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Domain 2: Marketing Planning | Plan for Action

Posted by Communications2 on Sep. 8, 2026  /  Member Resource  /  Subscribe 0

Building a Strategic Plan That Actually Sticks

By Melanie Nelsen, CPSM | Business Development and Marketing Leader | Ralph L. Wadsworth Construction

At its core, a solid strategic plan first considers where the firm currently stands and provides a road map to get to where the firm hopes to be in 1, 3, 5, or even 10+ years. SMPS’s Domain 2: Marketing Planning covers this topic extensively. Here we will focus on prepping for the planning meeting and following through.

Strategic planning feels like an intense process no matter the size of your firm. But don’t be intimidated! There are several simple steps any level of AEC Marketing Professional can take to support or lead the way. 

1. Know where you are

You can’t set a plan in motion until you fully understand where you are today. Using a simple SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis, you can develop an unbiased view of your firm. For example, you determine that you have strong relationships and a healthy backlog of projects with municipal and K-12 education clients but severely lack private clients and higher education. You now know your strengths and have identified your opportunities. 

2. Outline where you want to go

Start by clarifying the firm’s goals, then build the plan around those priorities. A strategic plan should respond to what leadership wants the firm to achieve—whether that means sustaining current operations, expanding into new markets, strengthening client relationships, or preparing for long-term growth.

Stabilizing plans focus on maintaining the firm’s current position rather than pursuing aggressive growth. Start by evaluating whether your existing pipeline and client base can support your current firm size, especially as wages, overhead, and other expenses continue to rise each year. Ask: What will it take to keep operating at the same level? Is the current workload sustainable? How are you planning for employee retention?

Growth plans require you to explore your weaknesses and opportunities more deeply. For example, consider the services you provide your largest client. Are there opportunities to add a service or project type with them? Are there more organizations like them that you could pursue using the goodwill you have with that existing client? 

In your strategic planning meeting, explore what a reasonable amount of growth to aim for will be and develop a list of ideas to get there. 

Mergers and acquisitions can be an effective path to growth when they are aligned with the firm’s strategic goals. Use your SWOT analysis to identify whether acquiring another firm could expand your geographic reach, add a missing service line, strengthen market share, or bring in talent and client relationships that would be difficult to build organically. However, mergers and acquisitions are long, complex processes that require careful due diligence, cultural alignment, and a realistic transition plan. Not all employees or clients will stay with the acquiring firm, so your plan should account for potential loss and include strategies to retain key people and relationships.

Key hiring can also drive meaningful growth when it is tied directly to the firm’s strategic gaps. Use your SWOT analysis to identify where a targeted hire could strengthen an existing service, add a new capability for current clients, or make the firm more attractive to prospective clients. The right person can open doors because relationships matter: people often want to work with people they know, trust, and enjoy working with. However, key hiring can be expensive and requires intentional onboarding, clear expectations, and visible leadership support to be successful.

Strategic plans typically fail for the same few reasons: 

• It was overly ambitious from the start.
• Leaders/sellers are also doers and can’t commit the time required.
• Succession and turnover of key people involved

3. Put the data into action

Realistic goals are essential to a useful strategic plan, and they are often tied to financial targets. However, goal setting should be grounded in data—not simply a number written on a whiteboard. Start by reviewing your current pipeline and backlog, and look closely for any upcoming cliffs or gaps in work. Remind the team that only a portion of early leads typically become real projects, so the firm may need to explore more opportunities than it ultimately has the capacity to pursue.

Simple tracking helps keep the plan actionable after the meeting ends. Use the information you gathered to set a SMART goal for each initiative in the strategic plan. Each goal should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and—most importantly—time-bound. The tracking system does not need to be complicated: a simple spreadsheet, Microsoft Planner tasks, or your CRM can all work well if the team uses them consistently.

Assign a champion for each goal so there is clear ownership and accountability after the planning meeting. The champion should be responsible for keeping the goal moving, reporting progress, and identifying when additional support is needed. However, they should not be expected to carry the work alone. Pair each champion with a small support team so the responsibility is shared and the goal has a better chance of staying on track.

Set milestone dates before the meeting ends so every goal has a clear timeline and visible next steps. For each person responsible for a goal, confirm their commitment to the milestone dates and make sure they understand what needs to happen by each deadline. This is also a practical place for marketers to support leadership by creating calendar reminders, tracking follow-up items, and helping keep the plan moving between check-ins.

4. Communicate the plan 

Now that you have developed a plan, communicate it! Whether you are a firm that holds regular all-hands or relies on email updates, there are plenty of opportunities to share the plan with the whole firm. By sharing the plan, you not only communicate a clear vision of where the firm is heading, but also give each person the opportunity to support it from the bottom up.

Make the plan visual so employees can quickly understand where the firm is headed and how their work connects to the larger goals. A simple graphic, presentation, one-page overview, or dashboard can make the strategy easier to absorb than a lengthy written plan alone. The format does not need to be elaborate; it just needs to highlight the priorities, key initiatives, owners, and milestone dates in a way the team can reference and remember.

5. Follow Up Consistently

Follow-up is what turns a strategic plan from a meeting outcome into real progress. Without a regular rhythm for updates, even a strong plan can become an afterthought as teams shift their attention back to current projects and daily deadlines.

Before the planning meeting ends, agree on a consistent reporting schedule and treat it as part of the plan itself. Monthly check-ins are often enough to keep the team aligned throughout the year while giving goal champions time to make meaningful progress between meetings.

• Set recurring meetings in advance and avoid moving them whenever possible.
• Use each check-in to review progress, identify roadblocks, and confirm next steps.
• Keep the tone supportive but make accountability clear so everyone understands their commitments.

The schedule provides both a gentle reminder of the team’s shared commitment and a practical structure for keeping the plan active long after the initial planning session.

The best part of strategic planning is doing it again next year! 

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