Following is the outline of the Business Systems that will be addressed in each of the monthly Business Strategy Forums.

Business Model
Strategic Plan and Current year Goals
A Sales Process
A Marketing Plan
A Budget
A Procedures System
A Business Reporting System
A Staff Management System
A Training Plan
Executive Management
Worlds Best Practise

Business Model

This Forum starts by defining the financial and lifestyle results your business is required to deliver. We then design the structure for your business in order that it is able to deliver the outcomes you set, including financial models of viability and profitability. [The Business Model]

We will review the service or product you sell to the market and the methods employed to do so. The pricing and volumes will be discussed and the infrastructure required will be costed in broad terms.

When you have a clear model of what volume, at what price to take to the market to provide the revenue required, the challenge is then ensuring the business can deliver at this level. Staffing, market demand and marketing to increase volumes all then come into the equation.

The result of this session is a clear blueprint for the structure of your business and the broad targets it must meet to deliver the outcomes you require.

This first Business Strategy Forum is also an introduction to the concept of a Team of Management for your business.

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Strategic Plan and Current year Goals

Once the overview business model is set the pathway to achieving it can be formulated.

This planning session will turn a vision for the future of your business into a set of top-line objectives to deliver that result. [Strategic Plan]

There are tools introduced in this forum that will integrate into your daily management of your business. These methods will ensure that you spend regular time working on building your business as well as maintaining its day to day operations. [Project Planner]

We will then determine what the key goals are for you to achieve this year. Progress towards these will be monitored monthly by using a one page technique that will keep you focused on results. [Goal Sheets]

The important indicators to monitor performance of your business will also be incorporated into this monthly monitoring system.

There will be a segment in this (and each successive Forum) to discus current Issues facing your business in a Team of Management discussion.

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A Sales Process

Turning every sales opportunity into revenue is the next topic for the Forum.

We start with a method to record what new business is In the Pipeline. [Pipeline Report] This gives advance warning of quiet time or times when resources will be stretched.

Building a structured Sales Process that systematically guides prospects to a sale will enhance your success rates, reduce time spent on quoting, ensure opportunities are followed up, and provide information to help improve future sales techniques. [Sales Process].

Always understanding where a sales opportunity is currently positioned and clearly knowing what the next step is to progress it is the subject for the Next Best Step Sales Planner. [Next Best Step]

Various other tools and techniques will be covered in this Forum such as: Sales activity reporting, Scoreboard Charts, Databases and Customer Relationship Management Systems.

The TEAM OF MANAGEMENT segment will also feature in this Forum.

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A Marketing Plan

Marketing is the process to bring a prospect to the beginning of your Sales Process.

Most businesses have only a few methods of marketing that, if deployed correctly, will deliver the sales prospects they require.

Determining what these methods are is the first job to be achieved in this Forum. Trial and research are helpful here and Forum members’ experiences provide valuable discussions that can save much time and many wasted dollars for other Forum members.

Once the most appropriate methods are determined, Timing, cost and consistent application are the aspects of marketing that are addressed by developing a twelve month marketing plan for your business. [The Marketing Plan]

Again the TEAM OF MANAGEMENT segment will also be included in this Forum

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A Budget

It’s now time to get into the numbers in more detail. A budget will give a financial roadmap with a target. [Financial Budget]

We will work through a template that will give you a budget completed in the actual Forum – There is no homework to build this one!

It’s effective integration to your accounting system will let you know if you are on track throughout the year.

Multinational size organisations always use these management tools and now you can simply have the same control installed in your business.

As usual the TEAM OF MANAGEMENT segment will be on the agenda.

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A Procedures System

The way your organisation operates is the prime reason it has value. We will roll out a method to promote a consistent and considered set of operating procedures. [The X System]

Part of the value in this Forum topic is the prompting to think about the way things are done in your business which often gives rise to improvements, shortcuts, enhancements and better understanding by those in the organisation for why things are done a particular way. This usually reduces the lazy shortcuts that invariably lead to bigger problems.

Documenting the systems in an accessible way also create a capital value for your business for the time you choose to spend less time in it. The documentation reduces problems when staff are away who possess specialised knowledge as others can locate instruction maintained within the business.

This system will be developed in the Forum and your staff will be invited to continue the building over the successive 6 months. Progress will be monitored at later gatherings of your Forum group.

The TEAM OF MANAGEMENT discussion will be included.

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A Business Reporting System

Pilots have many specialised instruments to enable them to fly through cloud. Many small businesses just monitor a couple of guiding indicators, like cash in the bank as at right now, to navigate a complex business environment.

A proper reporting system is easy to build and quick to monitor. [The Barbados Report]

The topic for this Forum is to determine exactly what you need to monitor in your business so you can make informed business decisions.

Questions like: When to put more effort into marketing, The viability of hiring another staff member. etc can be answered with more certainty if the right supporting information is available.

The TEAM OF MANAGEMENT will continue.

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A Staff Management System

Starting with a planning system to acquire new staff, [Staff Acquisition Plan]

And moving on to the process of selection, hiring, creating personnel records, this Forum will provide templates and methods to get the best staff as efficiently as possible. [Hiring Templates] [Personnel File]

Once they arrive the orientation system will get them productive as soon as possible, while ensuring they discover the correct operating systems and culture of the organisation. [Orientation Plan]

The Staff Management includes a Staff Appraisal process that is quick to use and consultative so it is not confronting to staff. It is just another method to gather data to improve the organisation. [Staff Appraisals]

There is always plenty of discussion around this topic in the TEAM OF MANAGEMENT.

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A Training Plan

Your team all carry information and intellectual property about your business in their heads.

The Training Plan we utilise here spreads that knowledge from one staff member to others. [The Training Matrix]

Not only does this improve the skill levels of your staff but it also ensures that there are back-up skills in the organisation in case a staff member is absent.

There is a quick and easy method to drive and monitor this training process that is linked in with regular meetings of staff [Staff Meeting System]

The TEAM OF MANAGEMENT will also hold its regular discussions.

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Executive Management

Ensuring that you maintain a fresh and focussed view on your business is the topic for this Forum.

We will introduce tools to keep your priorities in check. By now there will be many systems helping you run your business, so we concentrate on the methods available to the driver of the business.

We canvas topics such as how to effectively balance a business and Family Life [The Never Ending List], how to determine what you should be doing in the business and what others should be doing. [The Job Split] Reviewing progress towards your business goals and then integrating them with your personal goals [The BID List].

We also have a tool to force you out of the office to maintain your keen attitude. [Fresh Mind Maintenance]

The TEAM OF MANAGEMENT keeps each other enthusiastic on this topic.

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Worlds Best Practise

Many aspects of any business can be world class. Usually they can do this without even incurring much cost, but there is a secret…

In this Forum we will explore the reasons why some businesses operate and deliver to a standard that leaves their competitors behind.

We will apply the theory to your business and develop the areas where you too can lead the world with the way you operate. [Worlds Best Practice]

The outcomes of this exercise lead into the formulation of the next Strategic Plan for your organisation to take it to the next level of efficiency and profitability.

By the time you have reached this point in the development of your business there will be many systems and enhancements in operation to improve its efficiency and profitability. Along the way we will have had a good deal of fun with productive outcomes.

The Way Forward for your Team of Management will also be formulated at this Forum.

How to get invovled in this exciting new management concept

To join one of the Boards of Management contact The Business Strategy Forum on 0419-70-7022 or fax in the Registration Form for admittance to The Business Strategy Forum.