Lessons from Procter & Gamble – Customer Satisfaction

How satisfied are your customers with you, your products and your service?

You should know!  You also should know that customers are becoming deeply engaged with brands across the entire digital channel - and it’s by choice. 73% of customers have posted a brand review on sites like Amazon, Yelp, Twitter and Facebook, and more than 52% of them post a response on a company’s blog. Customers are letting companies know just how satisfied they are.  As customers come across other experiences, they will switch to the product or service that offers the best one.  That’s why smart companies, like Procter & Gamble have specific contact sites for each of their products in addition to the overall company and are putting customers at the center of their business.

In today’s world, any business can connect to its customers via many channels -- email, Facebook, Twitter, phone, live chat, web -- and the technologies to do this are available and within reach of even the smallest of small businesses. Where a business focus on customer satisfaction used to be a rarity, it’s now commonplace.

Experts agree that there are 3 main strategic paths that a company can follow to success.  Which one is chosen, comes directly from their Core Strengths and Strategic Planning.  These are product innovation, price and customer service.  All can lead to customer satisfaction.

Customer satisfaction can be embellished beyond these basics through the following:

1) The quality of your product or service

While the company focuses on one of the basic strategic paths, it also must also have at least threshold levels of the other two in order to stay competitive in the face of competition.

2) The relationship with your customers

Strong customer support and service measures in place result in better service, less training, faster resolution and happy customers. You’ll build customer loyalty for your brand.

3) The overall customer experience  

People don't buy products or services.  They buy experiences. Creating experiences that will make customers feel good about the reward product.

4) The financial cost vs. benefit

If you are in a dialog with your customer, you can more clearly identify their true needs and create the product, service and experience that best meets that need.  It takes away the guess work and non-productive costs.

The best companies today understand that customer satisfaction is not just about being nice to your customers, it’s about understanding how strong customer relationships are pivotal to a company’s success. If you don’t know the answers to their questions, you aren’t really serving the customer. Every interaction your customers have with your company is an experience, and customer care should be the first responsibility of your business. If you do it right, you'll not only score a lifelong customer, but also an advocate for your brand—and that's a lot more valuable.

Thanks,

John

John Maver
Founder and Managing Director of Moon & Stars Consulting
President Maver Management Group
(925) 648-7561
Maver Management

Lessons from Procter & Gamble – Creating The Vision

Do you have 20/20 vision? How clearly can you see? How clearly can you see into the future?

Does your company have 2020 vision? That is to say, does your company have a clear view of what it wants to accomplish by 2020? You may see this as just a clever play on words. However, it is much more than this. Without a clear vision that is known and understood throughout the company, chances are that your company will not maximize its success. It is like trying to operate without your own 20/20 vision. Things just get blurry. Since it is all about sight and that is best from high up, not surprisingly, it is commonly the responsibility of the CEO to articulate and lead activities toward achievement of the vision.

A well-conceived vision consists of two major components: core ideology and envisioned future. Core ideology defines what the company stands for and why it exists. It is made up of core values and core purpose. We recently wrote about core values, both in general and in specifics, for Procter & Gamble. We also wrote about core purpose, “why do we exist”, the second part of the core ideology. These two elements are unchanging and complement the envisioned future. The envisioned future is what we aspire to become, to achieve, to create.

Vision captures both of these elements and does so in terms of defining a future state. A vision is a picture of what success will be at a particular time in the future. It encompasses answers to an array of questions: What does your organization look like? How big is it? For what are you famous? Why does anyone care about what you do? How do people who work there feel about their jobs? A great vision is inspiring. It gets you and everyone in the organization excited to come to work. This is not mere wishful thinking. A vision must also be strategically sound. You have to have a reasonable shot at getting there. Vision provides guidance about what core to preserve and what future to stimulate progress toward. But vision has become one of the most overused and least understood words in the language, conjuring up different images for different people of deeply held values, outstanding achievement, exhilarating goals, motivating forces, or raisons d’etre.

Companies that enjoy enduring success have core values and a core purpose that remain fixed while their business strategies and practices adapt to a changing world. The dynamic of preserving the core while stimulating progress is the reason that companies such as Procter & Gamble, Hewlett-Packard, 3M, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Sony, Motorola, and Nordstrom became elite institutions, able to renew themselves and achieve superior long-term performance. In Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, the authors found that these companies have outperformed the general stock market by a factor of 12 since 1925.

The second primary component of the vision framework is envisioned future. At Procter & Gamble in their strategic planning process, this is called the Objective. It is a qualitative statement of what the company targets to accomplish. In some ways Objective is somewhat paradoxical. On the one hand, it conveys concreteness, something visible, vivid, and real. On the other hand, it involves a future time with its dreams, hopes, and aspirations.

Procter & Gamble and other visionary companies use bold mission statements as a powerful way to stimulate progress. These serve as a unifying focal point of effort and act as a catalyst for team spirit. They have a clear finish line, so the organization can know when it has achieved the goal.

supports the envisioned future with an engaging and specific description of what it will be like to achieve the Objective. It translates the vision from words into pictures, of creating an image that people can carry around in their heads. Passion, emotion, and conviction are essential parts of the vivid description. Perhaps the most dramatic statement of a vision was President Kennedy’s announcement that the US would put a man on the moon within ten years. Not only was this a rallying cry but it also guided action and resource allocations. They made it happen!

We have found that many executives struggle with mission statements and vision statements. They overanalyze or underallocate effort to the process. These statements turn out to be an ill-defined mix of values, goals, purposes, philosophies, beliefs, aspirations, strategies and descriptions. They are usually a boring, confusing, stream of words that evoke the response “True, but who cares?” They fail to preserve the core and stimulate progress. A true vision simply provides the context for bringing this dynamic to life.

This may seem like a simple process. It isn’t. As you can see, it combines the analytical with the creative and then necessitates alignment across the organization, if it is going to be successful. We have had experience both at Procter & Gamble and with many other companies in our consulting business. We know the powerful results that can come from the investment of time and energy in creating a sound vision for the company.

How is your foresight? Does your company have 2020 Vision? Do you need help with your 2020 Vision?

Thanks

John

John Maver
President
Maver Management Group
(925) 648-7561
Maver Management

Lessons from Procter & Gamble – A Marketing Checklist

Procter & Gamble’s marketing plans are often quite sophisticated and extensive. They use research in almost every element of the plan to insure that they get the maximum effect from each. Then they monitor the progress, making adjustments as required. This can be expensive and very labor intensive. But, with billion dollar global brands the cost per package is quite reasonable and the incremental sales make the payout quite profitable. You may not have the billion dollar brands of the extensive research facilities. So here are the key elements that Procter & Gamble reviews and that you can do, as well. It fits with both the sale of products or services.

Plan
• There is a written plan in place and it has been communicated throughout the organization.

