How to implement an action plan

If you own or manage a business, you've probably encountered situations where having a plan of action was simply imperative to your success.Perhaps you've had experiences where something went dreadfully wrong and your action plan saved your company from destruction.This may have made you a believer in setting goals and having a plan.But if you've never had an experience where an action plan prevented your company from disaster, you may not be a true believer of action plans.You should know that they are a great tool to any business and a necessary part of successful management.Maybe you already have an action plan but you don't know how or haven't been able to implement it.If this is the case for you, you're in luck.Keep reading and learn how to implement an action plan for your business.

But first, let's mention some of the types of action plans you might create.There are several different types of marketing action plans that may be right for your company.They are listed below.

1. Publicity Marketing Plan: In this plan you're going to write down the activities you will try to do to spread the word about you and your business through the media.
2. Promotional Event Plan: The promotional event plan includes different promotional activities such as, having sales if you're a retailer, or sponsoring contests, awards, or events.
3. Joint Venture Marketing Plan: Your joint venture plan includes things you can do with other businesses to help to promote your business. For instance, if you have a good friend who sells burial plots in cemeteries and headstones, and you own a funeral home, it might be a good idea to team up with your friend to market your services as a package deal.
4. Referral Marketing Plan: Every business, especially small businesses should have a referral marketing plan seeing as how it's the most popular way for small businesses to get new customers. Your referral marketing plan will include specific referral programs that you plan to roll out this next year.
5. Internet Marketing Plan: Everything's on the internet these days.So every small business should be on the web and actively engaged in promoting their products and services on the web.
6. Customer Marketing Plan - A customer marketing plan helps you think about how you're going to keep in touch with your customers and what types of targeted offers you'll be making to them.

Now once you have an action plan in place, the trick is to implement your action plan to the best of your ability.Here are a few suggestions on how to do it.

1. Be patient. You cannot accomplish everything immediately.
2. Be flexible. Refer to your action plan as a guide, but remember that you may need to revise some parts of the plan as you implement it.Things change once they're in motion.
3. If you encounter serious problems, try to discover their root cause. Is it a technology problem?Your employees?Or perhaps your goal is not as critical to your mission as you originally thought. A solution will be more apparent once you have identified the barrier.
4. Continue to communicate with other organizations to learn how they are using their resources and how they have solved problems they have encountered. They may be able to offer useful advice on how to implement goals and solve problems.
5. Keep the big picture in mind. While you are implementing the plan, think of your overall goals and whether your action plan is helping you achieve them.