Strategy before tactics, with Spot On Business Planning

Published 13th October 2016 by admin.

This strategic planning graphic illustrates how Andy McDougall from Spot On Business Planning can help transform your dental practice

Spot On Business Planning dental business coach, Andy McDougall, had a very productive BDIA Dental Showcase 2016 at Excel last week. Lots of delegates he spoke with commented on their confusion with the order and sequence of strategy and tactics and how if you get it wrong, it produces very poor returns for your business.

Andy McDougall said: “I am constantly amazed at how many dental practices are involved in pursuing the tactics they have been told to adopt yet have skipped out some vital steps. The vision word – yes everyone should have a vision, but when you ask how it will be delivered, people talk tactics. If you don’t know how to reach your destination, or you have not even determined where it is, what’s the point of knowing the means you will use to get there?”

“A vision without a tangible means of delivery should really be called a delusion. Take marketing as a prime example. How many of you are guilty of paying out vast sums of money to undertake what I would call ‘me too’ marketing; spending large sums of money on digital marketing, SEO and advertising (tactical marketing) but when asked about strategic intent, you stare blankly?”

Order and sequence: strategy comes before tactics in business just like it does in the dictionary

He added: “Sure you can move to tactics straight away but then watch your return on investment disappear.

Instead, Andy McDougall advises you to determine what segments of the market you are targeting:

Who is your typical customer?
What do they want?
Where do you find them?
What aspects of what you could do, do they value and why?

He said this explains why most of our new clients have the same problem. Getting bigger in the sense of turnover, but not in terms of profit. Ill thought out. The increased turnover is used up paying incremental materials, labs and associates, sometimes not even leaving enough to pay for the cost of the marketing.

Don’t get sucked into following the 90%. Do it with structured thinking and see what happens to your profits. Send Spot On Business Planning your last three years of financial accounts, let us analyse them and visit you for a free two-hour meeting to explain what we see and propose how we might help you to double your net profits in three years.

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Our knowledge and experience of what makes a dental business tick is vast. We’d be delighted to reveal the secrets hidden in your numbers. Learn more about your dental business during a free Zoom consultation with Andy McDougall, who will use your specific numbers to illustrate how we could double your net profit in three years.

Send us your last three years' financial accounts. We will analyse them and during your one-hour complimentary Zoom call, Andy will explain the strengths and weaknesses in your numbers.

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