“Victory is the main object of war. The victorious situation is the product of the skillful commanders creative imagination” The Art of War
“To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill. Supreme excellence in war is to attack the enemy’s strategy. His primary target his the mind of the opposing commander” The Art of War
“Invincibility lies in defense while the possibility of victory in the attack. No war can be won by adapting a static position. A victory gained before the situation has crystallized is the acme of skill. Therefore, the skillful commander takes up a position in which he cannot be defeated and misses no opportunity to master his enemy” The Art of War
“ In planning, never a useless move; in strategy no step taken in vain” The Art of War
It is our intellect that paved the way to human civilization. The harsh realities of our environment – storms, floods, earthquake, predators – man has evolved as the ultimate survivor of all species. With intellect, we have the capacity to choose. Our intellect gave us the capacity to conceptualize contraption towards self preservation, human emotions and other forms of motivations. Planning, as a function of intellect, is a mental skill of coping with the uncertainties we have faced for millions of years. We have mastered the process of formulating future course of action to achieve our objective as hunting for a meal. It enabled man to achieve complex things by providing a pathway from concept to reality.
Planning is the Primary Management Function. In the Gung-ho world of business, where the risks are high and organizations are complicated, the competent leader makes a thorough planning process starting from the Moral Cause - Vision – Mission – Objectives – Programs.
Moral Cause. Defines the moral cause of the campaign. What is the higher purpose for which a campaign is organized. It is the divine purpose dictated by heaven such that nothing of this earth will tarnish it purity. It will sustain the test of war – intrigues, suspicion, politics.
Vision, being the desired future state of the organization; your definition of victory. Where do you want to go? The cause and the vision serves as reference in making strategic and long term decision.
Mission, fundamental purpose of the organization by which it will attain its Vision; targeted campaigns an organization want to undertake. It defines the industry, channels, territory it want to dominate.
Objectives, specific operational parameters by which the Mission is acted upon – ( SMARTER) Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time bound, Exciting, Rewarding.
With strategic operational points identified, a detailed program of action is developed. A program is a list of all activities and actions to be made within the scope of the Project. A Brainstorm and Rule of Seven process can be an effective way of accomplishing this task. Identified officers per area of specialization is tasked to formulate standards and checklist per department. Usually in a form of a Gantt chart – it contains the following columns: specific activity, timeline, responsible person, materials, needed and targeted outcome. A Gantt Chart programs huge amount of activities at the most efficient and systematic organization within the target timeline.
Financial aspect of the plan is thoroughly prepared thru a forecast capturing the breakeven analysis, required investment, expected income and profitability. Financial forecast is the backbone of the business plan. Numbers will always be a salient feature for any business ventures. Peter Drucker simply stated it in his maxim “ you can only manage what you can measure”. All plans need to be engineered and measured in detailed peso and numbers.
Budgeting is the process of matching the companies Internal Scrutiny against Forecasted business. Proper adjustments are made on the budget and the scope of operation depending on the results of the alignment process of budgeting.
After Budgets, Forecast, Programs and Objectives are aligned, scheduling of activities is developed. Thru a Gantt Chart, the whole operation can be captured in one paper and one look; monitoring and measurement is easier to execute. Timelines and Milestones are developed from the Scheduling process. With the required sequencing of program of action, scheduling is of grave importance. A single miss in days can create chaos in an operation.
I have to discuss in this chapter the gravity of strategy in planning. There is a need for “far reaching plans”. In motivation, we say “ we need to have long term goals to keep us from being frustrated by short term failures”. In operation, to conceive a grand strategy where twist and maneuvers can go round and round; and still steadfast and directed at the ultimate goal, is the challenge in the planning function. Contingencies have to be in place, in case. Enticement is placed in right corners to bait your opponents. To sacrifice battles, to win wars are some principles played around in the competence of planning. Victory remains to be the objective of any enterprise. It is the plan that defined what is your definition of victory.
Let us discuss briefly two essential concepts in Planning:
"Strategy is the direction and scope of an organization over the long-term: which achieves advantage for the organization through its configuration of resources within a challenging environment, to meet the needs of markets and to fulfill stakeholder expectations".
Three Categories of Strategies:
Corporate Strategy - is concerned with the overall purpose and scope of the business to meet stakeholder expectations. This is a crucial level since it is heavily influenced by investors in the business and acts to guide strategic decision-making throughout the business. Corporate strategy is often stated explicitly in a "mission statement".
Competitive Strategy - is concerned more with how a business competes successfully in a particular market. It concerns strategic decisions about choice of products, meeting needs of customers, gaining advantage over competitors, exploiting or creating new opportunities etc.
Operational Strategy - is concerned with how each part of the business is organized to deliver the corporate and business-unit level strategic direction. Operational strategy therefore focuses on issues of resources, processes, people etc.
Military tactics, the art of organizing an army, are the techniques for using weapons or military units in combination for engaging and defeating an enemy in battle. The highest tier of planning is the strategy, which is concerned with the overall means and plan for achieving a long-term outcome. An intermediate level, which converts the strategy (high level) into tactics (low level) is the operational level that deals with formations of units.source: wikipedia
The value of planning in the sales function:
1. The profession of selling involves a lot of uncertainty. Through the planning function, a salesperson is able to gauge the nature and degree of major environmental uncertainties, assess the organization’s response capability by developing appropriate plans.
2. The management aspect of selling in achieving organizational objectives a sales manager has to manage four components of the selling function – working with limited resources, working with people with various personalities, balancing effectiveness and efficiency, and a highly volatile market environment where change is a constant process.
3. Planning enable us to make the most effective and economical use of resources. Looking at the project in the point of view of a strategist, one can assign resources where it is most needed and where it can make the most devastating blow.
In taking a position where victory is certain, the competence of planning with strategy and tactics is the key in formulating a solution that will ensure the achievement of a sales strategist targeted goals. Enhance your planning skills. Start by cutting a piece of paper that can fit your pocket and list tonight all your required activities the next day. Take time to be guided by the list and cross each item you have accomplished.
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