04
Sep

Plan = control.

If you don’t have a plan, then whatever else is happening becomes the controller.  If you don’t know where you want to go next, the only thing you can do is look to where others want you to go next.

Example: If you go into a sales call with Plan A, but it becomes clear in talking with the client that you can’t reach Plan A and you don’t also come with a Plan B, the control of the sales call switches to the client.  If you have a Plan B, you can actually flip and take control back again by saying, “Okay, if Plan A doesn’t work for you, let’s go with Plan B, then.” If your plan fails, if you can’t continue with it and you don’t know what steps to take, then you’re just running from your gut.  It’s a guarantee your client came up with a plan and that’s the one that’s running now.

If you have a plan of how you want to take your business to the next level, and you know what your next step is – even if you don’t accomplish that next step – you at least are exerting effort in a particular direction to accomplish a goal or result that you intended.

With NO plan, you’re expending effort in response to what’s going on around you.

Example:  If you are in charge of getting from point A to point B and you don’t have a plan of how to get to Plan B, you aren’t actually steering; the winds and waves are steering you. If it happens that you end up at point B, fine.  But you have wasted time and energy without a direction and without a clear view of the destination.

Create a plan for your business.  You can’t afford to leave its control to the winds of chance or to allow someone else’s plan to determine your direction and, ultimately, your destination.

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