In This Issue:
Lessons from the Last Recession
Questions & Answers
Article Archives
Strategic Planning Resources
Lessons from the Last Recession
By Robert W. Bradford
How to succeed in the current recession by looking at what worked in past recessions and focusing on the importance of strategic discipline.
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Questions & Answers
This column is intended to answer common questions related to strategic planning and strategy in general. In each issue we will answer questions posed by seminar attendees, our clients and our readers. Please send your questions to Elizabeth Tidd, E-mail: simplifiedstrategicplanning@cssp.com ~ Mail: CSSP, Inc. P.O. Box 851 Ann Arbor, Michigan 06890-0851 ~ Fax: 203-255-9191.What's the difference between Strategic Competencies and the Strength of a Company?
What is the role of Mission Statement in Strategic Planning?
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Retaining Your Customers
by M. Dana Baldwin
What is your company doing to keep your customers in these difficult times?
Four Steps to Improving Human Capital
by CSSP, Inc.
Four Steps to help you upgrade talent and improve corporate culture.
Three Recession Strategies for a Strong Business
by CSSP, Inc.
Even during slow business cycles the world does not come to a screeching halt. Three things you should do to keep your business strong!
Follow-through -- the Key to Strategic Planning Success
by M. Dana Baldwin
Dana Baldwin describes how important follow-through is to the success of your strategic planning efforts.
Acquisitions: 8 Steps to Success
by Denise A. Harrison
When evaluating an acquisition, thoughtful consideration of these 8 steps can lead your company to success!
Is Your Marketing Working for You?
by M. Dana Baldwin
Good marketing helps pave the way for good sales. Effective marketing can be one of the leading factors in successful innovations and product or service enhancements. Marketing can also be one of the first expenditures cut when times get tough. Here is a strategic approach to evaluating your marketing efforts.
Fixing Your Balanced Scorecard
by Robert W. Bradford
Are you dissatisfied with your Balanced Scorecard program? Balanced Scorecard is just one part of the Strategic Planning process. Here are several reasons why you might not be getting the results you desire and what you can change.
SWOT Analysis Revisited
by Robert W. Bradford
The traditional SWOT analysis might not give your company the information it needs to develop a truly distinct competitive advantage.
Ten Reasons for Strategic Planning
by Denise A. Harrison
Here are the top ten reasons your company should develop a strategic plan and the benefits you can realize by doing so.
Mentoring--Art or Science?
by M. Dana Baldwin
Mentoring is the process of developing someone for further advancement within an organization. Excellent communication is one key aspect to building a successful relationship.
WD-40 Finds Growth for 50 Year-old Product
by Denise A. Harrison
Looking for new customers for existing products or existing services? Sound simple? You must find where these potential users are hiding and figure out why they are not using your product. Is it a specific feature that is required? Is it a different distribution channel? Here's how WD-40 found growth opportunities for a fifty year-old product.
Visit CSSP for complete resources for all your strategic planning needs.
Use the links below.
Frequently asked questions about strategic planning
Strategic management self-assessment
Archive of articles
Our best-selling book, Simplified Strategic Planning - for Busy People Who Want Results Fast!
Simplified Strategic Planning in Action
Strategic Planning Tune-Up
Alignment for Implementation
Elements of Innovation
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Simplified Strategic Planning manual
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Strategies for Turbulent Times
One Day Seminar 3/27/09 and 5/20/09
March 27, 2009 in Alexandria, VA
May 20, 2009 in Troy, MI
Will You Survive and Thrive in Your New Business Climate? There are staggering challenges and tremendous opportunities in the months ahead. Companies that adapt will survive and thrive. Those that don't won't--leaving the market to those that do. "Business as usual" simply won't work. Every aspect of your external business environment will change.
Denise Harrison will put these trends into historical perspective and then explore creative solutions to these challenges.
Click here for more Strategies for Turbulent Times information.
Simplified Strategic Planning for Small to Mid-Sized Companies
A Two-Day Interactive Seminar Specifically for Executives of Independent Companies and Subsidiaries of Larger Companies Who Want to Achieve Better Results Faster
Orlando, FL
April 23 - 24, 2009
San Francisco, CA
May 7 - 8, 2009
Chicago, IL
May 7 - 8, 2009
Troy, MI
May 21 - 22, 2009
Traverse City, MI
June 25 - 26, 2009
Company Presidents and CEOs attend free of charge when accompanied by one or more additional paid attendees.
Poor strategic planning is worse than no strategic planning. It can be a big waste of time and money. Even worse, it can lead to disaster. Avoid all this with Simplified Strategic Planning - a proven process to focus for superior performance without straining your resources.
Whether you've been doing strategic planning for years or starting from scratch, you can acquire a streamlined process for developing and implementing your strategy. In just two days, you will have learned this time-tested methodology, which has produced outstanding results for thousands of companies from a wide variety of business types.
Click here for more information
Speaking Engagements
Business Expert Webinars
Presenter: Denise Harrison
Topic: Leadership Strategies for Turbulent Times
Location: webinar
April 15, 2009
Contact: Business Expert Webinars
National Speakers Association Houston Chapter Meeting
Presenter: Robert Bradford, CSP
Topic: How to Find Your Island of Profitability
Location: Houston, TX
May 9, 2009
Contact: NSA Houston Chapter Meeting
About Center for
Simplified Strategic Planning, Inc.
Strategic Thinking
Success in today's business environment requires that a company's leaders have the ability to create a vision of the organization's future direction as well as the course it needs to get there.
While various business improvement techniques such as Total Quality Management and Re-engineering are often extremely beneficial to the ongoing progress of a business, correct Strategic Focus remains the single most important element in a company's success.
Since 1981, the Center for Simplified Strategic Planning (through its Strategic Focus on strategy and strategic management services) has provided client companies strategic planning tools and leadership required to obtain superior strategic results.
We understand the challenges typically faced by our clients in installing systems and practices necessary to support growth, while maintaining day to day operations.
Call today for more information! 734-995-3465