The Market is the Market!

At our last HTG1 meeting in Dallas this month we were discussing the business climate in each of our areas. We all had our say but one comment by Jim Strickland from Valcom struck a chord with me. When asked about the state of his market in Davenport Jim replied “Well the Market is the Market”. If you know Jim, this is a typical Stricklandism and we all had a good laugh. Jim went on to explain that “The Market is what we make of it.” And he is right on!

One of our greatest strengths as an SMB Solution Provider is our ability to adapt quickly to the changing environment. Let’s face it, our environment is changing everyday! And the same holds true for our clients! In fact, most of us have built a business model on how to partner with those clients to address how to handle these changes and help them put dollars to the bottom line. This is exactly how we build and maintain our market. The better we do our job the more likely our clients will survive and even grow, despite what the economists are saying.

Mission Statement

Somebody said that I needed a mission statement so I wrote it down and said "Man that wasn't so bad!!" and promptly forgot about it. For many SMB Solution Providers that is exactly what we have done. "Besides what do I really need one for anyway? I know what I do, I am doing it every day!"

And that is the problem! You know what you are doing but does anyone else? When someone asks you what you do, how do you reply? Do you say the same thing more than once? Do you have to stop and think about it? If so then you really need to start writing it down. A good Mission Statement is the foundation you should use to build your company's identity.

A Mission Statement should say:

What you do.
Who you do it for.
How you do it.
Why you do it.

By writing this down and committing it to memory you will be able to answer the question “What does your company do?” without having to think about it. It will give you focus and a foundation to build your plans for the future. It is much easier to get somewhere if you know where you are starting from!