You exist. But why? It’s not just a question for philosophers. For your business, it’s the most crucial and practical question. Your long-term success and satisfaction depend on answering it well. A business development strategy will help you achieve clarity about your firm’s unique purpose.
Greg McKeown, in his book Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, writes, “(O)nly with real clarity of purpose can people, teams, and organizations fully mobilize and achieve something truly excellent.”
If you want to take your company to the next level, do what it takes to define exactly why your company exists.
A business development strategy answers three vital questions:
- Where are you?
- Where are you going?
- How do you get there?
The last post addressed the need to locate yourself in a business environment that’s constantly presenting new challenges and new opportunities. That’s the first question: “Where are you?”
The next question, “Where are you going?” is another way of asking “Why are you here?” If you have a purpose, it means you have a destination.
Where Are You Going?
Polaris wasn’t looking to expand or shift their focus. Instead, external circumstances–the weather–forced the company to adapt.
But change in direction can also come from within.
You’ve changed since you created your business plan. You’ve learned from experience. Maybe you’ve begun to refine your sense of purpose. Or you’ve realized you have particular strengths and weaknesses. Maybe you have new ideas or passions.
Or, amidst the tyranny of the urgent, your sense of purpose may have simply grown foggy. Do ever find your motivation sagging? Are you just not sure what’s next?
Your sense of purpose can change for many reasons. Most likely, though, it’s not exactly what it was when you started.
McKeown tells the story of Nancy Duarte, the owner of an agency that produced a range of communications material for corporations. As a generalist agency, little distinguished her firm from others.
McKeown writes, “Then Nancy read Jim Collins’s Good to Great, in which he contends if there’s one thing you are passionate about–and that you can be best at–you should do just that one thing. That’s when she realized the real opportunity to differentiate the company might be in the very type of work nobody else in the industry wanted to do: designing presentations.”
Creating a business development strategy doesn’t mean leaving behind your original vision, but a maturing business does need refined objectives. You and the world have changed since you launched. Do you know where you’re going?
Identify Your Destination
A clear sense of purpose renews your drive, keeps you going through obstacles, and brings satisfaction. It’s vital to long-term success.
But clarifying your purpose takes work. It requires reflection, analysis, and asking hard questions. For most business owners, finding the right conversation partners is essential.
A strategic business advisor can help you find yourself on the map, and then help you identify your destination. The right advisor has the experience, perspective, and proven processes to help you achieve the clarity you need to “achieve something truly excellent.”
Please contact Julie Keyes for a free consultation.
Then, you can map the best route. The next post will address the final question a business development strategy answers: “How will you get there?” Answering this question gives you confidence to execute and achieve your purpose.
Find out more about how Julie Keyes has helped business owners like you clarify their purpose and move confidently toward the right goals.
