Your New Strategy is Going to Waste!
A Sad Tale with a Happy Ending
Once upon a time, there was a CEO with a very smart team. They also had a very big problem. Here they were – 2 months in to a new calendar year, two thirds of the way through the first quarter, but things were not going as expected. What could have gone wrong? They had put a lot of time and effort into a national kick off meeting for sales and marketing. Virtually and in person!!! (cue $$$ flying out the window) They rolled out a whole new strategic direction, accompanied by a brilliant lead generation program, a deliberate sales process and unprecedented after-sales support.
They could just imagine it – everyone would work together and everyone was sure to be a winner. Hordes of new customers would materialize and the happy customer testimonials would virtually write themselves. The event was fantastic. Everyone got excited and stormed back to work, determined to put all their energy behind the new vision.
This pump-up lasted about a week, and then day to day habits got in the way and everything new died on the vine. Sales were flat, new prospects non-existent. The CEO and his team were very, very sad.
Sound familiar? Unfortunately, this happens all too often.
Happily, there can be a different ending to this story. Imagine if you could incorporate something after the second paragraph that would help create a different outcome. An execution plan that lives beyond the kick-off meeting. You can! Let’s pick up where we left off:
The CEO and the team decided that this year, they would do things differently. They equipped their teams with playbooks to empower their sales and marketing talent and help keep everyone focused on the big goals. Everyone was well versed in how to accomplish their role in the big picture, step by step. The playbooks were:
Simple: Bite-sized, easy to digest pieces that everyone can relate to. Directions and instructions map to the new strategy – with a very select set of overarching goals
Inspirational: A vision of the future, focused on the basics with checklists, hints and tips, best practices, reminders of what’s coming in Q2, Q3, BOY.
Manageable: An interactive, electronic format that was easy to digest, distribute and update. Links to resources and sales tools also included cheerful reminders, triggering automated text messages and calendarized action items. They even printed a pocket-sized quick-start guide for those who like the tangible. So retro!!!
After the kick-off, everyone stormed back to work, determined to put all their energy behind the new vision. But this time – that vision is much more likely to become reality.
Life caught up like it always does, but armed with their expertly produced playbooks, the teams found it easier to stay focused on what needs to be done next. And the CEO, the team and the entire organization lived happily ever after.
The End. But not the end. If you need a playbook, get in touch. We’ll deliver the unexpected.
ClearEdge expertly produces playbooks that empower sales and marketing talent. We will help drive consistency, efficiency and effectiveness so your teams can adopt new technology, find new prospects or close new business. We apply strategic content organization to increase readability and comprehension with graphic enhancement to present a compelling and engaging look and feel – aligned with your brand and relevant to your audience.