Positioning
• The target market has been defined and our potential clients or customers, their usage habits and practices, as well as their buying channels and patterns are known.
• The problems, issues and challenges they are facing have been identified.
• The benefit that they will obtain from the use of my product as the solution to their problem has been clearly articulated. It answers the client/customer question “what’s in it for me, the customer?”
• Some form of research has been conducted to determine if the benefit that I am suggesting is actually seen and understood as a value to my targets and has an inherent unique and meaningful competitive advantage that explains why I am different than my competition.
• The benefits I am claiming can be supported by proof in some form through testing, referrals or in market experience.
• The tone of my positioning will resonate with my target and enable them to accept my offerings in the most positive frame of mind.

Execution
• Everything about my business, including my personal presentation, marketing materials, etc. are presented in a way that truly supports all aspects of the positioning.
• Distribution channels are in place that make your product or service readily available to potential customers.
• Multiple promotional and marketing channels for delivering your message are being used to reach customers most effectively and are appropriate for that channel.
• My products or services, what I do and how I do it, are clearly presented and how they solve clients problems.

Measurement
• There is a clearly identified tracking system in place for each of the FEW key measures so that changes can be made to plans quickly to optimize their impact.
• MY BUSINESS IS RESPONDING TO THE MARKETING PLANS!

These are admittedly, simplistic measures for your plan. We would be remiss if we also did not include the need to have available the expertise required to create and operate a high powered plan. You will note that Procter & Gamble employs, trains and upgrades a very large body of expertise from junior managers through senior executives. This doesn’t mean that you have to duplicate their organization. Most companies can do this with experienced consultants, either on a project basis or retainer. That is the most cost effective.

Let us know if we can be of assistance to you.

Thanks

John


John Maver
President
Maver Management Group
(925) 648-7561
Maver Management

Four Fatal Flaws of Business Planning

The effective development of business plans is drawing a lot of attention these days. In no way does this mean that companies are becoming more effective in their business planning or business plan creation. Many companies claim to be doing regular business planning but most are not. Executives and managers continue to make fundamental mistakes that undermine otherwise well intentioned strategy formulation efforts.

Here are four fatal flaws that consistently creep into business planning processes that if avoided, can significantly improve both the process and the results.

Skipping Rigorous Analysis Before Starting On The Actual PlanMany executives and managers believe their business experience and knowledge base alone equips them with all the information they need to conduct effective business planning. This belief is almost always untrue and serves only to undermine the kind of critical thinking from which truly creative strategies are born. This becomes complicated, since most planning is done by a team and all participants come with preconceived notions and differing sets of data on which to base the plans. Having an experienced facilitator with success in business planning is critical. A good business planning process takes full advantage of the numerous tools of strategic analysis to gain key insights regarding how the industry is evolving, how competitors are changing positions, and where an individual firm's sources of competitive advantage lie. Don’t ever overlook the critical role of defining the company’s Core Purpose and Core Values before you start.

Believing Strategy Can Be Built in a DayMany executive teams earnestly believe that effective strategies can be identified, explored, and agreed upon during abbreviated offsite meetings where the main driver of the agenda is the timing of snack breaks. While offsite meetings are useful forums in which to share information and address key issues, meetings should be adequately timed over days or weeks if necessary, so that sufficient preparation, review and discussion can occur before and during the event. We have found that breaking the process into multiple sessions, each with assigned pre-work, allow participants to reflect on the work being done in less pressured surroundings and provide clearer input to the plans.

Failing to Link Business Planning with Strategic ExecutionAccording to a recent survey, execution overall and strategy execution in particular hold the first and second positions when it comes to "top issues" in executive's minds. Executing strategy requires the work of the entire organization, whereas business planning only requires the top team. One of the greatest challenges of the planning team is the ability to link their work with ongoing strategy execution. Strategic success demands a simultaneous view of planning and doing. Managers must be thinking about executing even as they are formulating the plan. They also must find a means of effectively cascading the corporate plan down into the various functions and business units so that all of the work is aligned.

Dodging Strategy Review MeetingsBusiness plans quickly become obsolete when there is no activity in place to keep them alive. Worse, managers sometimes feel freed from execution accountability when reviews are continually rescheduled or dropped from the calendar altogether. Successful businesses have made their business process a continuous and dynamic one. This is a more realistic approach than the once-a-year planning meeting that still dominates many corporate business planning efforts. The most direct way to maintain a consistent focus on strategy is to schedule and hold regular strategy review meetings. At the end of the business plan formulation, managers should establish a strategic governance process where business plan review meetings are scheduled a year in advance. In the meetings, with each of the strategies and tactics having an owner responsible for it, there is accountability. The measures that have been developed provide a strong basis for review of the success of the pan and what may need to be modified to keep on track.

Business planning tied to strong execution is a winning combination. Our clients are enjoying this success. How may we assist you?

Thanks

John

John Maver
President
Maver Management Group
(925) 648-7561
Maver Management

Branding Your Competition

Branding your competition, is that right????

We recently wrote about branding your competition as a way to make marketing work for you. Several people have asked us to say more about this as it seems so counterintuitive.

Branding is essentially the image that is created in the minds of customers or potential customers that will cause them to act in a certain way. Done correctly with solid support from what is branded, it can produce higher margins and is extremely valuable. Branding is created either intentionally or unintentionally. Customers and clients do develop a point of view and you may not like what they develop. Therefore, it is important that you work to create the correct image for you and your brand to the greatest extent possible.

Companies spend significant effort and resources to create a positive brand image. Clorox liquid bleach is essentially sodium hypochlorite solution. The generic house brands at supermarkets are also sodium hypochlorite solution. But, in the minds of consumers, Clorox is much, much more. In fact, Clorox works with many retailers to help them promote their bleach as the low price alternative, leaving Clorox as the premium priced (and premium margin) choice. Generic pharmaceuticals are mandated by the FDA to be identical in efficacy and safety to the branded product. Yet, people continue to insist on having their prescriptions filled with the brand name and pharmaceutical companies foster that attitude with their promotional messages to both doctors and patients. Some brand companies actually manufacture the generics through a subsidiary.

In both of these cases and many more, companies are effectively establishing the quality image in the minds of their target audience.

So why would you want to spend any effort on branding the competition? Negative advertising and promotion generally is not very effective. Reflect on the political ads last month for proof of this. However, making a positive statement about your competition and “slotting” them into a limited position in customers’ minds does work effectively. If you can select for your customers where and when they choose your competitors, you can also set up the times and places they choose you for more advantageous sales. You can define the basis of comparison in a manner that you win.

Here are some examples of how this might work. Southwest Airlines has said, “United and the other big carriers let you select your seat in advance. You can even pay for upgrades to get better seats. With Southwest, we keep prices low in part, by letting you choose your seat as you board the plane. Any seat. It also lets us leave on time. Plus, we don’t charge for bags.”

In golf, Titleist says, “Our balls are not the least expensive. They are what the pros play most because of distance and control. A little bit extra cost will give you better performance and isn’t that what you really want?”

In consulting, there are some very prestigious consulting firms. They are large, expensive and take a long time to complete their projects. But they are good, right? In fact, there is a saying that nobody ever got fired for hiring them. However, there are consulting firms that have the same level of expertise in their senior people, have lower overheads, are more flexible and faster and don’t use your dollars to train junior people. Branding the big firms here is relatively simple.

