Are you taking advantage of CEDIA’s Survival of the Fittest Webinar series? As the moderator for this program, I’ve had the pleasure of working with some of the brightest business owners in our industry. They’ve provided solid solutions to help us keep our businesses viable and sustainable in today’s market.
During the April Webinar, Marilyn Sanford, of LaScala, shared with us a valuable tool she uses in her business every day. She walked us through the components of a One Page Strategic Business Plan. She explained the value of creating short-term and long-term goals and using metrics to create accountability and measure progress against those goals.
Sanford outlined the fundamental barriers to growth: 1) the ability to delegate and predict, 2) the need for systems and structure, and 3) the need to navigate the increasingly tricky market dynamics. Using those challenges, she went on to show how to use a SWOT analysis to determine your company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. She explained how to incorporate your company values and purpose in developing a plan.
“The one-page strategic plan is a tool,” said Sanford. “It helps distill and align your vision for the whole organization’s use.” She added, “Keep it simple; develop relevant priorities; ensure accurate timely data, and conduct regular meetings.” She explained that using this tool in her own business has helped her weather the current market, and she challenged us to do the same.
During May’s Webinar, Offensive & Defensive Strategies in Today’s Market—One ESC’s Perspective of Survivability, Scott Sullivan, of SoundVision, said, “This downturn may not be over soon, and if you lag behind your revenue with your expense management, you will not be likely to survive. This is a great opportunity to pick up market share, but this may not necessarily mean growth in revenue.”
Sullivan shared with us the changes he has made in his own business. He also sees the value of creating a strategic plan. He has worked on creating a staffing plan for various revenue levels and developing a forecasting method for future revenue (short-, medium- and long-term), and he continues to keep staffing levels in line with his plan.
Sales and expense management are the two areas he has focused his attention. Renegotiating his lease for reduced rent is just one way he has reduced his expenses. Concentrating on sales, he continues to review and improve his company’s marketing, prospecting, referral and closing process. He also stressed the need to minimize call-back and rework when margins are tight.
If you are looking for other ways to improve sales, I recommend that you join us for our next Webinar on June 2. Daniel Newman, senior VP of Atomoo, will make us think about a new method for driving recurring revenue. He will take us through a step-by-step approach for building a profitable service organization that will lead to new revenue streams and stronger customer relationships. The Webinar will focus on topics such as remote monitoring and management, service-level agreements, preventative maintenance, and add-on service opportunities.
As the days get longer, the air is warmer, and the flowers are blooming, many of us just start feeling better. Optimism is in the air. And CEDIA’s Survival of the Fittest Webinar is bringing you ways to help your business make it through these troubled times, to stay viable and be ready for new opportunities.
If you haven’t taken advantage of this CEDIA member benefit, I recommend it. Visit www.cedia.org/survival to sign up for future Webinars or view any of the archived Webinars. CEDIA is talking: are you listening? CR
Leslie Shiner, author, speaker and trainer, has more than 20 years of experience working as a financial and management consultant for the construction industry. She is the owner of The ShinerGroup (www.shinergroup.com), a consulting firm helping businesses maximize profits and gain financial control. She manages CEDIA’s Survival of The Fittest program and has received the CEDIA Top 10 Instructor Award multiple times. She can be reached at L_Shiner@ShinerGroup.com.
During the April Webinar, Marilyn Sanford, of LaScala, shared with us a valuable tool she uses in her business every day. She walked us through the components of a One Page Strategic Business Plan. She explained the value of creating short-term and long-term goals and using metrics to create accountability and measure progress against those goals.
Sanford outlined the fundamental barriers to growth: 1) the ability to delegate and predict, 2) the need for systems and structure, and 3) the need to navigate the increasingly tricky market dynamics. Using those challenges, she went on to show how to use a SWOT analysis to determine your company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. She explained how to incorporate your company values and purpose in developing a plan.
“The one-page strategic plan is a tool,” said Sanford. “It helps distill and align your vision for the whole organization’s use.” She added, “Keep it simple; develop relevant priorities; ensure accurate timely data, and conduct regular meetings.” She explained that using this tool in her own business has helped her weather the current market, and she challenged us to do the same.
During May’s Webinar, Offensive & Defensive Strategies in Today’s Market—One ESC’s Perspective of Survivability, Scott Sullivan, of SoundVision, said, “This downturn may not be over soon, and if you lag behind your revenue with your expense management, you will not be likely to survive. This is a great opportunity to pick up market share, but this may not necessarily mean growth in revenue.”
Sullivan shared with us the changes he has made in his own business. He also sees the value of creating a strategic plan. He has worked on creating a staffing plan for various revenue levels and developing a forecasting method for future revenue (short-, medium- and long-term), and he continues to keep staffing levels in line with his plan.
Sales and expense management are the two areas he has focused his attention. Renegotiating his lease for reduced rent is just one way he has reduced his expenses. Concentrating on sales, he continues to review and improve his company’s marketing, prospecting, referral and closing process. He also stressed the need to minimize call-back and rework when margins are tight.
If you are looking for other ways to improve sales, I recommend that you join us for our next Webinar on June 2. Daniel Newman, senior VP of Atomoo, will make us think about a new method for driving recurring revenue. He will take us through a step-by-step approach for building a profitable service organization that will lead to new revenue streams and stronger customer relationships. The Webinar will focus on topics such as remote monitoring and management, service-level agreements, preventative maintenance, and add-on service opportunities.
As the days get longer, the air is warmer, and the flowers are blooming, many of us just start feeling better. Optimism is in the air. And CEDIA’s Survival of the Fittest Webinar is bringing you ways to help your business make it through these troubled times, to stay viable and be ready for new opportunities.
If you haven’t taken advantage of this CEDIA member benefit, I recommend it. Visit www.cedia.org/survival to sign up for future Webinars or view any of the archived Webinars. CEDIA is talking: are you listening? CR
Leslie Shiner, author, speaker and trainer, has more than 20 years of experience working as a financial and management consultant for the construction industry. She is the owner of The ShinerGroup (www.shinergroup.com), a consulting firm helping businesses maximize profits and gain financial control. She manages CEDIA’s Survival of The Fittest program and has received the CEDIA Top 10 Instructor Award multiple times. She can be reached at L_Shiner@ShinerGroup.com.
