Funeral Service Times August 2017 March 2019 | Page 39

BUSINESS ADVICE 39
How do we know when the message
has penetrated to the extent we want?
How are we getting feedback from our
clients and is this genuine or just them
avoiding difficult issues?
The list of things we need to consider
could be very long (it often is). We then
need to identify which tools are going
to have the most significant effect and
concentrate on those. I would recommend
around two to three at one time and
certainly no more than six in any one
“journey” or plan. Increasing the complexity
too much will become unmanageable.
KEEPING WATCH
PIRATES USING THE RIGHT TOOLS
When I served in the military, we used to
have an often used expression: “no plan
survives contact with the enemy.” And
so it is in business. Whatever our plans
are, we should expect them to fall apart
at some point because of a change in
circumstances.
But, and this is a really big BUT; we still
need to plan, and keep on planning. So
many times I have heard business leaders
and staff give up on a course of action
because things didn’t work out as expected.
Of course they don’t! We live in a dynamic
world where a multitude of factors are at
play. The fact that plans change is no reason
not to plan - can you see how foolish it
would be for a sailor to just launch off in
a direction hoping that everything will be
alright? So why would you do the same in
business?
If you expect things to change, then re-
working the plan will seem less of a chore.
Equally importantly, your team should be
prepared that things will change. How many times in your business have
you identified a goal and just sort of, well,
pushed in that general direction or tweaked
a couple of things to make the change? If
the answer is “lots”, then you are not alone.
In the well-established businesses that are
generally found within the funeral services
sector, most change very little and this
comes with a bug health warning; in the
video rental industry, Blockbuster famously
took the same approach.
If you want to significantly impact your
market, you will likely need multiple tools
acting simultaneously and in concert to
make the difference. Just as a sailor will
use a raft of instruments to measure boat
speed, direction, wind, etc, so you should
have the management information to hand,
after all, this is what has allowed us to know
where we are.
We then need to apply the tools and
knowledge to set the course such as:
How many months of marketing do we
need before we change message?
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Once the plan has started and the tools are
applied, it would be very nice to sit back
and let things take their course. But any
sailor will tell you that someone always
has to be one watch. As the wind shifts or
an obstacle approaches, the plan needs
to change. Without the person on watch
nothing would change and calamity could
well lie ahead, despite the fact that things
are going according to plan.
So keep looking at your numbers, keep
talking to your clients, keep looking at what
else is happening out in the market. How is
the plan progressing? Do you need to adjust
course based on the feedback you are
getting? Running a business means getting
the rest when you can, but always being
alert.
TRAINING YOUR CREW
Next time, in the last of this series, we’ll
look at how your team need to be trained
and equipped to perform their job superbly,
with or without you watching them. Until
then, have a look at your plans, show them
to your friends and family, and decide if
they are really worth the paper they are
written on.
MARCH 2019