In all of these examples, branding of the competition takes place. There are many, many other examples. You have had fixed in your mind an element or two about the brands and it should provide a favorable position for you.

Let us know if we can help you create the right branding for your company and products and how to make it competitive.

Thanks,

John

John Maver
President
Maver Management Group
(925) 648-7561
Maver Management

Branding Learning from Consumer Brands for Non Consumer Companies

(Part of a presentation given at the Silicon Valley Brand Forum for technology companies.)

Good Morning.

It is a pleasure to have been invited to The Silicon Valley Brand Forum to share some thoughts from my experience on Consumer Packaged Goods Branding as learning for non consumer companies.

From my experience, the consumer goods, professional, technology, financial, B2B and B2C industries have at least one thing in common. They all respond to branding. Every body, every product and every company is a brand. What you choose to do with them will result in generating increased margins, customer loyalty and long term success or alternatively, making them a commodity and driving them out of business.

My purpose today is to convince you that branding is absolutely critical in non consumer industries just as it is in the Consumer Goods industries.

I started with Procter & Gamble in Consumer Goods and became the Brand Manager for Tide, the company’s flagship. I learned a lot about branding and the benefits. Subsequently, I ran businesses in the professional and B2B industries. In those businesses not only did I use branding effectively, I capitalized on consumer branding and extended that branding into the other industries. I came to California to be President of the non retail division for Clorox, another major branding power. Subsequently, as a consultant I have had clients in a very wide range of industries and without exception have capitalized on branding to help them grow their business.

Many non consumer CEOs view marketing as the domain of consumer goods brands. They are wrong. Among Interbrand's 10 most valuable global brands, we find Microsoft, Intel, IBM, HP and GE. All generate far more B2B revenues than sales to consumers.

So why is it a common misperception that branding is a CPG domain alone?

As you know, non consumer companies generally don’t support branding to the same extent as consumer brands. Perhaps they don’t support the branding concept because their offerings have generally been presented directly to buyers by sales people and not via advertising or shelf position. Yet, there are logos on pens, coffee cups, calculators, USB memory sticks and other assorted items. What is the purpose of all this stuff? Proponents will argue that it builds brand by getting the business's name in the office of potential influencers and purchasers, where it will stay top of mind. But then, their materials, website, sales aids and more are all very differentiated and no clear message is delivered. If the name does stay in the customer’s mind, it is out of focus.

Some experts argue that branding plays no role in non consumer marketing compared to "hard ROI" activities that can be proven to drive revenue. Their arguments typically include:
• Buyers are rational decision makers (or a committee of rational decision makers) who are not swayed by emotional factors such as brands.
• Purchases are all about the relationship between the individual sales rep. and the buyer. If the non consumer brand means anything, it is created by the sales rep.
• Products do not really promote the product’s benefits. Those are a given. Price is the only thing that matters.
• Non consumer products are too complex to reduce to a tagline or ad.

While some of this is true, it is also misguided. I have led businesses in consumer packaged goods and non consumer industries and know from personal experience the value of establishing strong brands in both.

Here is why:
• If you sell on a cost basis, you will always be negotiating and competition’s price cuts are just as good as yours.
• You are ignoring the product development investments you have made and are not getting the value from them.
• You are essentially telling your customers that everyone is equal and that only the sales inducements matter.
• You have to over invest in your sales force.
• You are reliant on your sales people alone. Given the transition from company to company of employees these days that puts your business at risk. And you are paying to do it!

On the other hand, here are some of the benefits I have found of branding for non consumer companies.


Let’s use the David Letterman format:



10 It makes products less sensitive in regard to price increases.

9 It can insulate the business from movement of sales people.

8 Branding will provide clarity to the decision process for the customer. Less time is needed to close the sale of an offering.

7 Research shows that it leads to a greater willingness to try a product or service by customers.

6 Branding increases customer loyalty

5 There is a willingness to award a larger share of purchase requirement by customers.

4 The clear focus enables you to “transfer” the goodwill from one product to another.

3 Branding generates higher barriers to entry for competition.

2 Branding ties together all of the activities of your company and provides focus.

AND the number 1 benefit of branding for B2B companies . . .

It has been proven that branded products carry higher margins.

HIGHER margins.

Lessons from Consumer Brands
As the old wise marketing guru said, “Branding is the Essence of Successful Marketing”. Brand equity is a precious gem. While not particularly rare, it can be very valuable. So how do you tap into this treasure? Let’s look at some ways.

As we look at consumer branding or any branding effort for that matter you will note the following 4 critical elements: As an ex Tide Brand manager, I will use Tide as the example.

First, they focus on a Benefit that is meaningful to the customer. Tide is synonymous with clean clothes. Tide gets clothes clean. It has been the promise since Tide was introduced in the 1940’s as one of the first detergents to combat the film left by soap products. Clearly the reason that clothes are washed is to get them clean and therefore the Tide promise is VERY important to the target audience. It is so important in the branding that the promise has been on the box.



Second, there is a proof of claim, a Reason to Believe. This generally isn’t scientific proof given to consumers but could be in the technology world. Here you see it in visual terms in a side by side comparison in a print advertisement. Side by side comparisons have proven over the years to be the most effective demonstration of superior product performance.



Third, the Tone of the message supports the way the company wants the product viewed in the mind of the customers. It enables you to appeal to the emotional, as well as the intellectual aspect of the brain. Tide is a trusted worker. Here is this ad, you can see all three of the elements we have discussed - the Promise, the Reason to Believe and the Tone or C,,haracter statement.



Finally, the message is always consistent. It will vary in the way it is delivered but is always a consistent message. The products, ads and the Tide website follow the same positioning. If what is being branded is a company then everything from the receptionist on the phone through the orders and customer service should be consistent with the tone set out in the positioning.

Are you using this model for your branding?



Let me ask you a question. Who are the Second B in B2B or even the C in B2C? Who are the buyers in any of your industries? What are they like? What motivates them to buy? You do realize that they are also consumers, first and foremost, no matter what their business title. They respond to both the intellectual and the emotional stimulus.

Here are some simple illustrations:

Play along with me. You are a professional person. You have the steel trap mind of a buyer and are swayed only with logical arguments. Emotions and non factual items never would come into play with you. Right???

In N Out Burger

Have you ever eaten at In and Out Burger? Here is a spec. sheet for In N Out Burger’s biggest seller, the Double Double. See how appealing it is? Ready for lunch today?

Double-Double w/Onion Fact Sheet
Manufactured by IN-N-OUT Burger
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 serving (330.0 g)
Amount Per Serving % Daily Value
Calories 670
Calories from Fat 369
Total Fat 41.0g 63%
Saturated Fat 18.0g 90%
Trans Fat 1.0g
Cholesterol 120mg 40%
Sodium 1440mg 60%
Total Carbohydrates 39.0g 13%
Dietary Fiber 3.0g 12%
Protein 37.0g
Price $3.44

Or how about this one? More appealing???




Corvette

The ultimate sports car for years has been the Corvette. Here is the Fact Sheet. Perhaps, if you are an engineer, it is the primary selling message, but I doubt it.


