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Still overwhelmed with all the ideas in your head about how to make your business work? Let me tell you about one of the powerful ways to avoid the trap of working in your business instead of on it: Increasing your awareness about the difference between strategies and tactics.

 

What's the difference?
Strategies are broad concepts, ideas, and insights you've learned--from reading materials, seminars, coaching, or actual experience--about the best ways to do things. Good strategies give you a better perspective about why things happen (or don't happen) in your business, and help you predict future outcomes.

Here are some strategies that have worked for other entrepreneurs:

• Focus on "baby steps." Just get one priority task done each day.
• Apply the 80/20 rule for maximum results using minimum effort.
• Use Social Media as a viral marketing tool.
• The early months are about building a reputation, and not about making money (yet).
• Spend less time researching and more time taking action.

Tactics, on the other hand, are the specific steps you take--actions--in order to achieve results. Most tactics are processes and techniques that you implement in your business that directly (or indirectly) lead to making money.

• Create an ad to promote my new product.
• Post my ad on Facebook and Multiply.
• Set up G-Cash and Smart Money accounts to receive payments.
• Create easy instructions to encourage buyers to pay via G-Cash & Smart Money.
• Post instructions and links on Facebook and Multiply.

Why is it important to differentiate these two?
When you can clearly distinguish whether a certain idea is a strategy or a tactic, then you can more easily decide on whether something...

• Needs to be done now.
• Needs to be practiced daily.
• Needs to be scheduled for a specific date.
• Or can be eventually delegated or outsourced.

When you are able to develop sound strategies and can implement them with the right tactics, then it can only lead you to greater balance and business profits.

Knowing which strategies work and which tactics get things done will eventually help you develop proven systems. In turn, these will give you the choice to let other people handle the business reins for you in the future (or at least franchise!).

 

Aileen Santos is an internationally certified Work-Life ReInvention Coach & A-Ha! Trainer who helps overwhelmed leaders and entrepreneurs achieve balance & success in the things that truly matter.