What if you implemented the One Step Ahead Principle when setting up your plans for the year?
The One Step Ahead Principle is a well-proven method for creating long-term and sustainable success in sales and leadership, yet too few utilize it.
At The New Leadership (Nya Ledarskapet), we incorporate the One Step Ahead Principle into nearly everything we do, from budgeting to time allocation throughout the year, month, week, and beyond. It’s more than just a strategy; it’s our philosophy for cultivating enduring success in sales and leadership.
Let’s consider a practical example
Imagine you’ve identified the need for 200 client visits throughout the year to meet your targets. With a linear approach, that means 100 visits in the spring and another 100 in the fall. Even though it is common, this strategy can be vulnerable to unexpected disruptions.
Weighted planning with the One Step Ahead Principle
Planning with the One Step Ahead Principle instead, we weight our planning 60/40%, resulting in 120 client visits in the spring and 80 in the fall. This approach provides vital flexibility to manage unforeseen events without sacrificing your overall objectives.
Furthermore, you can apply the principle on a quarterly basis. In our example, we divide our 120 client visits in the spring into 70 visits in Q1 and 50 visits in Q2. This allows us to adjust and adapt our activity levels based on current conditions, even down to daily planning. Do the most important things in the morning! This not only provides structure but also enables us to adapt to the day’s needs and challenges.
Challenge your habits
We challenge you to break free from linear thinking when setting your goals and making plans. By breaking habits and embracing flexibility in your strategy, you open up new opportunities and adapt to changes throughout the year.
So simple – yet it works!
Your sales year is a journey, and how you plan and manage your time can be crucial to your success. By applying the One Step Ahead Principle you gain the tools to be flexible, control your time, and ensure you reach, and hopefully exceed, your sales goals. This principle may seem ridiculously simple, but oddly enough, few employ it – yet it works, we promise!
Dare to challenge linear thinking and embrace a strategy that puts you in the driver’s seat for your sales year!
Want to learn more about how the One Step Ahead Principle can impact your planning? Feel free to contact us for a meeting regarding how our methodology can be tailored to fit your specific needs and goals. You can also read more about our programme Personal Leadership.
We look forward to helping you and your team stay one step ahead!
Translated from our Swedish blog by ChatGPT 2024-04-19
