Strategy and tactics. What’s that have to do with MLM business success?

More than you could imagine…

The proper alignment of strategy and tactics is a requirement for success in military operations. And when it comes to “big” mega-corporations most people realize you need a focus on and a balance in this power team as well.  But when it comes to MLM business success most owners fall woefully short of alignment and focus on their business strategy. Tactics are what rule the day… just about every day!

That’s why understanding how to manage this foundational balancing act could be the single most important intellectual asset you develop as an MLM business owner.

Let’s get started with two quick definitions.

Strategy: “Strategy” is your carefully and intentionally planned approach to achieving success in business ownership.  From your MLM business as a whole, to the decisions made on a day-to-day basis – your success hinges on having a solid strategy. Your overall strategy will impact and mold your minor strategies in key growth areas like systems development, marketing, sales and your client service policies.

An example of a bold over-arching strategy is that of Nordstrom.
Their strategy is simple. To be the leading high-end department store in terms of clients centered service. They have many other more narrowly defined strategies that come into play, but they all flow out of this main strategy.

Tactics: “Tactics” are the actions you take to put your strategy into play so that you can achieve the goals you want. It’s the skill of using available resources to reach the ends you want.

Each and every Nordstrom employee knows that the tactics they have to choose from are virtually limitless… so long as it supports and is in alignment with the company’s main operating strategy. From your own personal shopping assistant, to staying an hour or two after closing, to dropping off special order items right to your front door – these tactics all support the strategy.

The teaming of the right strategy with carefully chosen tactics is what has allowed Nordstrom to be the industry leader for years.

The Right strategy means you’ll choose the Right tactics

Well… ok, almost always. But the fact is that you can’t achieve
a prominent position in the marketplace if you don’t have a solid strategy and a powerful strategic advantage.  Without it you’ll always be fighting an uphill battle.  You’ll be embroiled in a flurry of activity day after day.  Tired from your all your hard work – but short on results.

Every tactical interaction, from a sales meeting with a client to
delivering your services, provides an opportunity to fulfill your
strategy. Every tactic (a print ad, a direct mail piece, or your
web site) is an opportunity to fulfill your strategy as well. The
question becomes then – do you and your team have your ultimate business strategy in mind as you enact each tactic?

If you don’t, you’re not in control. You and your team are just
reacting. And owners who run their MLM business by reacting are destined to struggle for financial survival at best, and are more likely to fail all together.

Let me give you a few ideas to expand on this distinction here.
Here’s a great strategic positioning that any company would be
happy to have as part of their mission statement.”ABC Inc.
strives to be most recognized, trusted and respected widget
service company in the tri-state area.”  If that’s your overall
goal, than you have to ask how closely your current tactics align with your strategy to achieve this important goal.

To think strategically, you have to ask yourself if the end
result of each and every tactical action you employ takes you
closer to, or further away from, your strategic objectives. It
sounds simple enough, and most business owners know this is
true… intellectually.

But it’s tough to follow through on this when you’re trying to
run a growing MLM business. There’s a tendency to lean towards immediate results first, and the consideration of how the tactics align with strategy is a distant second – if considered at all.

Ask yourself:  “what’s the most beneficial result you could hope to get from really effective sales tactics?” If your answer is, “To make a sale…”

Granted this is a critical result for the sales process. But if
this is your ONLY focus it could lead to sales being made with no regard for the overall strategy of the company at all. You’ll
always be chasing the sale of the day, and NOT building anything sustainable.

Instead here are some other results that you and your team could be focused on just as much as “making the sale.”

To build in brand loyalty so they ALWAYS want to buy from us whenever they need our type of MLM product or service. We’ll be at the forefront of their mind when it comes to buying because we’ve listened to their needs, responded and built rapport.

To carry out the entire sales process in a way that contributes
to our being respected above all our competitors – even if we
don’t initially make the sale.

To generate referrals from every current, past and new customer.  Which means that ongoing communication, support and follow-up do not end after the initial sale is made.

I could give you at least six more additional strategic
objectives for the tactics involved in the average sales process.
But the point is that you need to be thinking and acting
strategically so that you leverage each of your tactical
interactions for exponential results.

When it comes to other types of tactics, your overall strategy
and the resulting thorough understanding of your MLM target market can make or break you.

Look at everything in your MLM business, from the way the phones are answered to your web site presentation, to the way you educate your customers. And remember that these are all “tactics.” Strategy is what you do with each one of these tactical opportunities to maximize the growth of your MLM business and the achievement of your goals.

Whatever you do, get rolling today! Stop running your MLM business through reaction and start taking strategically aligned actions that put back you in control of your MLM business success!

Tags: MLM business, MLM product, MLM target market, strategic objectives, strategy, tactics

Technorati Tags: MLM business, MLM product, MLM target market, strategic objectives, strategy, tactics

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 30th, 2008 at 10:05 pm and is filed under Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.