7 Building Blocks For Business Momentum

Tuesday 24 March, 2009

by Jenny Stilwell

A recurring challenge for many businesses - whether they're in early stages of growth, well established, or in acquisition mode - is where to allocate resources - people, time, money, technology - for the greatest result. The desired outcome is always momentum - positive momentum!

The answer is to put your resources where your business needs more acceleration. In very simple terms, think of the driving force of your business as having the following system components, each with many layers underneath:

1. Product creation system
   
   You need to develop, fine-tune, re-invent and innovate with product creation, so you always have a stream of products and services you can offer your clients.
   
2. Profile building system
   
   This will get your message out over and over again to the people who need and want your products and services.  This is all about best-fit marketing and promotional activities for your business.
   
3. Client growth system
   
   The framework to acquire new clients, and grow the value of existing clients. It makes sure you invest resources in the right growth areas, and places a strategic spotlight on the business.
   
4. Sales system
   
   Needed for the face-to-face process of meeting, engaging with and building relationships with the people who will purchase your products and services.
   
5. Online division
   
   Take orders 24/7! Once you've built a robust engine room, why would you have it only turned on for half the day?
   
6. People management system
   
   Look after the fundamental processes of providing infrastructure and guidelines as to how your people work in your environment.
   
7. Management platform
   
   Which covers your information systems, management reporting capabilities, general business procedures and the technology that underpins all these things, as well as risk management.

If you only have one product to sell, or your product is outdated, then don't focus on an online division. If you have the wrong team and you're not managing them very well, get that fixed fast!
Once you start to view your business in this sort of structure, you can see very quickly where to put resources next. Then you need to drill down into the relevant components and look at specifics. This approach applies to working through resources required, and potential outcomes, of both challenges and new opportunities.


Source:ceoonline.com