Chevrolet Corvette
Base 2dr Convertible
MSRP $48,900
Length 174.6 "
Body width 72.6 "
Body height 49.1 "
Wheelbase 105.7 "
Curb 3,221 lbs.
Base V-8 engine size 6.2 liters
Horsepower 430 hp
Horsepower rpm 5,900
Torque 424 lb-ft.
Fuel tank capacity 18.0 gal.

Or, here are two other presentations for Corvette.





Tell me that you are not ready to get into your Corvette and ride over to In N Out Burger for lunch. Parking away from the other cars, of course.

Do you now agree that branding has an important place in the support of non consumer businesses just as it does in consumer? Are you ready to brand your company and your products? Do you really understand that it is far more than logos, and in fact, the entire company has to be aligned to the branding message you are trying to establish.

Let’s assume that you personally are convinced. If you work in a non consumer company, you probably have to convince other executives and the CEO that branding is crucial. This presentation should give you some ammunition.

Contact us if we can be of assistance. We have experience in many industries and most likely yours. as well.

Thanks,

John


John Maver
President
Maver Management Group
(925) 648-7561
Maver Management

The Cost Effective Way to Drive Business Success

How do you get the expertise required to drive to your business goals and still be able to keep costs under control?

The Problem
Companies both large and small have tried a variety of methods and models and have had limited success. Training and developing the expertise is expensive, resource consuming and takes a long time to germinate results. Hiring from the outside is risky since what you see on resumes and in interviews is not always what you get. Additionally, there is the added expense of recruiting and then once the hire is made, knowing that more than half will turn out to not fit well for very long.

The Solution
A better model for today’s economy is one that takes advantage of the services and talents that are readily available and does so in a cost effective manner. Our experience has been that the staffing model for today is a mixture of consultants and in-house talent. Having been personally involved with this model and its success with a number of companies, as well as participated with the other models, we know it works!

The Need
Expertise is required to quickly identify the opportunities and develop the plans required to reach the goals. It is also required to oversee the execution of those plans, since strategy and execution cannot be separated. Hiring this expertise as part of your company’s ongoing staffing can be cost prohibitive for small to medium sized companies and difficult to assimilate for larger companies. The requirement is for the brain power, not the administrative, paperwork and supervisory capabilities. Yet, for management employees, most of their days are spent on tasks other than creating.

Concurrently, there is also a need for the legwork and the administrative talent that will actually execute the plans and make certain that all the details are followed and completed in a timely manner. This is best achieved through in-house talent familiar with the organization with productive relationships to make it happen smoothly and quickly. This talent is not quite as specific as the expertise talent and from a cost standpoint can be quite reasonable.

How it works
The plan would be to put several high powered consultants, NOT consulting firms, but specific consultants on retainer, so that they can help you directly create and then oversee from a distance the strategies, plans, programs and execution. The actual labor of putting the plans into the market would be done by the in-house staffing.

In today’s marketplace, senior level expertise can be found in every function and is readily available. So, too, is the basic labor that is required.

The Benefits
A sample cost comparison might be:
Complete staffing in house
Senior executives (2) – Compensation, benefits, overhead, expenses etc –
annual cost $375K
Lower level management (2) - Compensation, benefits, overhead, expenses etc –
annual cost $125K
Total $500K

Recommended Model
Senior executives (2) - 2 days per month each –
annual cost $120K
Lower level management (2) - Compensation, benefits, overhead, expenses etc –
annual cost $125K
Total $245K

In addition to the significant cost savings, there are several other benefits. The consultants should bring fresh ideas with experience from multiple other companies. This can provide competitive advantage vs other companies in your industry. There is also no severance when projects are completed or alternative talents are required and flexibility in usage of time required.

An added benefit is that the company can get exactly the expertise and fit needed at any time and require existing management to take on tasks that are not squarely in their sweet spot. We all know how ineffective and expensive that can be.

Think about it. Doesn’t this model make more sense and not just because the Maver Management Group are consultants? Aren’t the benefits apparent for your company? Doesn’t this expand your capabilities and bandwidth most cost effectively?

Contact us if we can help get you started. We have the experience.

Thanks

John


John MaverPresidentMaver Management Group(925) 648-7561Maver Management

Is Strategic Planning Necessary?

"My business is small to medium in terms of revenue and staffing but has the opportunity to be much larger. Do I really need to develop a full strategic business plan?"

The best response to this question is, "Only if you want to stay in business and prosper." Consider the following reasons for strategic planning.

Competition is becoming tougher. In most cases, businesses your size find themselves competing with much larger companies, ones that know the benefits of strategic planning and practice it. From a defensive standpoint, it is important that you apply the same concepts to your operation.

Good financial control alone is not enough to ensure your business's success. In addition to a budget, you need long-term goals and plans to determine the future direction of your company.

Technology and the fast pace of change are making business management more complex. Strategic planning will help you foresee and react quickly to market changes and opportunities and identify areas in which your business is lagging behind.

You can use strategic planning to involve employees in all areas of your business, so they share your goals.

You can use your plan to communicate with bankers, who often do not understand the nature of your business. Bankers must be convinced that your company is in control of its future before they will lay their money on the line. A comprehensive plan, aimed at sustained growth in sales and earnings, can be very convincing.

As we work with our clients we have found that sound strategic planning provides the following benefits:

• Provides strategic direction to the entire company.

• Translates corporate objectives into actionable plans.

• Causes alignment, prioritization and focus.

• Allows clear simple communication throughout the organization.

• Provides resource optimization.

• Assigns responsibilities and timelines.

• Enables forecasting of revenues and expenses.

And most importantly, it DRIVES RESULTS.

Contact us if we can help.

Thanks,

John


John MaverPresidentMaver Management Group(925) 648-7561Maver Management

Turnaround or Business Acceleration?

Has the economy turned? The news continues to be full of stories that support both the need for continued turnaround work in companies as well as for business acceleration strategies in others. It’s true with the giant companies. GM pays back all the loans to the government and appears to be moving in the right direction. HP announces that it is cutting 9000 jobs and is still reorganizing and “getting right sized”. It’s true with the medium and smaller companies as well. We expect that you are either directly affected or someone close to you is.

How should businesses handle these economic times? Some businesses have pulled back and are still cost cutting and operating in a very defensive mode. Unfortunately, their life expectancy is going to be relatively short lived. Others are taking a more assertive stance. Assertive, not necessarily aggressive. They have created a solid business strategy and plan, built the right management team and are investing wisely in their future. They can have a bright future.

What is your company doing? Do you need turnaround or business acceleration work? How are you helping lead your company in these times?

We are finding that many companies are once again capitalizing on the skills and experience of strong consultants. They, once again, are viewing them as a wise investment rather than a cost choice. As a result, the companies are developing the right plans and doing so much faster than they would if they had to do it on their own. They are finding that the extra bandwidth for that short period of time is well worth the small expense and the ROI is significant.

The caution is to make certain that if you are hiring a turnaround consultant that they have the capability to go well beyond cost cutting and help build plans that will grow revenue. Without the right plan for the revenue growth, the company will stagnate and business will continue to be difficult.

