I recently blogged about "Frugal Marketing Guidance" which resulted in a number of inquiries regarding the chart of Educational Marketing Tactics and how to use them. This led to some interesting discussions regarding the marketing plan objectives of some businesses with the following results:

Unfortunately professional cleaning-business persons have a tendency to say - "I don't have the time or energy to plan!" Then proceed to waste time and resources on the same business emergencies that just seem to happen over & over.

Although it probably sounds trite, "plan your work and work your plan", really does produce efficiency and increased productivity. However, doing things right the first time definitely requires planning.

Take a bit of time right now to think about some of the benefits of basic planning. As I see it, several key benefits include:

#1 - Prioritizing important tasks as well as the time to get them done

#2 - Honestly identifying current resources plus needed resources that still must be put in place.

Ask yourself "How much planning do I really do for my business?"

Many cleaning professionals spend more time planning a vacation trip than they do planning for their businesses!

Here is a thought stimulator:

How aware of the company business goals and objectives are you?

Do you really understand the importance of strategic objectives in relationship to what you want to accomplish? These must be clear before effective strategies can be implemented.

It really isn't hard; a strategy is simply your plan as to how you will reach your objectives or goals.
But a strategy must be converted into tactics-activities and timeframes to work.

Your plan must support your overall strategy and should focus on these two areas:

1. Growing your existing customer base
2. Creating new customers

Planning can't be a one time event! By "planning your work and working your plan" you will optimize your time and efforts. The result will be more sales and increased revenues.

For more about the Frugal Marketing article,
http://leepemberton.com/blog/frugal-marketing-guidance/