I have a confession to make.  I am a recovering marketing plan junky.  If it involves thinking up, creating, reading about, contributing to, and/or discussing marketing plans, I’m in.  Maybe it’s the anticipation, or the thrill of starting something new, but, whatever the reason, developing a marketing plan is something I just can’t seem to get enough of.

There’s an allure to the intricate marketing plan.  We revise, tweak, present, edit,  and revise until we get it “perfect”.  Then we revise it again.  And then, savoring the moment, we sit back, impressed with our own cleverness and keen insights.  We proudly proclaim that now all that’s left to do is “just” execute.  Just execute.

Planning and strategy are important, but it is execution which often determines whether the day is won or lost.  So, I am now deliberately shifting my focus and energy to proper execution.  Define and understand objectives clearly, create a flexible structure of tactics to achieve them, and then get to work implementing the tactics with the courage and creativity to adapt based on results.  This is not a dismissal of planning.  Rather, it is doing away with the over-engineered plan and making a concerted effort to focus on executing the right tactics in the right ways.

Laptops and Google drives are full of overly tweaked marketing plans that “just” needed to be executed.  But, it sometimes seems that thoughtful, nimble planning AND execution is a lost art.  Let’s bring it back.

As always, I welcome your comments, feedback, and suggestions.  Feel free to comment or contact me.