My ethos has always been and will always be this. “The planners of today are the leaders of tomorrow”.
When I was studying/revising for my CIM certificate in marketing at the beginning I found it stressful because I wanted to pass. I wanted it to help pave the way into me becoming a marketer, pave the way into me realising my dream. What I learned along the way was to try keep a cool head (not always easy) and to PLAN.
As I was given a list by my tutor of what could potentially come up in the exam, I started to mind map. I started to put together buzz words and sentences that would help me revise, that would stick in my head. Here is an example of a mind map.
I believe this can be useful not just for studying but for business. Whatever the objective is you want to achieve e.g. increase sales revenue by 10%, mind map it. This is because it will put your mind into motion and ideas will come as a result of this.
Another helpful tool I learned whilst working in the financial sector was having a PDP – Personal Development Plan. A PDP helps members of staff along with management to sit down and discuss what they want to achieve. This can be done on a quarterly or half yearly basis. Aims and goals can be discussed e.g. increase accuracy levels by 5%. How? Receive more training on common errors found. A PDP can be seen as a Satnav guiding you to achieving specific targets and goals and you can agree with management when these targets should be achieved.
Instead of just having a PDP have a BDP – Business Development Plan. Apply the same principles as the PDP but for the overall business. But remember, research is vital.
There are other examples probably thousands on how to plan but the two mentioned above are just my personal favourites. Remember my ethos. “The planners of today are leaders of tomorrow“.
Emmanuel #EKsMarketingViews
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