On the business acceleration side, the plans need to be focused and as they look to the future, provide the right resources to handle the higher levels of business.

Is your company capitalizing on the experience of successful consultants? It doesn’t have to be the big name and big fee consultants. In fact, unless you are responsible for a VERY large company with extremely complex operations, you are probably better off with a company that can have its senior people work directly with you and your executive team throughout, rather than assigning junior people to do the analysis and assessment work.

Contact us if we can help. If your business needs help beyond our capabilities, we will tell you and probably have some recommendations for other companies that are exactly what you need.

Thanks

John


John MaverPresidentMaver Management Group(925) 648-7561Maver Management

Seven Significant Factors in Business Turnaround

The global economic crisis has many companies still feeling the pinch. The Maver Management Group has worked with a number of clients and helped them turn around their business situation. We have also seen and reviewed other companies that continue to struggle. There are some common factors that differentiate the successful from the non successful other than the fact that one set has worked with us.

Seven of the most important elements are:
1. Ability to prove business viability. Your business plan must outline clearly the expectations and how you will specifically deliver those expectations.
2. Ability to manage key stakeholders. Once you have the plan that proves viability, you must be able to communicate it clearly and persuasively to all stakeholders.
3. Management credibility. A key element of instilling confidence in the plans is the credibility of the management group. It all starts with the top group. If they can’t generate respect and confidence, the plans will never happen.
4. Business reputation. Positive branding not only brings higher margins, it also contributes to the selling of the company’s viability and the products to the clients and customers. And to the Board, the banks and the suppliers!
5. Maintaining supplier credit. As businesses restart their growth, they require inventory build and funding in advance of the revenue they generate. You need to utilize the credit and payment terms with suppliers to generate the float.
6. Securing internal and external funding. Companies must have the funding required to support the business building initiatives. Without the funding plans, progress will stall.
7. Quality of the people. All progress eventually traces back to the people. Companies with the best people tend to rise to the top. Assess your people and make sure that the top ones are in the most critical positions. They will make the turnaround happen.

Some businesses are unsure whether they need assistance in turnaround management. Others find their company’s problems too hard to face and leave it too late, which often ends in insolvency. So how do you know when to call for help? The key warning signs to call in a turnaround management specialist are:
• If you continue to experience a substantial decline in sales and/or margins or have lost a major customer
• If you are struggling to refinance, raise additional capital or are likely to breach your banking covenants
• If cash flow is becoming harder to manage and creditor pressure is building
• If you are experiencing an increase in turnover at the senior management level

If you have any of these elements, you need turnaround help. You are not going to be able to do it yourself. Generally, companies in this situation have neither the expertise nor the bandwidth to be successful in turning the business around.

Contact us. The Maver Management Group can help.

Thanks,

John
John MaverPresidentMaver Management Group(925) 648-7561Maver Management

Social Responsibility – Kingdom Assignment

Social responsibility is an important Core Value for every company. Not only is it the right thing to do, it makes good business sense. It tells and shows employees that the company cares about them, their lives and the community in which they work and live. As a Core Value, it becomes part of the company’s culture and work fabric, causing behavior that has positive outcomes.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the business responsibility for the impact of its activities on the environment, consumers, employees, communities, stakeholders and all other members of the public sphere. The scale and nature of the benefits of CSR for an organization can vary depending on the nature of the enterprise. It may be difficult to quantify, however, a number of studies have shown a correlation between social/environmental performance and financial performance. The benefits can be any or all of the following for example:
1. Revenue and profitability: Often the implementation of these ideas can lead to new sources of profitability either through new revenue opportunities or cost avoidance. Company after company has documented these benefits.
2. Human resources: It can be an aid to recruitment and retention. CSR can help improve the perception of a company, particularly when staff can become involved through payroll giving, fundraising activities or community volunteering.
3. Brand Differentiation: Companies strive for a unique selling proposition that can separate them from the competition in the minds of consumers. CSR can play a role in building customer loyalty based on distinctive ethical values. You will note the sweep of “green” products that have been introduced in almost every industry.
4. Risk management: Managing risk is a central part of many corporate strategies. Reputations that take decades to build up can be ruined in hours through incidents such as corruption, scandals or environmental accidents. Building a genuine culture of 'doing the right thing' within a corporation can offset these risks.

The Maver Management Group has long been a supporter of social responsibility. We have been active with a number of area organizations and ministries as part of our giving back. We are currently involved in a “Kingdom Assignment" of raising money to pay for Bibles that will be used by new churches established by CityTeam, San Francisco. CityTeam works to help the economically disadvantaged in San Francisco and is working diligently using a productive formula to establish new churches and reach many, who desperately need the love, caring, guidance and help. We are blessed to be involved in this good work.

As we reach out to others to tell them of this program, we consistently find that the real benefit comes to us. Not in terms of new business or profitability, but in terms of being of significance in what we do. It is a Core Value for this company and the impact is far reaching.

This type of assignment may not fit your needs or desires perfectly. However, another one will and we encourage you to include social responsibility programs in the activities of your company, both on a personal and corporate level.

Contact us if you want to be part of our efforts or if we can help you with yours in some way.

Thanks.

John

John Maver
President
Maver Management Group
(925) 648-7561
Maver Management

7 Tips for Turnaround Management in Healthcare

The business elements of healthcare have faced significant turmoil this past year. Hospitals, medical practices, groups, insurers and even their service companies have been forced to produce greater results with fewer resources. This has led to strained budgets and strained executives as well as strained staffing. Why have some healthcare businesses survived and done well and others struggled during this past year? Why have some built revenues and profits without sacrificing patient care while others have faced major internal and external issues?

We have worked with a number of healthcare companies and there is a consistent pattern between the best and the rest. This holds true no matter in what segment of the healthcare business the company operates. We aren’t using specifics in this article since they will vary by segment but the basic elements are unchanged. Look at your organization and see how you measure up on these.

Planning
The best create and work from a well thought out written plan. The plan is strategic in nature and includes an annual plan that all departments are responsible for executing. The rest have a semi-thought out or poorly conceived plan somewhere in the CEO’s or Executive Director’s head. This plan is impacted constantly by emotion, ability to communicate, level of trust, delegation skills, follow-up skills, a packed calendar and reliance on the top executive’s memory. You will note that for every article here that deals with the business, we start with a comment about the necessity of having a sound strategic plan. You can’t win without one.

Business Model
The best have strong business models that flow from their longer term strategic plans. They have clearly defined target markets, clients and customers. Their ongoing revenue streams are built on strong relationships with their clients. The relationship could be with the organization, the products and services or the people who work in the business. The rest have the “lets see what comes in” business model and they will continue to do what they have always done to win customers. There is no recognition that the world has changed and that in order to survive, they must change too.

Building The Organization
The best hire the best people. They pay more and reward more for higher performance. The best weed out poor and underperforming people at every level. The best organizations know that allowing people who aren’t working to a high standard lowers the standards for every employee. The best have clear priorities. Every day at the best companies, people focus on the vital few things that matter. These organizations understand the key performance indicators and keep a sharp eye on those measurements. The rest hire those that aren’t hired by the best and tolerate underperformers. At the rest, most of each day is filled with working on the trivial elements and nothing much gets measured.

