The Art of War, is a book written by Sun Tzu, a Chinese General that was born before Christ. His books talk about five elements that we should consider when we are going to war. I read this book several times, as it always helped me in understanding more about marketing. The same principles apply to marketing and to businesses if you think about it.

The five elements are:

Moral Law; which is sharing the business owner’s vision and mission, what they want to achieve from the business. Every team member will be working towards making this goal, rather than own plans, (Example Winston Churchill)

Heaven; and this is the different risks and dangers that might affect the growth, success and failure of any business. These factors can be related to the economy, technology, weather conditions, law, purchase cycles, product lifecycle and others, (Example Brexit)

Earth; factors may affect the business continuity, like death, product distribution, riots, strikes, security, floods, competition, proximity, brand adoption, etc. (Example, what happened yesterday in Paris)

The Commander; which is the company culture, and what does it stand for, what is the brand aspiration. What are different points of culture? These are elements that customers would like to aspire for or associate themselves with. For example at #ActionCOACH, there are 14 points of culture that we abide with. I will mention few of them; #success, #fun, #abundance and #commitment.

Method and discipline; by having the right team, each one of us possesses different capabilities. Thus it is imperative that the right person is in the right place. Moreover, the correct systems should be developed to provide a consistent product delivery and improve efficiencies. Besides, it does require financial planning and cash flow generation and management to excel in what we do and maintain it.

All of the above is incorporated into 6 simple steps to a better business, a process that ActionCOACH has perfected over the past 26 years, and has proven to work in 87 different countries around the world.

As we are approaching Christmas, and the New Year, if you would like to have different results for what you are currently doing, you need to redefine your dreams, set new goals, start learning new things, put a plan to achieve those dreams, and put into action to make sure you reach the success that you opt for.

Dreams x Goals x Learning x Plan x Action = Success