A Dynamite Strategy without effective execution Fizzles

By: Arlene Johnson

When challenged to earn a coveted promotion, succeed with an important business project or to win a quota busting business opportunity, we get charged. With a vision for what the change can bring, our energy kicks in and our mind gets focused on mapping a strategy to accomplish what we want.

So, let's say you have a new business opportunity that if won not only makes your year but also has significant strategic value to your company – a much needed win for everyone. As you assess and develop your win-strategy, you ask yourself: Which decisions and actions give us a competitive advantage and best ensures our winning this important customer relationship?

With input from others, questions answered and a dynamite strategy in hand, you're ready to take action. It's time to conduct a brilliant execution of your strategy. STOP. Before moving forward, you, and any team member, should know the answers to this question: With each planned customer conversation in my win-strategy, how do I get the information and gain the customer agreements to strengthen relationships and differentiate myself and our solutions?

Your strategy is "what to do"; the deal maker or breaker is "how you do it". The art, and the win, is in the execution. Ask any experienced sales or business development professional, "Why was that business opportunity lost?" More often than not you'll hear something similar to, "We spent weeks and resources on analyzing and developing what we thought was a sure strategy to win the opportunity. The strategy was sound. Where we lost our momentum, and the opportunity, was not having access to the key decision makers (or not asking the right questions with those we did have conversations with) to gain the needed information and agreements our competitor did."

Strategy is seldom blamed, execution often is, and in most cases, rightfully so.

And, sometimes strategy is to blame. Regardless of your career or business objective, random meetings or conversations not driven from a solid win-strategy are a waste of time and poor use of precious resources. Conversation by conversation you must have both: a strong win-strategy and equally strong execution. No way can you fizzle with that!

Related Resources

Assess the critical elements of an important business opportunity and develop a winning strategy, read … Strategic Selling.

Effectively execute your win-strategies. Learn how to plan and conduct collaborative conversations with colleagues and customers to achieve important business objectives, read … Customer Value Conversations.