It’s almost that time of year. The time when you know you need to start working on your plans for next year. Perhaps you’re looking forward to the process of stepping back and thinking about your business. Or you may be wondering how you’ll get it done along with the ongoing grind of client work and new business. No matter which camp you fall into, here are five tips to help you create a more relevant and powerful strategic plan by yourself or alongside a strategic planning consultant:

First, Create One

You’d be surprised how many firms don’t. The discipline of working on, rather than working in, your business at least once per year, will pay off. You may be skeptical of your ability to follow through on your annual plans. Even if you don’t follow through, it’s worth making the effort. Research shows that the simple act of making and writing down goals results in a higher likelihood of achieving those business goals.

Enroll Your Team

If you want to increase the likelihood of support and execution of your plan, get the people who are going to be doing the work involved. Consider employee interviews or input sessions with team members to invite ideas and feedback. Task subgroups with research and innovation. Engage your leadership team in smart goal setting, honest SWOT assessments, and creating strategies that they’ll be excited to lead.

Stick to a Calendar

Set a realistic planning calendar, with milestones and assignments and stick to it. There will always be a client or business deadline that will threaten your schedule but maintain your focus and stick to your planning calendar. Putting off planning sends the signal that working on your business isn’t important.

Bring in An Outside Perspective

Using a facilitator helps ensure every member of your planning team can be heard on equal footing. Bringing in an outside firm with planning and industry expertise can help your firm achieve breakthroughs or push beyond tired strategies. Consider an outside resource with the skillsets most relevant to your business needs – technology, security, sales, marketing, operations, etc. Interviewing your clients, prospects, and strategic partners can yield new insights and opportunities, as well as uncover weaknesses and threats.

Ground the Plan in Data and Outcomes

It’s great to be creative when planning but pulling your plan out of thin air ignores reality and sets you up for unrealistic expectations. The best strategic plans reflect a deep understanding of your business analytics, industry benchmarks, and realistic forecast models. Your finance team (including outside counsel such as your accounting firm and banker) can be a resource, as well as firms that work in your industry and have a good understanding of your market.

It often helps to have a conversation to get started. Okay, that’s number six, and it comes with an offer. At Thinc, we believe in the power of strategic planning for businesses of all sizes, so much so that we’re happy to have a call with you to help you kick off your planning for next year. Just share your information here and one of us will reach out to you.