Silver Bullet versus Strategy

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Created on Friday, 29 October 2010 20:17

Last Updated on Thursday, 01 September 2011 13:25

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I was driving today and saw a billboard for someone promising a free iPad if you bought a home through a specific realtor. It made me wonder if this person has a strategy, or if they saw a sale on billboard rates and with the success of the iPad, said, “Yes, THAT is the combination for real estate success.” 

We all have ideas – even creative ideas. But, we are not all masters of seeing them through with success and ensuring they actually drive toward our organizational and sales goals. I mean, why bother doing it, if it’s not ultimately to improve your business’ standing with buyers, funders or opinion makers – or in this case, to sell more homes to happy families?

Rarely does any business or organization land on a “silver bullet” tactic that leads to success without carefully researching the marketplace, developing strategy, planning for success, and THEN – creatively implementing those ideas along the way. Finally, after those brilliant ideas are implemented, evaluating and refining the idea(s) into something that connects in a meaningful way with customers or other stakeholders. 

Here are a few suggestions for developing a framework from which brilliant, creative and sometimes even silver bullet ideas can emerge.• Outline your goals. What are you trying to accomplish for the organization? Don’t simply focus on what you’re trying to accomplish through your campaign or advertisement, such as “We want to reach 500 customers driving in downtown Springfield.” That doesn’t speak to the organization’s goals. Instead, focus on “We want to get 500 new customers through the doors this quarter.” If the way you do that is by plastering billboards in strategic locations and purchasing advertising in the newspaper, then you will be able to evaluate whether you reached your operational goals and whether the cost was worth the investment. 

• Identify your desired outcomes. How will you know you were successful? Is it by measuring against quantifiable metrics, or some other indicator? For example, if you want to change public opinion about a health issue, how will you know you achieved success? If there wasn’t a baseline survey conducted, can you measure against some other indicator, such as the number of positive/negative news stories about the issue over six months?

• Agree on expectations. Work with your team to set the expectations that align with realistic outcomes. We’ve all heard that “success doesn’t happen overnight,” but were we really listening? Help the people around you – bosses, clients and employees – understand processes and the true costs in resources to ensure success. At each milestone, review your goals and outcomes to determine if you remain on the right track or if internal or external influences have changed the environment in which you are working. 

If you have done these things and you still arrive at the decision to give away iPads to promote your product or service, then go for it! At least when your promotion ends, you’ll know if you helped your organization’s bottom line.