Business Plans to Game Plans: A Practical System for Turning Strategies into Action, Revised Edition

1. Moving From Vision to Action.

Inventing Your Company.

Living the Vision.

An Ongoing Process.

Tools for Moving from Vision to Action.

Creating Your Vision.

Crafting a Mission Statement.

Analyzing Your Strengths, Weaknesses.

Opportunities, and Threats.

Defining Corporate Goals.

Action Plans: Turning Vision into Action.

Visually Representing Your Plans.

PART II. SET HIGH STANDARDS.

2. Creating a Budget Everyone Can Use and Understand.

The Budget Sets Priorities.

Know When to Stop.

Plan for Debt.

Follow the Money.

Control Expenses.

Plan for Cash.

Budget for the Big Items.

Plan for Profits.

Set Financial Controls.

Revenue Forecasts.

Profits Determine Survival.

Tools for Creating a Budget Everyone Can Use.

Revenue Budget.

Average Selling Price Per Product.

Unit Sales by Product.

Dollar Sales Projections by Product.

Dollar Sales Projections by Month.

Expense Budgeting.

The Budget Notebook.

Payroll Projections.

Income Statement Projections.

Break-Even Analysis.

3. Understanding the Numbers.

Flying Blind.

Traditional Financial Statements.

Cash Flow is Critical.

Following what matters.

Sharing Financial Information with Employees.

Tools for Understanding the Numbers.

Year-at-a-Glance Income Statement.

Year-at-a-Glance Balance Sheet.

Year-at-a-Glance Financial Analysis.

Budget Variance Report.

Same Month Last Year Variance Report.

Analysis of Cash Position.

Key Financial Indicators.

Financial Report to Employees.

PART III. BUILD LONG-TERM GROWTH.

4. Mastering the Art of the Sale.

Sales and Profitability.

Customer Focus.

Who Are Your Customers?

Quality Sales.

The Right Person for the Job.

Customer Service Professionals.

Sales Management.

Communicating Sales Data to Employees.

Tools for Mastering the Art of the Sale.

Dollar Sales Month-to-Month.

Product Sales by Customer.

Top-Selling Products.

Sales by Salesperson.

Customer Service Key Indicators.

Customer Service Survey.

Sales Report to Employees.

5. Achieving Quality and Quantity.

Setting the Right Standards.

Adding New Value.

What Your Inventory Tells You.

Supplier Concerns.

Tools for Achieving Quality and Quantity.

Unit Output by Product.

Units Shipped.

Average Days to Ship.

Returns Analysis.

Backlog of Orders.

Inventory Control Report.

Business Partner (Supplier) Survey.

6. Growing Profitably with Marketing and Product Development.

Research Your Market.

Customer Marketing Data.

Marketing Activities.

Product Development.

Sources of Innovation.

Assessing Costs and Risks.

Minimizing Risk.

Marketing Goals.

Tools for Marketing and Product Development.

Assessment of Competition.

Product Sales by marketing Method.

Product Development Checklist.

PART IV. LEAD WITH COURAGE.

7. Driving Employees to Peak Performance.

Set the Standards for Your Employees.

Invest in People.

Effective Communication.

Compensate Fairly and Well.

Make Time to Manage.

Human Resource Administration.

Avoiding Lawsuits.

Tools for Managing and Motivating Employees.

Performance Reviews.

Team Feedback.

Management Skills Feedback.

Employee Ranking System.

Human Resource Key Indicators.

8. Leading Your Business for maximum Results.

Personal Characteristics of CEOs.

Facing the Toughest Questions.

Look to the Long Term—the Very Long Term.

Finding the Important Details and Focus on Them.

Leading during Time of Growth.

Managing Slumps.

You Can’t Do it Alone.

Getting Outside Help.

Hiring Quality Consulting Help.

Boards of Directors and Advisors.

Starting Over: The Annual Game-Planning Process.

Tools for Leading Your Business.

Employee Opinion Survey.

Company Performance Review.

Appendix One. The 50 Critical Management Questions to Running a Successful Business.

Appendix Two. Top 50 Practical Business Books.

Index.