Business plans, marketing plans, and the care and feeding thereof

Oh dear, it's nearly March. In fact your BAS report, if you do it quarterly, is due tomorrow. So how are you going against budget? Against your business plan? And your marketing plan?

We had a Board meeting this week, and the subject of marketing plans came up. Realistically we haven't revisited ours for a couple of years, and it's something we're going to do very soon. Since we last wrote one Web 2.0 has come into its own with a whole new raft of marketing options such as Twitter and Facebook, and a real advancement in internet pull technology. Watch out! We'll come up with great new ideas for helping our members.

But this is about you. How are your marketing and business plans? When was the last time you looked at them? If you're a small business owner, they're probably the last thing on your mind. You're too busy with everyday work and satisfying your clients; you know you should revisit them at some point and see if they're still relevant, but really, there are more important things to do. Right?

Wrong, actually. Your business plan and marketing plan should drive what you do, and should be revisited on at least an annual basis. Maybe you're servicing different clients to last year. Maybe your main competitors have changed. Maybe the tenor of your business has changed. Whether you're a restaurant owner or in retail, or a service provider such as an accountant, dust off those plans and see how they compare to what you are actually doing these days, both financially and figuratively.

If you need help setting plans and goals, or working out just what it is you want to achieve, we have members in the Forum who can help you. And if you don't have a business or marketing plan, then you definitely need to talk to these members. These people coach other business people, and can help you realise a lot about yourself and the business you're in. We have a range of business coaches from large organisations to one person operations, and these coaches could help you turn a blah year into a great profit year, or help you take your business to the next level. Most of them don't charge for an initial chat (I can't be sure as I haven't asked all of them), but what have you got to lose? Any fees are a business tax deduction, and it's a win/win situation. You get the guidance to build a brighter future for your business, and in return you're giving business to a fellow member, which is what we're all about.

Check out our directory for consultants and business coaches who can help your business soar: http://www.rydebusiness.com.au/directory/business.html

In addition, we have some excellent workshops planned for this year to get you motivated and get your business flying. Stay tuned!

Making your membership grow your business

If you've joined RBF, I expect it's because you want to grow your business, either through learning at our workshops, meeting other members or using the membership list to contact other members.

In many cases, new members simply rely on the last option to grow their business through RBF, and are often surprised and disappointed when it doesn't happen as quickly as they'd like or not at all.

Seriously, you don't pay your membership fee just to get a mailing list. Or at least we hope you don't. Chambers of Commerce like ours encourage people to attend regular networking meetings for a reason - that being that people get to know you and like you, and refer you to their friends if they don't personally need your products and services.

It can take months to see the system working. Joining a Chamber doesn't guarantee you instant wealth like winning Lotto does. This is common across all Chambers of Commerce, not just RBF. If you met a car salesman at a party would you buy a car from him that very night? No, you'd arrange to meet again and discuss it. At the very least you'd exchange business cards. It might take you a few months to decide that you really do want that new car. But at least you know someone you can buy it from, whom you met initially in a no-pressure situation. Imagine that party is one of our events. You'll meet lots of people at it, and get to know them and their business, as they'll get to know yours. That's a much greater positive impact on your business than simply emailing everyone on the membership list and not attending any events.

It's easy to sit back and email people. Putting in the time to go to events and chat to other members takes an effort sometimes, particularly when you're in the middle of a project or rushing from a late meeting, but it's an effort that's worthwhile.

Your business will grow, but it needs the old-fashioned face to face contact to kick-start it. If you haven't been to a Business After Hours in a while, come to our next one. We've also got a couple of keynote breakfasts and luncheons coming up this spring to offer you extra networking opportunities.

See you soon!