Building The People
The best take their people responsibilities seriously, recognizing that only through their people can they succeed. Performance reviews in the best organizations are scheduled and held not for judging but for developing. Plans are set out to help employees obtain the skills and hone the talents they need for success. The better organizations see themselves as learning organizations. Continuing education is considered a sustainable competitive advantage. The people in these organizations know what is expected of them and they are motivated and incentivized to perform. When goals are achieved, rewards are given to reinforce performance. The rest don’t believe in performance evaluations because they take too much time, aren’t done well and don’t work. If a person is deemed to not have the skills, they are terminated and a new person is sought. Wasted resources from many standpoints are the result.

Involvement
The best delegate appropriate responsibility down into the organization and with that delegation they share the business plans, objectives and goals so all know what needs to be done. The people then can decide on the best way of doing it. All levels of management are trusted and empowered to get things done within established guidelines. In the rest of the companies, they suffer from underperformance because people lack the authority, responsibility and direction to guide their activities and must wait to be told. Without the written plan communication is spotty and the results are disastrous.

Accomplishments vs. Activity
The best don’t make or accept excuses. The best focus on results. At the end of the day, the best understand that intention, action and activity do not equal results. Trying doesn’t count, either. Nor does working hard, if hard work just means long hours without focus. When something goes wrong, the best take responsibility, learn from what happened and move forward. The rest spend their time focused on everything that keeps people from achieving results. They spend much of the time being caught up in the “blame game,” pointing fingers, resulting in punishment but not always of those responsible.

Operations
The best always try to find a better way. The best companies are never satisfied with how things are because they understand that to improve means they can continue to distinguish themselves for their clients and from their competition. The rest are satisfied with what they have; good enough is good enough. The rest don’t understand that fair, “Okay” and “good” are the enemies of great.

How is your business? How did you measure up? If you are not executing all of these elements very well, contact us. We can help and we have clients that are following these tips and they can help you too.

Thanks

John


John Maver
President
Maver Management Group
(925) 648-7561
Maver Management

Cost Cutting - Scalpel or Chainsaw for Turnaround Success?

Is your company still in the cost cutting mode? I don’t mean are you still concerned about controlling costs, since that should be an ongoing mantra in good times as well as bad. I mean, are you focused on cutting costs to continue to survive?

By now you will have cut out the obvious excesses and are down to the hard choices. What will you use for turnaround success, the chainsaw method or the scalpel?

The chainsaw method sees this as a relatively simple solution to a tough problem. Is there a plan? Yes! Generally it is a simple one. Either take a percentage of cost out of all functions or look at the largest expenditures and cut them. Large “chunks” of cost are cut away and the rest stand as it may. In terms of a quick fix, this method works. Costs are very quickly reduced. However, generally there are severe consequences for both the short term and long term.

In the short term, there is chaos since the cuts have been done without a fully developed plan. What is left may not be able to function effectively or at all due to the elements that have been removed. Employees with specific skills have been lost and others with lesser or without those skills are required to take their place. Processes will not function efficiently. In the long term, the company may have cut the resources and programs that are going to be required to turn the company around and enable it to survive in the upturn. Once the people or the initiatives are lost, regaining them will be very difficult. It is also a major challenge to ignite the organization to achieve and repair the damage to the culture. If your company has used the chainsaw method, you will be able to add many other consequences to the list from your personal experience.

The scalpel method starts with the business plan which reflects the current pressures from the economy but also capitalizes on the core competencies and the requirements for longer term success. The total cost reduction target is identified and employees throughout the organization participate in identifying areas that can be cut, postponed or done more cost effectively to reach that target. In doing this, the consequences of how the company will function post the cuts are reviewed and plans made. This much more orderly cost cutting process not only reaches the targets in the short term, it also sets the company up for success longer term.

Both of these methods benefit from expert assistance. The chainsaw method needs analysis and solutions as to how to recover from the damage done in getting to the lower cost level. The scalpel method benefits from help in the planning and implementation process.


As a turnaround expert, I have worked with companies and both methods. In the chainsaw method, I am brought in after the fact to resurrect the company and help breathe life back into it. Additional help is generally required to execute the plans, since key company people have either been laid off or quit. This can be expensive. In the scalpel method, I am brought into analyze the challenges and the opportunities in reaching the cost saving goals and then create and execute the business plan that delivers. This is a much more productive exercise.

If your company has used the chainsaw method, contact me. I can help you pull out of the consequences. If your company still requires additional cost savings, contact me and I can help you use your scalpel.

Thanks,

John


John Maver
President
Maver Management Group
(925) 648-7561
Maver Management

Turnaround – Are going to get your share of the recovery?

The economy is beginning to turn upward and while there are still major obstacles to its health, there are positive signs and consumer confidence is starting to return.

The all important question for you is “will you be participating?”

Will your company be participating? Have you positioned yourself and your company to get a share of the upturn or will the potential business pass you by?

Here are some questions to ask yourself to see if you are ready:

1. Have we focused solely on cost cutting in order to survive and if so have we actually undermined the opportunity to recover? Many answer this question quickly with a no and then upon further review find they are incorrect and are in trouble.

2. Have we maintained the strength of our core competencies through this downturn? Do we actually know, outside of the executive team, what our core competencies are?

3. Do we have the cash availability to fund the inventory increases that are going to be needed as we start to ramp up production?

4. Do we have the cash reserves to cover the short term increase in accounts receivable that will happen with the new sales? This recognizes that even though some customers and clients will pay within terms, we still will have increased AR. It also recognizes that some clients are going to be cash strapped themselves until they get their cash flow flowing and will delay payment to us and other suppliers.

5. Do we have relevant business goals that make sense in today’s environment?

6. Have we kept the right talent in our human capital to succeed? What is missing and where and when will we get it?

7. Have we upgraded to take advantage of the large, very qualified talent pool that is available and their willingness to accept more modest compensation?

8. Do we have a business plan that is actionable and known throughout the organization?

9. Are our business goals clear and communicated to all employees so that they can participate in driving the business ahead/

10. Have we identified the key issues facing the company in order to participate in the economic upturn and do we have a specific plan in place to address each issue?

11. Is our business progress starting to trend up and can we see means of accelerating our progress?

12. Do we have a clear customer focus across the organization? Are we committed to customer satisfaction and possibly delight? Customers are far more choosy now.

If you can answer all of these questions in the affirmative and have the facts to back them up then you are ready to take advantage of the prospective upturn and will be in a position of strength. If you have answered some or all of the questions in the negative, you may be in a great deal of trouble and need help.

Contact us and let us help you. We have helped many others be ready to get more than their fair share of the business to come.

Thanks

John


John Maver
President
Maver Management Group
(925) 648-7561
Maver Management

Turnaround Plans - Mission and Vision Statements

Many companies undertake turnaround execution without an in-depth, thought-out plan. They start with the realization that they have to cut costs to survive and they do so either aggressively or worse, tentatively. Tentative cost cutting just prolongs the process and speeds the downhill slide to out of business. But both are detrimental to the company’s health.

