Focus on the Forest, Not the Trees: The Importance of Strategy in Business

There’s just one leading cause of death for small businesses.

A “silent killer” that devours life-long savings, destroys health, breaks up relationships of unaware, but forward-charging entrepreneurs…

What is it?

Lack of Clients! It’s that simple. Without the ability to consistently generate quality leads, separate lookylous from serious prospects, and influence those prospects to become ideal clients, something terrible happens… NOTHING.

Well, actually, something does happen eventually - you go out of business!

But here’s where 99% of all people growing their business do it all wrong…

They chase the latest “tactic of the day” hoping it will become their salvation.

But without understanding the underlying STRATEGY most approaches will fail to deliver the desired results. They might work briefly - consider it “beginner’s luck” - but will fizzle out quickly. Leaving you frustrated and forcing you to chase yet another tactic with a steep learning curve!

Exhausting!

There are a few “strategic shifts” you must understand to use these tactics effectively with consistent, long-term results. More on this in another post.

Strategy vs. Tactics - What’s The Difference And Why Does It Matter To You?

If you don’t understand the difference between the two, you’re doomed to an ongoing struggle. Your marketing will likely stop working every time technology advances. Changing technology impacts how we communicate - which is pretty much every day.

A strategy gives you clarity about WHAT needs to be done and WHY it needs to be done. Tactics focus on HOW to do it.

Tactic is an activity - something you do. Strategy is the thinking behind that activity that gives it purpose.

That’s why strategies tend to be “timeless” - because as a race humans changed very little since we left our cozy caves - our desires remained the same since the beginning of time. So we still respond to the same basic triggers.

Tactics change often. For example… Placing an ad in Yellow Pages is a tactic. And if you just asked “what’s Yellow Pages?” then it’s my point exactly. Or you could use telemarketing - you know, cold-calling home-owners right around their dinner time to solicit their business. It was an awesome tactic in 1999! But in 2003 the government created “do-not-call” (in the USA) rendering it pretty much useless.

Anyway, you get the point, right? Strategy first - tactics second.

Strategy - big-picture focus and long-lasting success. Seeing the whole forest so to speak! Not just being in awe with a single tree.

Tactics - being busy but not accomplishing much. So tactics without a strategy are like doing something without thinking. As in Q: “What the heck were you thinking doing this?”… A: “Truth be told - I wasn’t thinking!” Sad, but too often true.

In a way, many entrepreneurs resemble a dog chasing its own tail: a wagging tail gets their attention… they start chasing it… it always seems to be just an inch away from being caught so they keep at it… it’s exhausting… they can never catch it… but they never stop to ask “WHY?”

In our vast Marketing Mentors Content Library, I found this: "Six Ways To Think Strategically So You Can Stop Chasing Resistant Prospects And Make Ideal New Clients Come To You". Coming in my next post...

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