Are You REALLY Committed to Your Business Plan?

business planning

Do you ever ask yourself that question in relation to how successful you are doing as an online marketer? The two are intimately linked and in this post, I’m going to explain why it’s so important to stick to your plan to ensure your business is moving forward profitably.

What may seem trivial at the point of decision can have a profound impact on your business. Let me show you why….

Here’s a typical scenario (or dilemma) that I know each of you are faced with every day (I know I am).

You receive an email newsletter providing insights into the latest whizz-bang SEO technique (note: it could be about anything, I’m just using this as a simple example).

It looks promising…. and very tempting.

You’d previously made the (half-hearted) decision to stick to ONLY ONE TRAFFIC GETTING TECHNIQUE at any one point in time. You know that focusing on one thing allows you to optimize your results over time. You selected paid advertising, & specifically PPC, since it was a ‘guaranteed’ traffic source & didn’t require a significant amount of your invaluable time to maintain & exploit.

It allowed you to focus your time on CREATING QUALITY CONTENT & products to increase your average customer value.

But getting back to the point…..

….you’re swayed by the amazing sales letter & incredible bonuses that are on offer. Yip, that’s internet marketing for you at its best.

You decide to give it a try. Heck, it’s only $1 for a 30 day trial & with the promises of a #1 search engine ranking in less than 1 month, what’s the worst thing that could happen?

A wasted $1 ???

Let’s pause for a moment, and reflect, because I know you’ve been in exactly the same situation.…

If you had a plan (and if you’re running a business, then you should) that you deviated from, why did you do it? Also, reflect on what the impact was to to your business AND were you able to recover?

So Why Did You Deviate From Your Plan?

There is no single right answer…. here are some of my thoughts:

1. Humans are curious by nature.
2. Impatient for fast results.
3. We don’t have the courage of our convictions & are tempted at the first opportunity to stray (always believe that there is something better out there)
4. Overly keen to demonstrate a level of success to family, friends and nay-sayers, and are willing to do literally anything to get there!

It’s the 4^th answer that to me is the most worrying.

You’re never going to keep everyone happy as to what evil plan you’ve been working on in your spare time. You can imagine the sense of satisfaction the nay-sayers get when things don’t work out for you.

Despite what you may be thinking right now, answer #4 above is a key factor, especially if your new online venture is absorbing a significant amount of your family time & personal savings.

That’s why you’re always looking for a ‘quick win’ to show people you were right. Pursuing that ‘quick buck’ is damaging & dangerous for you, your business & your family.

You can’t eliminate nay-sayers from your life completely. Let’s face it, there’s plenty of them about. But you do need to minimize your social interaction with them though – avoid any influence that they can bring to the clarity of your thinking & your business.

Thought provoking don’t you think?

So let’s get back to the story. After 1 solid month of hard work, perspiration and, dare I say it, no improvements on the SEO front, it’s time to quit that distraction.

“That was a crap ______ strategy. Another BS piece of software. Let’s get back to the plan”

How many times have you said that to yourself….. all you need to do is fill in the blank.

So Where Were You 1 Month Ago?

Okay, business might have been a little slow but it was starting to get some traction & you were getting some great feedback from your leads. The problem was the ‘distraction’ took up all of your time AND mental energy.

As a result, you neglected your leads, your content strategy came to a halt AND your product plan rollout has been pushed back by 1 month.

The end result is sheer frustration AND the throw away comments such as “nothing works online” begin to surface.

Now, 1 of 3 things can happen next:

1. You say, “it was my fault this new strategy didn’t work, perhaps there is something better. I’m going looking for some more”.
2. Your lethargy continues and you end up, after days, weeks & months, quitting your venture AND being significantly worse off financially.
3. You get back to your plan.

Now most people venture down paths ‘1’ and ‘2’, and it’s easy to understand why.

BUT DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES to take the lesson you’ve just learned on the chin and get back to your plan…. and stick to it?

The Bottom Line

Stick to what you’ve committed to in your plan. It’s okay to re-visit, re-assess, optimize, & even change course IF that’s what the data are telling you.

But to IGNORE your business commitment AND deviate from your business plan without any sound rationale is a CRIME. You’re not worthy of being considered a business leader. Remember this is YOUR business & it’s YOUR plan.

It’s a business that should have been developed around you (your talents, your passions & your lifestyle). If you treat it like a hobby or a toy, you’ll get CRAP results. Take it from me, I did and I’ve got the scars to prove it!

Speak soon

Jack Richards

Creator, Wealth-Health-Self

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