How is it the end of March already?! The end of the first quarter of 2024?!

How are you feeling?

Did you have BIG goals for the first quarter? Did you get there?!

And, are you ready to tackle Q2?

Before I jump into it, I have an ask of each of you! 🙏

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30-60-90 Day Plan

One of the things I have always enjoyed doing when I started a new job, or working with a new brand, is a 30-60-90 day plan.

I’ll share my 30-60-90 day framework in hopes it will inspire or help you as you move into Q2. Be sure to reply and let me know if it is helpful for you!

Ok, so, usually for me, the first 30-60-90 days look like this:

30 Days → Observe

There’s 4 things I really focus on when I want to get up to speed with a new company:

1. The business

2. The industry

3. The systems

4. Most of all, the people

Let’s dive into each…

Learning the business

If you know me or have been following me for some time now, you know that I am big on understanding the business and understanding the “need behind the need”. To truly understand the business, here’s what I seek to learn:

USP

Unique selling proposition. One of my very first posts, I shared a simple framework for positioning. To me, this is one of the first things I seek to understand - if there is a strong positioning in place - as its so foundational to success.

Brand

Then is there a solid brand in place. Having brand guidelines is one thing, and then ensuring they are consistently brought to life is another.

Vision

I also like to make sure I understand the vision the leader has the for the business. And if that is understood, and carried through out the business, the culture and the team.

Marketing Strategy

Obviously, right?! I want to make sure I can get a sense of the current marketing strategy.

The Industry

This is straightforward. I want to make sure I understand the industry. I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve been able to work with, and learn, a wide variety of industries, especially through my media and agency years.

The Systems

While there’s a variety of software, systems and tools that many businesses use, there are some that are unique to that business and I might not have worked with before. I like to understand the systems and the processes, especially tied to revenue.

The People

People are the heart of every business. Understanding the various roles at the company, how they interact and truly understanding each as an individual.

But understanding the people also means the customers. As you’ve likely heard me say before understanding your customers is critical, your north star.

Again, the first 30 days is all about Observe. Learn. Understand.

60 Days → Assess

Now it’s time to start to assess the current strategies. In all reality, even though the first 30 days is about simply observing and understanding, I’ve likely tucked away a few ideas along the way 😉

Going back to all the areas of focus for observing during the first 30 days, where are the opportunities for improvement? For growth? For optimization?

It may be in the positioning (again, so critical), or perhaps it’s in the brand guidelines or how the brand guidelines are being executed on?

Perhaps there’s opportunities within the marketing strategy? Defining KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), refining messaging, perhaps the content strategy, or the media buys. So much to dive into.

Usually there are both short-term and long-term wins that are identified during this phase.

90 Days → Plan

Which brings us to the planning phase. This phase can have both planning as well as implementation. Again, there likely were some “quick wins” that were identified that can be fixed immediately.

Summary

At the end of the 90 days, you should have a summary of what has been identified as opportunities, how they are to be prioritized and of course, a list of what has been accomplished along the way (those quick wins).

So, I’ll ask again… are you ready for Q2?!

Let’s crush Q2 together!

Rooting for you 🙌

‘Til next week,

Maeve