swot test…. (6 posts)

  • Ann at greenoak
    Master
    Ann at greenoak said
    5 months, 3 weeks ago:

    have  you done this?  it sure helps me   look at our  business  at  this  time of  year when evaluating  things   and   planning   for the new year……. i do it the  old school way…pen and paper and  4 headings…..STRENGTHS…WEAKNESSES…OPPORTUNITIES…. AND  THREATS….  you  just fill in  your   ideas under each heading….also nice to have others in  your   group  do it….

    im sure you  could   find a high tekk way to do it….if  you  would  be more comfortable  that way..

    . this is  such an easy way to  see where   the  good things are  coming  from and where the  drains   are..and  what might  be out there for us if  we  aimed inthat  direction…..we do much of our buying in january….so i really have to focus!!! and  get it as right as possible…this  helps me  see the customers   desires…it helps in many other ways too.. 

    @annfurnivall | # | Top
  • Profile picture of
    Innovator
    Evelyne Oreskovich said
    5 months, 3 weeks ago:

    Traditionally:
    Strengths and Weaknesses are INTERNAL issues 
    Opportunities and Threats are EXTERNAL influences

    I have always does this in a grid format with 4 boxes

    @evelyneoreskovich | # | Top
  • Ann at greenoak
    Master
    Ann at greenoak said
    5 months, 3 weeks ago:

    @evelyneoreskovich .whatever  works!!!  but .many us e a lot broader   version of this  excersize…where strength could  be  seen as …location, financial strength..,reputation, customers,popularity of your product, marketing   ability, staff……etc….

    .and  threats  could  be  so internal as well as  external…..health,  bad habits, poor judgement….

    @annfurnivall | # | Top
  • Profile picture of
    Innovator
    Evelyne Oreskovich said
    5 months, 3 weeks ago:

    Right, so location, financial strength, reputation, customer base, etc are internal – they are things that are inherent to you that you have control of and can impact their improvement or decline. Same with bad habits, poor judgement…

    External would be threats such as the competition has a new product or a new marketing strategy, the general economic climate, the weather (Sandy for example); or opportunities such as the competition has dissatisfied customers, you are unique in your market segment or someone goes out of business leaving you alone in the sector, a global event that makes your product desireable… these are things that you have no control over but you can take advantage of or need to protect against.

    As you said, everyone has their way of working a SWOT analysis, but this is the classic interpretaion.

    @evelyneoreskovich | # | Top
  • Profile picture of
    Moderator
    E N Brown said
    5 months, 3 weeks ago:

    @annfurnivall @evelyneoreskovich 

    Hello Ladies.

    I agree on all points.  Take this one step further…

    The only problem is if we are judging not just our businesses but ourselves and our own performance, it might to our advantage to have a few other folks doing the same brain-storming process at the same time. Then switch papers and see how others view us, and our efforts. Do this on an individual basis for each person in the organization and then develop some tough skin when you read how others think you (we) perform.

    It’s always good to know how others view us; those we work with especially. 

    .02

    Eileen 

    @supereb | # | Top
  • Ann at greenoak
    Master
    Ann at greenoak said
    5 months, 3 weeks ago:

    heres a pretty  good  description  of  swot…. .     i like what he says about prioitizing too….especially if  you are   flooded with ideas  ..     http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_05.htm

          <a href="mailto:.@supereb“>.@supereb we did  have a  friend who was a   professional  coach, like  for  big  companies,    do one for us…it was  kind of  wierd….. a different  view….  he missed a lot but saw  a lot   too….  he had  lots of ideas for us….many  seemed a lot  easier to him than to us…. but thats  usually the  case….  he  was  kind of a laid  back   guy   and  we are   a hyper  boiler room   lots of the time…so  our normal   seemed a little   wierd to him…he  spent  about a week with us ,… it was  good… ..

    @annfurnivall | # | Top

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