What do you think is most effective? Implementing a plan or just going forth and “doing” without any real sort of plan in place?

Anyone who has ever worked with me or spent any time reading my posts will probably find that an odd question for me to even ask. After all, I am all about the plan. About having a strategy. About being really clear on what you want to accomplish and how you are going to do it.

But here is the thing about plans. They can only work if you implement them. And you can only implement a plan that you’ve actually put in place.

Planners vs. Doers

At our core, people are innately more planner or doer.

I’m a planner. I tend to be more methodical and thoughtful in my thinking. I perform better when I can be thoroughly prepared; researching, reviewing and understanding a project rather than jumping in blindly. But once I’ve researched, reviewed and understood – once that plan is in place – I happily move on to implementing.

Then there are the doers.

A very dear friend of mine is a doer. She is a pound the pavement, get-out-the-door kind of person. When she has a project to start or a problem to solve, she just jumps right in. Trying various things out to see what sticks.

I remember when she was getting married.  All of the guests invited for a week together at a villa in Italy.

Aside from the wedding party, villa rental and room arrangements, there wasn’t really a plan. No order for the procession, no flowers, no concrete plan for food at the reception. We all just…. went to Italy. And to the surprise of my very methodical brain, it all worked out. It was spontaneous. It was fun. And it was absolutely stunning.

Implementing vs. Doing

The difference between implementing and doing is that implementation always starts with a plan. Doing does not. Can both methods be successful? Well…. it depends.

The problems come when business owners are too firmly planted in either category:

• Planners don’t act. I’ve had clients over the years that become so entrenched in the planning process that they become frozen with inaction. Fearful that the results won’t meet expectations. So they do nothing. Or they spend months, if not years, refining and adjusting. Losing valuable time. All of their planning is wasted, and their business becomes stagnant. Surviving, but certainly not thriving.
• Doers don’t plan. Because they are constantly trying new things they’re able to gain momentum. And from what I’ve seen, many are able to build fairly sustainable businesses. But there is always a limit to their success. Wasteful spending and a lack of focus mean you’ll eventually hit a wall. Shifting priorities means employees spend more time moving from side to side instead of moving forward. Lack of direction results in short-term gains over long-term growth.

Obviously, in order to run a successful business you need to both “plan” and “do”.  And I still firmly believe in starting with a plan.

Because the thing I’ve observed throughout my career is that the difference between truly successful companies and those that sort of just get by has a lot to do with planning. With having a strategy that serves as a guide for all marketing activities.

If you are leading a team, it is imperative to have a plan in place.

If you want your team to produce results, they need to understand their purpose. Not just what their responsibilities are or what tasks they are expected to complete. But to really understand the goals and objectives – where it is they’re headed.

For some solopreneur “doers” – where they are a business of one – a formalized plan might be more of a challenge. Despite their willingness, despite their belief in it, following a plan is incompatible with their nature.

Making a Plan of Action

I’ve recently shifted away from creating deep-dive, all-encompassing Strategic Marketing Plans for many of my clients.

Why?

Well, because “doers don’t plan” and “planners don’t act”. And too many plans wind up sitting on shelves. Forgotten. Lost in the abyss of digital documents and email attachments.

For bigger companies, marketing teams, and those with more complex marketing needs, there is still a place for a more comprehensive Strategic Marketing Plan.  After all, you wouldn’t start building a house without having a blueprint. Otherwise, you might wind up with rooms that have no access and doors that don’t lead anywhere.

Sometimes, however, you just need to start building a room.

I switched to creating Marketing Action Plans to help with building the room. This type of plan still addresses longer-term, big picture strategies (to know how you want the room to look). It still establishes goals and identifies target audiences (to know who the room is for). But it emphasizes results and forward momentum by focusing on a limited number of actionable items (what is needed to get the room built).

• For the Planner: It limits the amount of actionable items so that it’s not overwhelming. And it provides an outline of next steps to keep them focused on those items that need to be addressed now. Not in the future.
• For the Doer: It provides the strategy that is needed to give their actions purpose. Clarifying what it is they want to accomplish so that they can stop wasting time and money. But it also allows for the flexibility to shift the how without losing sight of the what.

Don’t get me wrong. I love planning. Planning is great. But at some point, we have to put down the pen. We have to step away from the keyboard. We have to stop planning. And we need to start doing.

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Jacqui Genow

Brand & Business Strategist

J. Genow Marketing

Jacqui Genow is the founder and principal of J. Genow Marketing. She works with clients in aligning their brand message, building their marketing roadmap, and helping them stay on track to move their business forward. As a Brand and Business Strategist, her focus goes beyond marketing; making the connections between how marketing decisions made today can impact a client’s business in the future. You can find Jacqui on LinkedIn and Twitter.

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