In these challenging times businesses are doing well to keep their heads above water and may not feel up to the task of strategic development, but if there was ever a perfect time to think about how you can run your business more efficiently and effectively, this is surely it.

Will Abbott has been a partner at Randall & Payne LLP since 2001. An Accredited Mindshop Facilitator, he is delivering an established process to drive growth and profits. The process revolves around understanding where you are now, where you want to be, and then how you will achieve it. In 2011 he received the High Achiever Award from his peers for his work with SMEs turning over £500K - £20M.

As Will explains: “We have a different approach to strategic development. It is not about plans or forecasts, it is about giving you the confidence you need to make the right decisions for your future, giving you the skills you need and the time you need. But mostly it is about you and your team, helping you learn how to diagnose the problems, fix them, and then maintain a cycle of improvement.

To develop and implement a plan successfully, you require a number of essential elements - these are just a few of the factors that we can help you with:

• Have a Clear Vision: This doesn’t need to be any more more complicated than having a picture of what you’d like your business to look like in 3, 5 or even 10 years. Without this you are likely to waste valuable resources fixing the wrong issues, or making the wrong decisions, so always start with the end in mind.

• Regular Review: You don’t need a one off exercise resulting in a 20 page document that will be put in a drawer, never again to see the light of day. To be successful, strategies need to be reviewed at least every 90 days, evolving as circumstances change. In the current economic climate things are changing regularly, and your strategies need the same regular attention.

• Take Action: Your plan will require some big steps to be taken, broken down into smaller actions. Set deadlines and follow up.

• Make it Measurable: How will know if you have achieved your goals, or even made the right steps along the way? Your targets must be measurable - aiming to have the fastest delivery time is not enough. You need a Key Performance Indicator (KPI), e.g. ‘90% of our deliveries reach the customer within 48 hours’ to make the outcome measurable.

• Never Give Up: Nothing will change unless you take that first step and only if you then keep going
will you reach your goals. Sometimes things will go wrong, but a setback should be a lesson learned.

We will challenge an action plan to test if it addresses the real issues and is realistic,” says Will, “but we also offer unlimited telephone, email and online support to help clients through the tough times and meet with them every month or at least every quarter to help them stay on track."

Government matched funding now available - Subject to eligibility.

Contact Will Abbott for a free initial 2 hour review at Randall & Payne, Gloucester on 01452 723377