Step 2: Strategic Positioning & Future Readiness
How do you see growth of your organization's business in the next 2 (two) years? Please consider all relevant internal & external factors. *
Select growth outlook... Will struggle to grow or may even lose market share. Stay about the same and/or perform at par with competitors. Grow more than market, competition & gain market share.
Do you have a defined, written blueprint of the strategy and plan to target new geographies, new markets or new business segments? *
Select response... No. We do not need it, or our business cannot have it. We must have but have not yet started to formally do it. Yes, we have macro-level strategy and planning. Have not done detailing or have not put it on paper. Yes, done in detail and have the written blueprint ready.
Do you have a well-defined, written strategy and detailed plan to generate more revenue, profits and add new clients in future? *
Select response... No Yes
What percentage of your revenues do you invest in R&D or developing new Markets/Products/Services? *
Select investment level... No such planned activities. We follow the market and do need-based development. No such plans. Present capacity is fully utilized and order books are full for existing products. We keenly observe market needs and improve or develop in line with market trends or ahead of it. Our annual plans include budget and resource allocation for new ideas and innovation. New methods, tools, ideas are a part of employee KRA.
Do you have formally documented Strategic Plan and branding guidelines for the organization (Vision, Mission, Values, logo designs, stationery designs)? *
Select response... No Yes
Do you have a formally documented Messaging & Communication Strategy for corporate/Brand/Products/Services? *
Select response... No Yes
Step 3: Marketing & Sales Proficiency
How much business did you add from new clients in the last FY? (please mark as percentage of total clients at the end of FY) *
Select range... Less than 5% 5% to 10% More than 10%
Do you know your share of revenues and profits in each target market in the business segments and regions that you operate in? *
Select awareness level... No Not on paper or systematically but it's roughly on our minds. Yes, but not in detail for each segment or market etc. Yes. In detail for each segment and each category.
What level of detail do you track for business and profitability growth for each client segment, product/service, geography etc.? *
Select tracking method... We do not feel such details are needed for our kind of business. We do not document anything, but we roughly know things. We track such things but not in detail for each category segment or market etc. Yes, we maintain all such data and analysis, in detail for each segment, each category, for each year.
Did you generate fresh business leads through 'References' in the last financial year? *
Select... No Yes
In the last financial year (FY), did you generate fresh business leads through 'cold calls' and 'Ground activities such as events, tradeshows, etc.'? *
Select... No Yes
Do you run regular email marketing, telemarketing, or such campaigns to generate new business? *
Select... No Yes
Do you undertake sufficient and regular activities for digital marketing and SEO, paid ads on Google Ads, LinkedIn and similar CPC channels? *
Select digital activity... No, none of these things Some of these things Yes, all of these or more
Do you generate noteworthy business enquiries through effective Social media presence, i.e., LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc.? *
Select... No Yes
Were you happy with the number of new business leads generated in the last FY, as compared to your competition? *
Select... No Okay, but needs improvement. Yes, we did quite well.
What is the main advantage of your products/services vis-a-vis your competitors? *
Select key advantage... Price Quality Client-service Technical expertise Product/Service uniqueness
Does your organization have company brochures, product or service catalogues and videos, standardized corporate templates or documents, presentations, etc.? *
Select... No, none of these things Some of these things Yes, all of these or more
Does your organization maintain a well-organised client database including purchase history of each client? *
Select... No Yes, to a certain extent but not well organized Yes. In a well-organised manner.
Do you have the latest Listing in directory services - Google Business, Indiamart, Trade India, etc.? *
Select... No Yes
Do you own a well-maintained Website, updated regularly on a monthly or quarterly basis? *
Select... No Yes
Do you have regularly updated company presence on social platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc.? *
Select... No Yes
Do you have formal processes for creating periodic Sales Plan, objectives, quotas, targets and performance-linked incentives? *
Select... No Yes
Do you take services from external agencies or advisors or consultants to support your business? *
Select... No. We do everything in-house. Yes, we have a marketing agency to handle website and social media. Yes, we take help from agencies and consultants for marketing and sales. Yes, we take help from external experts such as Marketing agencies, Business Consultants, Management consultants/coaches.
Do you think external agencies provide good support and justify your investment? *
Select... No. We don't think they add any value because they charge high and do not deliver reasonable results. Sometimes, but only for a few things. Yes, they can be a good support provided we choose the right ones after a diligent selection process, and sincerely get involved with them.
Step 4: Operational Planning, Performance & HR
How do you measure Business success and Business Growth? *
Select metric... Volumes – Revenue/billing, sales volume, number of clients, etc. Financial growth – Revenue growth, profit growth, margin increase over previous period, Financial ratios etc. Ratios – Revenue per employee, profit per employee, revenue per product, profit per product, revenue per segment, profit per segment, Budget variances, Business share increase, revenue & profit CAGR etc.
What process do you follow for annual business planning and budgeting? *
Select budgeting model... We generally go by our experience or estimate month by month. We do rough estimates for each quarter. Top management decides objectives and informs the organization. Each department gives their objectives and plans based on past performance and future potential. Planning and Budgeting for the year are done based on analysis of this data and brainstorming sessions.
In the last FY, what was the revenue share of your top client/segment? *
Select client concentration... Greater than 60% 41% to 60% 25% to 40% Less than 25%
Does each person in your organization have clearly defined objectives, goals, targets and timelines for their defined job? All done much before the beginning of the subject period. *
Select alignment... No – we tell them what to do as and when required. Partly – We have defined goals for some people. Defined for most people but not in terms of very specific figures and numbers. Yes – accurate and measurable time-based goals for everyone in the organization, except peons and office boys.
Is your business Cash-flow positive and operationally profitable? *
Select status... No Borderline case Yes
How often do you conduct formal, structured Business Performance reviews vis-à-vis the plan – for each department? *
Select frequency... We do not need it. Everything is on our fingertips. We do need-based reviews. We do not need any formal, periodic reviews. We do it at least once a quarter or earlier. But we do not have any set structure for doing it. We do it every month with a formal, pre-defined format and structure.
Do you have a defined employee performance appraisal process? *
Select appraisal style... We do not need it. We know all employees and their performance very well. Once a year we go through records of every employee's performance and rate them accordingly. Employees and their bosses need not discuss anything. Once a year, employees and their respective bosses discuss performance as per their pre-defined business objectives and mutually decide the ratings. We've a formal, written process. At least once in six months, employees do self-appraisal and have one-on-one discussions with respective bosses. All documented, added to annual appraisal. This is additional to monthly reviews vis-a-vis objectives and KPIs.
Formal, structured Employee Performance Reviews – how often do you conduct it? *
Select review frequency... We do not need it. Everything is on our fingertips. We do need-based reviews. We do not need any formal, periodic reviews. We do it at least once a quarter or earlier with a formal, pre-defined format and structure. We do it every month with a formal, pre-defined format and structure.
Do you believe in employee training programs? *
Select belief... Our employees do not need any training once they get settled in their job profiles. We believe employees should be regularly trained on subjects and skills needed to perform their current jobs. We conduct regular training programs for employees. They need to continuously upgrade job-related skills as well as be groomed for higher roles.
