Yes lots of management teams are unsettled by the current business environment.  Some react by doing nothing and hoping things will change. Rarely a good idea!  Others simply work harder but in the same ways. However, I’m seeing an increasing number who are recognising that to thrive, or perhaps even just to survive, they need to do something different.

Over the last year more companies than ever are seeking external advice about what to do.  For some the start point is to find out how to make their marketing more effective. For others it’s the recognition that they don’t have a strategy and they realise that they need one in order to move forward in a joined up way.

Companies are not looking for heavy complicated planning processes, nor are they looking for quick fixes that are not sustainable. They are looking for something that fits their needs and their business environment. This means that us marketing and strategy experts also have to adjust what we offer and how we add value to our clients on an individual basis. I’m finding a lot of interest in very simple tools like my One Page Plan to get a rapid overview of business and to identify issues. Often it’s tied to a review of what’s working and what’s not working in Marketing.

Whichever methods and tools you use the key thing is to keep it simple and easy to communicate and that the Marketing plan supports the overall business strategy.