We are in the midst of heavy construction season. It seems like every time I try to drive anywhere, there is another road closed for repairs. Just today, I was detoured down a congested street (along with half the city it seemed) for a new closure.

Detours are pretty commonplace this time of year where I live. You learn to find a way around the construction to get where you need to go. Do you know where else detours are common? In your business plan – specifically that part of your business plan that deals with marketing and sales strategies. We are living in economic times that are sometimes hard to predict. Typically, a corporation will project their sales and set annual goals. Budgets are set by these numbers. Sales numbers are measured against this goal as the year progresses. Marketing is responsible to help sales achieve that goal by attracting business to your brand. But what happens when the market fluctuates and your plan is no longer working? Good strategic marketing plans should be built to adjust to changing times.

How do you change your marketing strategy in the middle of the year? First, build a firm, but not a rigid plan. There is a difference between driving a train down a railroad track and an automobile down a road. The train's direction is predetermined by the direction the track goes. When railroad construction happens, all rail traffic is stopped. Automobiles are different. They are much more flexible in where they can travel. They have the ability to drive around problem areas. Build your marketing strategy like you are driving a car, not a train. That requires you to measure your success in getting prospective customers to buy your products and services on a periodic basis throughout the year. If things are going well, stay the course, but if sales are not happening at a pace to meet your goals, make a change.

Another thing to consider when you are building your marketing strategy is to make sure you are not putting all your efforts into just making your brand aware to your target market. This is a common marketing mistake. People will not necessarily buy your products and services by just knowing about them. A good marketing strategy also helps potential customers take the next step to buy the brand – it makes it easy for them to do so. This is a place where strategies most commonly need to change when the detour signs go up. Good marketing makes a strong case to make a purchase by removing any excuses the customer might have to complete the purchase.

With that in mind, a critical place to watch your marketing methods deals with how quickly a prospect transitions from knowing about your brand to actually buying something from you. If your marketing strategy needs to speed up that transition, find out what causes people to buy from you. Is there a special incentive needed to get them to say yes to a sale? Is there a particular roadblock in their way? What can you do to remove that block or go around it? Do what you need to do to keep the consumer engaged with your brand until they decide to purchase it.

Good marketing plans find the best detours around problems in the marketplace that would keep consumers from purchasing from you. Take account of the market conditions. Ask your customers what they are currently thinking and feeling. Adjust your marketing strategy accordingly.