If you learn just one thing about strategy, this is it

I'm currently reading Robert Greene's The 33 Strategies of War. Quite simply, it's one of the best books on strategy I've ever come across (and I've read a few).

Reading it last night, I came across this quote:

"...the essence of strategy is not to carry out a brilliant plan that proceeds in steps; it is to put yourself in situations where you have more options than the enemy does. Instead of grasping at Option A as the single right answer, true strategy is positioning yourself to be able to do A, B, or C depending on the circumstances. That is strategic depth of thinking, as opposed to formulaic thinking."

This highlights a problem seen in marketing departments and agencies again and again and again (and one I bang on about endlessly) – the rush towards a single "right" answer with a fixed roll out plan.

Shit happens

Marketing doesn't happen in a vacuum. The world doesn't pause as soon as your plan is signed off. And people do not always act as you'd like (let alone competitors). Yet too many marketing strategies simply plough on regardless. Of course, quite often they have to. They are so rigid as to offer no alternatives.

To put it simply: the plan is not the objective. It's just one way of getting there.

These days, more than ever before, it is vital to be flexible in how you achieve your objectives. In reality there are a vast array of options available. Many of them are relatively low cost to develop and quick to deploy. The growth in what I'm calling trigger-based marketing also allows you to build flexibility in right from the beginning (and then adapt as you go). But you must get the thinking right, right from the start.

7 steps to a more flexible strategy

The next time you create a marketing strategy, try the following seven steps for starters:

1. Determine your objective in clear unambiguous terms.
2. Be specific in how you will know when the objective has been met.
3. Check your assumptions – what don't you know?
4. What do you think is the best way to meet your objectives? This is strategy A – your default position.
5. What if one or more of your assumptions is fundamentally wrong? This could be strategy B.
6. What if you were a new entrant into the market with none of your history? This could inform strategy C.
7. What if you trade comprehensiveness for speed? This could result in strategy D.

Critically, make sure that none of your strategies is a cul de sac. If it all goes wrong, can you quickly and easily swap to a different one? Can you dial up and dial down different aspects? Also, can you capitalise on new opportunities as they arise?

Robert Greene's site can be found here. And you can by the book here in the UK and here in the US.