Survival! Many businesses are looking for answers to deal successfully in the current economic climate. All the planning, capital, marketing and organizational decisions seem outside the realm of what was “business as normal.” Do not panic. Resist the urge for a complete overhaul. Begin with what you have accomplished such as your business mission and vision statements and seek to re-energize your focus within the current business reality.
Your business mission statement states why your business exists. It enables you to effectively communicate the “why” to your employees and to your marketplace. This is where the review should begin. Because strategic business decisions stem from your mission statement, it is not only good to review the statement but also to test it.
Here are a few test questions:
1. Does your mission statement adequately address your business strengths and expertise?
2. Have you retained the values your business shares in common with others in your line of business? Emphasis on good customer service for example is an important element for long term success.
3. Is your market the same as when you first began? If not, you may need to adjust the change in your mission statement or vision statement.
Remember to keep all your audiences in mind, including employees, shareholders, family members, customers, suppliers and your community. A business or organizational mission and purpose that support all these audiences will retain the most solid relationships.
The most important objective in the vision for your business future is the desire to achieve your mission, with clarity, commitment and communication. An example of an effective direct sales business owner is:
“We will be a global network of independent wellness consultants helping people physically and financially. We will be a positive example to our team, prospects and customers. We will focus on expanding and training our team and having them duplicate these efforts to create a fun and rewarding business.”
This statement personifies a business who will manage out of a sense of vision, not out of a sense of desperation.
Here are a few key tips to help you revamp or redefine your mission statement or vision statement:
1. Re-examine what sets you apart from your competitors.
2. If someone contacted you about what seemed like a reasonable opportunity, are your statements specific enough to give you a business-oriented reason to accept or reject that opportunity and explain the reasoning for the acceptance or rejection – based on your mission and vision statements?
3. Do your statements guide you toward an ideal customer?
4. Do your statements help the company avoid seeking to be all things to all people?
These tips can begin the process of re-energizing your business with confidence and give you more consciously focused mission and vision statements. This will help enable your business to not only survive but to grow in the years ahead. For additional help with your mission statement and vision statement or if you need to develop your mission and vision statements, go to now.