Every October I head down to South Padre Island (a coastal island in the Gulf of Mexico) where I take a look at the current year’s activity and plan the upcoming year.  OK, I also do some kite surfing.  How can you plan without a little relaxation?

The key aspect of my planning process deals with following a simple but powerful template I call ELEGANT SIMPLICITY.   I look at our current reality, create a vision of what I want the next year to look like and develop three leverage points that move the current reality toward my vision.  For those of you who have worked with me on strategic planning, you will recognize the process.

The foundation for what we do lies in the realm of ideas and how each idea can gain value and develop traction.  What we do creates value to our clients when a real and substantive impact can be measured.  Though many of our organizational and strategic platforms are in the area of subjective thinking, we have learned how to translate those intangibles into success.

I am excited about the rest of the year and starting 2008 with fresh, new ideas that will continue to create value and develop the separation every organization needs in the crowded markets of the world today.

We are now running hard toward the big ending of a sales year.  With the visit from old St. Nick coming up, the next few months is a hyper-critical time for many of our clients.  The National Retail Federation estimates that over $475 billion (yes, BILLION!) will pass between you and your customers during this shopping season.  Now, even if you are not in retail, you ARE in SALES.  Everyone is pushing for fourth quarter results.  Many of us have a lot riding on the fourth quarter finish line.

So what will be the big impact areas on your success or failure?  You know.  It’s not rocket science, unless you are in the aerospace industry and then it may well be rocket science.  It is about your primary POINT OF CONTACT, your front lines, your PEOPLE, especially those who make sales connections with your customers.  It doesn’t matter what you do or what you sell, you have front line people.  They may be phone people, sales floor people, professional sales force people or internet interface people – and they are out there. Your laser like focus on them could be the make or break aspect of your push to December 31.

• TRAINING:  OK, it might be too late to do any real CORE TRAINING, but it’s time for some fast and substantial reminder training.  Take some real, quality time with your front line troops.  Make sure they understand their role, that they know the products, and that their attitude has been adjusted (assuming it needed adjustment) towards their primary task.  This can be a real factor in your success.  We are delivering to a number of clients training we customized for both the season and the short window of sales opportunity.  DO SOMETHING AND DO IT NOW.
• THE CUSTOMER:  You remember them don’t you?  The customer!  Pay some attention to the damn customer.  During a recent field trip in our Quest for Quality program I took a clients team to a local high end mall.  The purpose was to spend two hours engaged in observation of how different retailers treated you as a customer.  WOW, were some eyes opened.  When viewing the customer ingredient in your success recipe here is a simple exercise; from time to time, reverse your perspective.  Look at what you do as a customer does.  I mean really look at their experience, especially at the initial POINT OF CONTACT.  Does the customer get it, do they know what you are trying to do.  Make an effort towards their point of view, you may find some opportunity to improve.

The hour glass is running out of 2007 sand but believe it or not, you can still have an impact on your results.  In fact, you ALWAYS have the power to impact!

Sometimes great screw ups can be leveraged to brighter tomorrows when some thinking goes into “recovery”.  Every disaster presents a chance for recovery and instead of despair taking hold of you and your organization, THINKING needs to lead the way.

Keep an eye on how Mattel recovers from its lead paint issues and Merrill Lynch leverages its recent bad news.  Both these organizations have been around a long time and have a rich history of success that often is rapidly forgotten amidst a media feeding frenzy. 

Though I really disagreed with how Jet Blue handled its snow storm disasters, their recovery has been impressive.  The NBA had a huge scandal with one of its referee’s throwing games to satisfy gambling debts which caste a dark cloud of 4 credibility on one of the most successful sports businesses in history.  Despite that problem, the league opened to record crowds and a season full of championship hopes.  They continue to leverage their stars and a batch of big time trades creating “recovery buzz”.  Johnson and Johnson set the stage for the ultimate recovery when Tylenol was used as a murder weapon in 1982.  They pulled ALL the product from sales shelves and pioneered tamper proof bottles and gel caps.

Bad news is what it is, but the thinking around it should be about elegant and simple recovery.  Where is the leverage and opportunity to connect back with your customers?  The answers are always there, with the people who come to work everyday and build their professional home with YOU.