The Strategic Lens
You as a potential reader can gain important insight into the Strategic Lens Process by reviewing the table of contents. Each entry after Chapter 1 is an exercise you and your team will be walked through with instructions and the insight learned from following an example company through the process.
Table of ContentsForward....................................................................................................................... IV
Chapter 1 - Introduction.............................................................................................. 1
1-1: Who Should Read This Book?........................................................................... 1 1-2: Why This Process? ............................................................................................ 2
1-3: How to Use This Book .................................................................................... 10
1-4: Assembling Your “Team”................................................................................. 13
1-5: What to Expect as Facilitator ......................................................................... 16Chapter 2 - Company’s Identity Components........................................................... 21
2-1: What do you sell? - Define Scope of Company .............................................. 21 2-2: How do you sell? - Outline Scope of Sales Channels .................................... 26
2-3: To whom do you sell? - Outline Scope of Clients .......................................... 28
2-4: Against Whom Do You Compete? – Outline Scope of Competitors ............. 31Chapter 3 - Deep-Dive into Identity Components ................................................... 35
3-1: Company’s Core Competencies ..................................................................... 37 3-2: What do you sell? - Product/Service Assessment ......................................... 49
Innovation .......................................................................................................... 52
Functionality ...................................................................................................... 62
Pricing................................................................................................................. 66
Quality ................................................................................................................ 67
Buying Experience ............................................................................................. 68
Customer Service............................................................................................... 70
Product/Service Delivery .................................................................................. 72
Sales Process ..................................................................................................... 73
Issue Resolution................................................................................................. 74
After-Delivery Support ...................................................................................... 76 3-3: How do you sell? - Sales and Marketing Assessment .................................. 77
3-4: To whom do you sell? - Target Market Assessment.................................... 100
3-5: Who do you compete against? - Competitive Analysis .............................. 109Chapter 4 - The Strategic Lens Statement ............................................................. 115
4-1: Creating/Testing the Strategic Lens Statement .......................................... 117 4-2: The Elevator Statement................................................................................ 121 4-3: Branding Cohesion....................................................................................... 122Chapter 5 - Creating Sales Goals ........................................................................... 125
5-1: Translating Differentiators into Potential Initiatives ................................. 128 5-2: From Potential Initiatives to Target Markets .............................................. 135
5-3: From Target Market to Objective Goal ........................................................ 143
5-4: Rolling-Up from Objective Goals to Sales Goals ......................................... 153Chapter 6 - Strategies .............................................................................................. 157
6.1: Strategy Goals................................................................................................ 159 6-2: The Brand Horizon ....................................................................................... 161
6-3: The Importance of maintaining a pipeline.................................................. 166
6-4: Defining your Strategy Articulation.............................................................. 170 6-5: Desired Outcome of the Strategy Articulations ...........................................173 6-6: Validating relationship between Strategy, Outcome, and Target................178Chapter 7 - Developing Tactics.................................................................................185
7-1: Brainstorming Tactics ...................................................................................186 7-2: Choosing the Right Tactics for Your Strategy................................................192
7-3: Tactical Descriptions & Outcomes................................................................195
7-4: Defining Tactical Roles & Activities ...............................................................197Chapter 8 – The Strategic Lens Gantt chart. ...........................................................203
Chapter 9 - Reviewing your work ............................................................................211
9-1: Fine-tune your Strategic Lens .......................................................................211 9-2: Fine-tune Your Strategic Decisions Journal...................................................214Chapter 10 - Operational Initiatives.........................................................................217
10-1: Modifying Potential Initiatives....................................................................218 10-2: Operational Initiatives ................................................................................222Chapter 11 - Operational Assessment ....................................................................229
11-1: Introduction to the Transformative Environment Framework .................230 11-2: The Transformative Environments .............................................................241
TE-1: Management Environment .....................................................................241
TE-2: Employee Environment ..........................................................................257
TE-3: Operational Environment.......................................................................269
TE-4: Proficiency Environment.........................................................................282
TE-5: Performance Environment.....................................................................293
TE-6: Participatory Environment .....................................................................301 11-3 Completing the Operational Assessment ..................................................304Chapter 12 - Operational Initiatives Gantt Chart...................................................311
12-1: Determining capital and resource cost of Operational Initiatives ..........317Chapter 13 - Operational Vision..............................................................................319
Chapter 14 - Introducing your company to the Strategic Lens..............................321
Chapter 15 - Change Management..........................................................................323