Agencies are not the answer. Several years ago, a Wisconsin client who makes metal casted components for OEM’s, came to us with what I ended up calling their “Frankenstein”—a stitched-together mess of random tactics, scattered assets, and good intentions. The leadership team was frustrated. Sales had flattened. And every time someone brought up marketing, it […]
Plan:
With your strategy and platform in place, it’s time to create a plan. A well-crafted marketing plan aligns your tactics (what you’re doing) with your strategy (what you need to accomplish). It ensures everyone knows what to do, when to do it, who’s responsible, and most importantly, why. You’ll also have a clear understanding of what to measure, what success looks like, and a marketing budget that perfectly aligns with your activities.
Action:
Now it’s time to take action. Your team can execute the plan with precision, coordination, and integration. Sales and marketing will work in harmony, promoting the same products or services to the same audience. By following the MAPS system, everyone stays aligned, making meetings more effective—and even shorter!
Optimize:
This step is all about monitoring progress, conditions and adjusting course when needed. The team will analyze all aspects of your marketing performance, look at successes and failures, make informed decisions, and follow the data. This step ensures your team maintains focus.
Business Intelligence:
Without data, you’re just guessing, and guesswork is not a strategy. By digging into the trends, customer needs and competitors, you’ll gain the insights needed to make smart, calculated decisions. Toward the end of this segment, your team will have a clear idea what your company does better than any competitor and identify the best opportunities now and in the future.
Strategy:
Strategy is your game plan – it is what gives a business momentum. Your strategy, positioning, and messaging become the force behind your marketing efforts—the powerful centerpiece that guides everything you do.
With a clear strategy, you’ll master the art of understanding and creating your unique market positioning while seamlessly aligning your marketing and sales efforts with your company’s goals. Once you have this clarity, you’ll achieve more, faster—riding the wave for greater success.