Of all the responsibilities a manager faces, one of the most universally dreaded has to be annual planning.  This is particularly true in today’s marketing and sales environment, where it seems as if no resources are left to be trimmed, but still, we are all being asked to shave a little here, shear off a little there, and ultimately, lop off some line items altogether.

What if, though, we viewed the process as an opportunity?  What if we dwelled less on what has to be minimized and instead, looked more closely at where our successes were in 2010?  And then, what if we took those successes – refined and expanded on them in 2011 – without allotting more time or money or resources?

Impossible?  Not really.   All that’s needed is a different perspective.  And the right partner.

Think of it this way:  A large, productive piece of equipment can sometimes be enhanced not by adding more, large pieces of machinery, but instead, one small, well-fitted, hard-working cog.

With the torque generated from that one small, but significant mechanism, your 2011 marketing campaigns might be orchestrated into a single, ongoing program.  Your customer communications can be turned into customer conversations.  Your successful single channel efforts can be expanded into multi-channel programs, which multiplies ROI.

It all begins with an honest conversation and a willingness to look at all your various efforts and programs and communications.

The pieces are there.  So let’s look at them, and then, put them back together – but differently.  Let’s not spend more.  Let’s spend better.  Let’s not work more.  Let’s work smarter.  Let’s go from good to better to best.  It’s what we do every day here at Technekes.