Building Momentum Through Business Vision

Solution Factors • May 13, 2022

As the business and charity landscape morphs into its new normal after two years of upheaval, many directors want to reinvigorate their business strategies and vision. As a marketing consultant and external marketing director, I’m frequently included in these discussions and thought it would be helpful to share some suggestions.

Lock on to your business vision

When you ask your management team to take the business forward, they must be able to imagine your vision of your business or charity. I believe that this is essential. It enables them to hone plans to follow the business strategy with pinpoint accuracy.

Consider allowing your team to immerse themselves in your vision for your business, and think about it, before discussing your business strategy. Ask them what they see in their mind’s eye. How do they think their department/function would run if the plan came to fruition?

Turning the business vision into momentum

There should be a clear line joining the business’s vision to its strategy to tactical plans, and finally to reporting on results. If your team can’t see your vision for themselves, where are they going to find job satisfaction and fulfilment when elements of your plans translate into results? In these circumstances, they could find it outside your organisation, which might lead to low morale and staff leaving.

I’ve been hands-on in progressing businesses and charities for more than 20 years in marketing, and I’m convinced that a leader’s passion for their organisation’s vision can result in a supportive environment for staff. Focus relayed from the top trickles down into goal- and task-oriented behaviours among colleagues, regardless of the size of your operation.

What happens in the absence of business momentum?

The short answer is, ‘things usually go wrong’. Here are some real-life examples to illustrate how this has played out in different types of organisation:

Company: A new technology product quickly became a market leader, and the business was sold. The new owners wanted more international success, didn’t have a vision, didn’t invest or actively promote their company or products. This meant they lost most of their customers to their competition. Staff morale was low and in-house product/customer knowledge was lost as staff left.
Charity: As with most charities, the vision was strong. However, the line that joins vision to strategic and tactical plans was too vague, so marketing activities were not refined enough or well targeted, which set internal standards lower than they should have been and compromised fundraising. Over time, this led to low staff morale, which affected their work ethic.
eBusiness: The company vision was unrealistic, so the organisation had run on enthusiasm and wishful thinking rather than true business momentum. In this instance, heavy investment had already taken place, so there had to be some return on investment.

I’ve been called in to help organisations in these scenarios many times – and I fear there are dozens more of in similar scenarios out there.

Examples of how business momentum impacts growth

Please don’t despair! I have a multitude of positive commercial and charity examples.

Company: After many years of technical investment, a technology company launched a new product. Its vision was clear and well defined, which reinforced strategic and tactical planning and translated into excellent PR and marketing results. The product won international acclaim and was adopted by large customers, who were more supportive than the company could have ever hoped for.
Charity: The charity had a clear vision: it set ambitious goals and communicated these to staff and volunteers. Since the charity had a small budget, those around management discussion tables were carefully selected based on their experience and contact sphere. Main sponsors were easily found, which led to plenty of ‘good news’ stories for staff, volunteers, their networks and the media.
eBusiness: Developing a new online service to offer a global industry, dominated by large international players, was tough. It took a handful of dedicated people to launch the service and develop its market. Years later the vision is largely fulfilled, but that small group has had the business momentum to continue developing the product to move with the times and turn heads.

Writing this blog has made me think about the good and the more difficult times in my marketing career, to eke out the secrets of success. Healthy leadership and work ethics are two of the characteristics that the many successful organisations I’ve worked with have in common. The cultures in these organisations have been built on honesty and solid teamwork.

Maintaining your business’s vision feeds business momentum and improves organisational efficiency, partly by reducing or eliminating off-target activities. I have often witnessed the benefits of holding a vision and using it as a filter to refine your business planning. If this is done well, it can motivate your staff and make them feel secure in the expectations placed upon them, which fuels your business momentum.

< Older Post

How to Make a Good Marketing Plan in 2021

By Solution Factors • January 7, 2021

How to make a good marketing plan in 2021 – this blog is based on years of experience of creating and facilitating strategic marketing plans and short-term marketing activity plans to solve problems for businesses and charities.

PR and Marketing: Peeping Out from Behind The Scenes

By Solution Factors • December 3, 2020

I’ve spent more than 20 years providing PR and marketing services to companies and charities. Simon Badman, an associate, recently suggested that I write a blog post to explain how I help make success happen from behind the scenes. I’ve always got away with putting other people in the spotlight rather than myself. But now the time has come for me to step out and take a bow, to introduce my updated, redesigned website… It even includes my photo. I unashamedly publicise my clients ’ successes using my PR and marketing services, over my own public profile.