We write often about having a plan. We also recommend that in the development of that plan, companies start with a review of their Mission and Vision Statements. This is forgotten by 91% of companies in their turnaround activities according to recent studies. Yet this is the guiding star for direction setting and use in creating the strategic business plan that will successfully direct the turnaround efforts, as well as the rise again, once the economy improves.

The Mission Statement is a brief statement of the purpose of an organization or company. It outlines the organization's broad reason for existing; what it does and for whom. It tells you what the company is today. A mission statement should say who you are, what you do, what you stand for and why you do it. It is not a slogan, goal, business plan or public relations piece.

Mission Statement examples:
• "Provide society with superior products and services by developing innovations and solutions that improve the quality of life and satisfy customer needs and to provide employees with meaningful work and advancement opportunities and investors with a superior rate of return." - Merck
• "To enable people and businesses throughout the world to realize their full potential." - Microsoft
• "Organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful." - Google

The Vision Statement outlines what a company wants to be, where the organization hopes to go and it provides clear decision-making criteria. It concentrates on the future. It is a source of inspiration; its dream. The best ones are direct and powerful. Try to relay somewhere in your statement that you understand the future of your business depends on delivering increasing value and quality to your customers, accounts and clients. This delivers a clear message of your priorities.

Vision Statement examples:
• “To experience the emotion of competition, winning and crushing competitors.” - Nike
• “To make people happy.” – Walt Disney
• “To give ordinary folk the chance to buy the same things as rich people.” – Wal-Mart
• “To solve unsolved problems innovatively.” – 3M

In today’s world, many ask about time frames for both of these statements particularly in turnaround situations. The answer is that the statements can hold true for many years and continue to provide guidance. Clearly, the plans that will flow from these statements have to be adjusted on a much shorter time frame to reflect current opportunities and challenges.

Why are these important?

First, they set the direction. If you don’t know where you are going, any path will take you there. Turnarounds are about focus, - focus on direction and focus on plan elements and resource utilization. These statements provide the guidance.

Second, despite the well publized loss of employee and company loyalty in the market today, people are not motivated by dollars alone. They want to work in organizations that inspire them and cause them to feel good about what they do at the end of the day. These statements should provide inspiration and motivation.

Third, it keeps the company grounded in values and not every day exigencies. It will make your life simpler and will help keep away the firefighting.

If you do not have Mission and Vision Statements for your company or are not using them in your turnaround efforts, let us know. We can help you.

Thanks

John


John Maver
President
Maver Management Group
(925) 648-7561
Maver Management

Turnaround Management – Where did all the heroes go?

Many companies, in fact most companies, are struggling in the economic turmoil to find a way to turn the business around. They have cut the costs. Now what is next? They are left with chaos, confusion and cost ineffectiveness in most cases. How to get out of it? Where will they find that hero to save them?

Historically they would look for examples of leadership in other companies, industries or even non business. We had baseball heroes that would pitch brilliantly, shaking off the troubled start. Or hitters that would follow several strike outs with a home run to win the game. Or quarterbacks who would get up from being sacked to throw several touchdown passes. Or music stars who would rise from troubled childhoods to sing platinum album songs. Or movie stars who finally land the breakthrough part. Or even commercial icons like The Pillsbury Doughboy or Mr. Clean who stood for goodness.

In business, there were the business leaders who stood tall among all the rest and took their companies to market leadership and great profitability that was shared with all shareholders. Or politicians who had good values and we followed them despite party lines.

These were the heroes to whom we looked and got inspiration and guidance.

Where are these people now? The news is full of athletes who are breaking the law, musicians and actors who are on drugs or can not sustain a marriage for more than a few months. Some business leaders are taking outrageous bonuses when they are laying off people at the same time. And the politicians are generally despicable. What week goes by without some problem from one of our elected representatives?

Who will lead our companies out of this mess?

The answer is YOU!

You have to step up and lead your company out of the financial problems. Who else is there to do it? If you are the CEO, COO or any C level executive, it is up to you.

You may very well ask “How am I going to do that – lead the company out of this mess. We have already cut all we can cut.”

The answer is look around and find some guidance. The many articles on this site can be a start to help you develop the right plan. Invest in some consulting help. It isn’t an expense because the right consulting will pay for itself. Find those heroes who can provide the motivation and direction. They are still there. You just have to look for them. Let them into your business life and let them help you win.

If you don’t have a “hero” consultant already in mind, contact me. I can help you to turn your business around. I have solutions that stick to get you profitable and keep you profitable.

There are heroes around and you can be one of them.

Thanks

John


John Maver
President
Maver Management Group
(925) 648-7561
Maver Management

Turnaround Management - Overcoming Marketing Mistakes

Cost cutting isn’t enough in today’s economy. You have to drive the revenue line as well. Here are 7 common mistakes made in marketing and what you can do about them.

1. No Game Plan.
Strategic planning gets a bad name but you can’t win without it. Doing marketing randomly isn’t a good idea. This will dissipate your energy and resources and make you feel even more desperate if your efforts aren't successful. Develop a game plan. Identify your target customers and be specific about their needs and how your product or service can meet those needs. Then build a step by step plan to deliver your message persuasively.

2. Nothing added. Just the same old, same old.
Everyone is providing value oriented services. Fast food places have “Value meals”. They offer special products but at a lower price. Retail stores have a two for one special or have bundled several products as a special. What can you do to increase the value associated with your offerings and not rely on price cuts which just make meeting the revenue target harder. Think about it and build it into your plan.

3. Having a meaningless marketing message to your customers.
If your message is not clear and full of value, prospects won't pay attention. If it is not persuasive, they won’t take action. Make sure your marketing message includes: a. a clear target market, b. a problem or issue your customer is experiencing, c. the bottom line outcome you produce and d. a compelling and provocative story.

4. Outdated, tired marketing materials.
Your plan is new. Your message is new or revitalized. You must communicate it with new fresh materials that have the look and feel of quality consistent with the image you want to establish. This holds true not only for the materials but also for the medium you are using including Facebook, My Space, twitter, website and blogs.

5. Letting your sales activities undermine the impact of the marketing.
The selling process often ends up as a rambling, unfocused conversation about your services, hidden among many other items. The message gets lost. Another major problem is that many presentations focus on your company and your product and not on the customer and their needs. They are only interested in “What’s in it for me.” There are many formats that can be used but all need to be focused and take the prospect through what is in it for them in regard to a problem they are experiencing now with a call to action and an easy next step.

6. Being your own worst enemy.
The economy is rocky and we are seeing problems in the stock market, housing prices, the automotive industry and troubles with the banks. Often we think stressful thoughts, feel worried and then become paralyzed from taking any creative action. Focus on what you can control and then take action one step at a time. Quickly, you will have progress toward the goals that you set in your plan.

7. Just not doing it.
You have to get out of your office and make it work. The best plan is no good sitting on your desk or on your computer. The more “face” time you can get with your customers the more you will sell. Face time can be defined as anything from an interactive e-mail to an actual face to face sit down sales presentation.

