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Guide to Strategic
Thinking
CURRENT
|
Is what
you offer new or existing?
New
Existing
Both
|
Are they
high, medium, or low margin products/services?
High
Medium
Low
Mixed
|
Are they
high, medium, or low priced products/services?
High
Medium
Low
Mixed
|
Does
your company have a reputation for high, medium, or low quality products/services?
High
Medium
Low
Mixed
|
Was your
reputation planned?
Yes
No
|
Do you
want to change your current reputation?
Yes
No
|
Is your
company looked upon as an innovative industry leader?
Yes
No
|
Was it
planned?
Yes
No
|
Do you
want to change your image?
Yes
No
|
Do your
customers proactively seek advice from your company?
Yes
No
Sometimes
|
Do you
want to change this?
Yes
No
|
Are your
products/services a low, medium, or high priority to your customers?
Low
Medium
High
|
In order
of importance, list the benefits the customer receives from using
your products/services:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
|
In order
of importance, list the benefits the customer receives from doing
business with your company:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
|
Why do
your current customers buy from your company now?
|
Where
would you like to position the company?
|
In one
sentence, what do your customers value most about your company that
makes a difference to them?
|
How easy
is it for your customers to do business with you?
|
Is your
goal to increase share or penetrate whole new markets?
Increase share
Penetrate
Both
|
Do you
have a written sales plan?
Yes
No
|
If yes,
how effective is it?
Very
Somewhat
Not
|
Do you
have a written marketing plan?
Yes
No
|
If yes,
how effective is it?
Very
Somewhat
Not
|
Do you
have a written business plan?
Yes
No
|
If yes,
how effective is it?
Very
Somewhat
Not
|
Do you
have a written strategic plan?
Yes
No
|
If yes,
how effective is it?
Very
Somewhat
Not
|
If yes,
how far out does it go from today?
One year
Three years
Five years
Ten years+
|
If yes,
is the company strategy aligned in such a way that everyone, from
the maintenance person to the CEO knows and understands their contribution
to the plan?
Yes
No
|
Do you
have a company vision statement?
Yes
No
|
If yes,
what is it?
|
Do you
have a company mission statement?
Yes
No
|
If yes, what is it?
|
Do your
employees know what this is and what it means?
Yes
No
|
Does
the company live by it?
Yes
No
|
Do your
customers know what it is and what it means?
Yes
No
Not sure
|
Are you
consistently meeting your long and short range goals?
Yes
No
|
Do you
have the types of new products underway in your R&D department that
will provide continuous revenue growth in the years ahead?
Yes
No
|
If no,
what are you doing about it?
|
Can your
current sales channels handle your future worldwide revenue forecasts?
Yes
No
|
If no,
or not sure, what plans are you making to correct it?
|
Can your
current operations and processes compete in the future?
Yes
No
Not sure
|
If no,
or not sure, what plans are you making to correct it?
|
What
changes are taking place within the industries you serve that you
will need to address?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
|
What
new technologies are being created in other industries that could
directly impact yours?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
|
Do you
have a feedback loop with your customers that offers them a means
to interact with you?
Yes
No
|
If yes,
what is it?
|
Do you
promote the company now?
Yes
No
|
If yes,
how?
trade ads
public relations
direct mail
trade shows
website
website
seminars
telemarketing
affiliate program
other/describe
|
If you
have a web site, do you have a written plan for it?
Yes
No
|
Do you
have a customer retention/account management program in place?
Yes
No
|
Do you
sell regionally, nationally, or worldwide?
Regionally
Nationally
Worldwide
|
What
is the biggest problem facing you right now?
|
Is it
a current problem?
Yes
No
|
FUTURE
|
By how
much do you want to grow your company?
% in the next year
% in the next five years
% in the next ten years
|
Is there
a plan to make this happen?
Yes
No
|
Are your
current cash flows, credit lines and financial plans sufficient to
get you there?
Yes
No
Not sure
|
Does
everyone in the company know and understand the plan and goals?
Yes
No
|
Has everyone
bought into them?
Yes
No
Not sure
|
Do you
have the tools and personnel in place to accomplish it?
Yes
No
|
Do you
have the right people in key places?
Yes
No
|
Are you
working on any predictable near or long term problems?
Yes
No
|
List
your top five concerns regarding your company's future:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
|
What
will the Wall Street Journal say about your company ten years from
now?
|
What
would you like them to say?
|
What
will your company's image be in 2020?
|
What
products/services will you offer in 2015?
|
How will
the future of your industry be different in ten years?
|
What's
happening with the industry that's new and scary?
|
What
values are important to your company?
|
What
will your company's values be in 2025?
|
Who will
be your customers ten years from now?
|
Who will
be your competitors ten years from now?
|
What
more can your company be than it is now?
|
What
more does it need to be?
|
What
steps are you taking to ensure the company's longevity?
|
What
are you doing to take control and shape the future of your company
before someone or some new technology does it for you?
|
What
new technologies can you tap into to open new opportunities?
|
Your
Name:
|
Your
Title:
|
Company
Name:
|
Phone:
|
Sic Code:
|
Address:
|
City:
|
State:
|
Zip:
|
Fax:
|
E-mail:
|
Website:
|
|
If
you have any questions, concerns or wish to discuss your strategic
planning needs, please call: 1-800-397-0010.
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|