designed to help individuals and teams maximize performance while minimizing stress. The underlying assumptions of the 5 Dynamics assessment/reporting system assessment are based on neurobiology, not personality.