You may have shifted your focus from cost cutting to revenue generation built on your new more efficient business model. That puts you ahead of many other companies and perhaps most of your competitors. However, that only is a competitive advantage and will pay off if you aren’t making these marketing mistakes. How many of these marketing mistakes are you making? What's your plan to correct them?

Get some help and make your resources really work for you.

Turnaround Management.

John

John Maver
President
Maver Management Group
(925) 648-7561
Maver Management

The Need for Turnaround When Smart Companies Do Dumb Things

We see examples of smart companies doing dumb things every day and there are books that have been written about this phenomenon. In fact, business news is full of stories about companies, senior executives, CEOs and Boards of Directors that have done something that from the outside or in hindsight looks to be dumb. In many cases it has required turnaround expertise to bring the company back to profitability and to survive.

Why do we see so much of this in the press?

First, bad news is much more newsworthy than good news so we see a lot of it being reported.

Second, hindsight is 20/20, so those of us who look at the results can see when there have been mistakes.

We need to remember two things

First, if mistakes are not being made by companies, very little learning occurs and the company will ultimately die. No one is right 100% of the time. So companies and senior executives need to be making mistakes (small mistakes) and hopefully learning from them.

Second, in most cases, the people who have led the mistakes didn’t start out to do dumb things. They really thought they had a winning idea.

But what are some of the root causes that turn what was expected to be a winning idea from the outset into a result that gets branded as dumb?

1 Operating without a clear strategic plan. Without the plan, the company is almost guaranteed to have unfocused resources and multi-direction activities. The result will be a number of failures, some that are going to be seen as dumb ideas.

2 Poor communication. Often a plan is devised by the executive group and then not well communicated to the organization. Hence the execution is flawed leading to lack of success.

3 Not heeding changing or changed market conditions. Once a program is underway in development, it generates a momentum all of its own and people/companies are hesitant to make changes, particularly if one has ownership in it. What was a good idea at the start becomes a dumb idea in a changed economy.

4 Insisting on consensus. The old adage is that the camel was designed by committee with a forced consensus. The more people involved, the harder it is to reach a workable solution and once reached, to change it in any way. This is not to recommend that all decisions be made unilaterally, but that a committee decision is viewed carefully.

5 Pride and arrogance getting in the way. It causes decisions to be based on “who is right” not “what is right”.

6 Unrealistic expectations. It is good to dream big dreams. However, realism must come into play and overreaching, overextending resources and over estimating causes disasters.

7 Budgets and budget changes. Often the original proposal has sufficient resources to achieve the result. However often either the resources are cut back for a variety of reasons or there are extensions to the project. Budget shrink and project creep set in and the result is always not good.

How could companies minimize the chances of making dumb mistakes?

1 Develop a clear realistic business strategic plan.

2 Get some expert help from someone who has been there before and has relevant experience

3 Make fact based decisions.

4 Act on what is right not who is right. Just because the CEO says they like it doesn’t necessarily mean it is a great idea. The organization knows their capabilities.

5 Do not force consensus.

6 Communicate, communicate, communicate.

7 Don’t shoot the messenger of bad news. Reward them for coming forward and avoid the huge dumb mistake.

9 When either the project or the budget changes, make the appropriate modifications.

10 Expect mistakes. Learn from each success and failure so that the small dumb mistakes become learning and never become big dumb mistakes.

If you have already made the dumb mistakes and are in trouble get some turnaround help quickly and get back on track. Squash the pride and arrogance and go for positive bottom line results.

Thanks

John



John Maver
President
Maver Management Group
(925) 648-7561
Maver Management

Theme from Mahogany

Diana Ross sang this a number of years ago and its words fit today’s economy better than ever. Most of us do not like what life is showing us.

Do you know where you're going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you?
Where are you going to? Do you know?
Do you get what you're hoping for,
When you look behind you there's no open door?
What are you hoping for? Do you know?

Now looking back at all we've had,
We let so many dreams just slip through our hands.
Why must we wait so long before we see,
How sad the answers to those questions can be?

Do you know where you're going to?
Do you like the things that life is showing you?
Where are you going to? Do you know?
Do you get what you're hoping for,
When you look behind you there's no open door?
What are you hoping for? Do you know?

Revenues have plunged and profits are non existent. Layoffs are common and so are business closings. Employees are frightened about their job security and almost all are over worked. Businesses and employees do NOT know where they are going to.

Why is that?

Most of these businesses either do not have a workable business plan or have discarded their plan in the confusion caused by trying to remain profitable. They have moved away from the very aspects of their business that made them successful in the first place. The dreams that they had have evaporated and they are left with struggles.

What can you do about this? Here are 7 ideas.

1 Bring your executive team together and analyze your current situation and the opportunities that exist for you.

2 Use the information to develop a business plan that will work.

3 Focus your efforts so that you harness scarce resources.

4 Stay on top of cash flow. Cash is king!

5 Stop just cost cutting and work on driving revenue and profitability. There is a difference.

6 Engage your employees on focused business building within the scope of the business plan that you have developed.

7 Invest in some expert help. You don’t self medicate, so don’t do it to your business.

You may not like the things that life is showing you, change them. Make sure that you and your entire organization know where you’re going to.

Thanks

John
Maver Management Group



John Maver
President
Maver Management Group
(925) 648-7561
Maver Management

Twelve Turnaround Tips for Companies

Most companies have spent the last several quarters cutting and cutting and cutting costs. The focus is on minimalization. Unfortunately the tough economic climate is continuing and is expected to remain for some time. Now what? What focus do the company and the employees have and what are you going to do to actually bring in revenue?

Here are twelve tips to not just survive but thrive in the midst of tough times.

1. Re-examine your business plan and recheck your business fundamentals. You may be surprised at the opportunities that will be presented.

2. Do what it takes to remain profitable. Negative numbers become an excuse for almost anything and you will not only lose focus but you will lose more business. That doesn’t mean just cost cutting. It means being smart about what you are doing.

3. Focus! Cut what's non-core. Invest in what is. Know who and what you are and BE THAT!

4. Simplify something – it will help cut costs. Complexity equals expense. Take a look at all of your procedures and find simpler methods.

5. Look outside for good partners both as alliances and suppliers. Leverage relationships to save money or make money. Others are looking for help too, so work together.

6. Do what you already know is right -- only this time, really do it. Many companies know the right path but continually choose not to take it for a variety of reasons. Stop doing what doesn’t work and reallocate the resources.

7. Go talk to your customers. They are hurting too and want your love and leadership. They will remember you when things turn around.

8. Keep some investment in your R&D. You'll need it. This can give you the competitive advantage when the sales start to flow again.

9. Look for technology-based efficiency. Use the Web to cut costs and boost productivity.

10. Enlist your employees' support. Ask them for ideas. They are closest to the action and will have more good ideas than you could possibly execute

11. Believe in your own business and your future. There will be brighter days ahead and you want to be part of them

12. Hire a good consultant. Their experience and objectivity can show you ways to accelerate your positive business progress. They are not an expense. Good ones are an investment. The ROI can be astounding.

Contact me and let me know how I can help you.

Thanks

John

John Maver
President
Maver Management Group
(925) 648-7561
Maver Management