I am lucky enough to get to talk to many people in business and share some really great intelligence with them. While this is all very pleasant and valuable I am becoming increasingly vocal about the need to get back to basics and plan success into your business from the get go.

Before we all run for the pen and paper, or the iPad there is something else we need to consider first. I have always been an advocate of looking at the bigger picture when planning a business, which is as important today as it was when I first learnt the lesson as a section commander in the infantry.

However, there is something else I want to share with you, something I didn’t learn straight away because I was too busy concentrating on daily noise of battle. For some of you this will be a difficult concept to take onboard unless you really concentrate and think hard about the impact this has on the way in which you currently think about and act in your business.

This subject is possibly easier to talk about at the moment because of the current economical situation. Many of you are looking for ways to recover your position from where it was a year or two ago.

You probably want to have more customers than you are currently attracting, better sales figures and greater returns on your marketing investment.  It’s probably also true you would like to see a little more cash in the account as a result.  Added to this is the constant battle to get more traffic onto your website and get your message out there to all the right people, at the right time, in the right way.

If you’re anything like most business owners you’re probably spending more time working in and on your business to make things happen. I want to introduce you to a new way of looking at your business, encourage you to plan your business going forward in a different way, with a different mindset.

There are over 4 million businesses in the UK and based upon market information, a huge number of these are in a difficult position with far less money than they need or want.  Their problem is not the economy, it’s not that customers aren’t spending and it’s certainly not the fault of our current political landscape.

I think it is simply because most businesses are doing the same thing in the same way and the combined result is we are just producing white noise for the prospects we target! When I am working with my clients, when I am hired to take on the various CEO roles I undertake, the common denominator is I always encourage the business to be different, to be abnormal if you like. By being different to the rest, for all the right reasons you’ll see great things start to happen.

If the norm is: to need more sales, more revenue, smaller exposure to lending, more leads and a greater return on your investment, then I would say the last thing you need to be doing is the same thing all the other businesses are doing. My message is dare to be different.  Dare to be abnormal, don’t think like all the others; make your own footprints in the sand and stop following the others.

You can tell the mediocre from the exceptional because of what they say. The normal or mediocre might be saying:

• The condition of their business is due to external failures or pressures.
• They have far too many things to do and don’t know where to start.
• Failure is something to be scared of and avoided at all costs.
• They are more interested in good relationships than tough decisions.
• Pricing is a thumb in the air exercise. Putting prices up is too dangerous.
• Excuses just seem to roll off the tongue.
• Their website is just not working and they don’t have a strategy.
• They know they need a strategy but there is never enough time.
• They know they need to be a smart marketer but time is the issue.

So, how can you change things? Plan to be abnormal and successful? How do you avoid being normal? For me, the answer is clear: bring a little chaos into the business and change the makeup of the business so the list looks more like this:

• The condition of our business is due to the team, internal and external.
• We are always busy but always know what to do next for the best.
• We learn from failure and always plan to fail quickly to avoid losses.
• We make tough decisions and earn respect from all those around us.
• Our price is based on the market, quality and affordability.
• We have no excuses, just solutions and actions.
• We have a well-planned and executed online marketing strategy.
• Strategic planning is a constant activity in our business.
• We always make time for multiple marketing activities, invest more in those, which work and divest those that don’t.
• We always seek to learn more.

If you take a look around at businesses doing a good job and you want a clue as to what to do to be exceptional, the answer is simple: don’t do what the rest are doing! Don’t be normal. Be abnormal (exceptional), innovative, imaginative, daring and nimble. Do your research and plan everything.

To be fair, if you do nothing more than plan everything, you’ll already be well ahead of the game.  One of the reasons, no, let me correct myself, the main reason and motivation for me to want to design, launch and run the Rainmaker Club for SMEs was the belief I could influence more business owners, leaders, managers and entrepreneurs to make the difficult but rewarding journey from mediocre to exceptional.

Are you and your business ready for the challenge? Are you willing to not just think but act strategically, learn from others and create a business of true worth providing sustainable exceptional results? If so my call to action is clear, talk to me about The Rainmaker Club and take that first important step.