Everyone has a good plan until they get punched in the nose!

I wanted to elaborate on a Friday Words of Wisdom from a few weeks ago about this topic.

“Going in, we thought our game plan was good!”

We have heard these words from coaches, boxers, politicians – and yes, car dealers and their agencies – who were getting whipped. While some are content to wait until the next season, bout, election, or in our business – next month, the cut-above competitors accept reality and readapt to pull off a hard-earned comeback…now!

This is equivalent to a naval vessel damaged in combat and the first request from the captain is for an assessment from each compartment. Get your key people together as soon as possible to identify where your game plan is missing the mark. The obvious is evaluating the information at your disposal: core product sales versus the market, showroom traffic and Internet leads, advertising budgets year-to-year, the advertising message itself and do it all with a sense of inquiry – what will work in this situation? We have seen a month turnaround with a well-worded eblast, a subtle change to pricing presentation both online and in broadcast, or even a perk to the sales team.

Hold your managers, your salespeople, your vendors and yourself accountable not with an eye on blame but better execution. Time after time when a team snatches victory from the proverbial jaws of defeat it is a combination of subtle changes, a ton of effort, and that winning play – it was already in the playbook.