Three important questions to ask youselves

Is your Verbal-id past its 'sell-by-date'?

When as a copywriter I encounter confused briefs, tangled thinking and contradictory viewpoints it is both incredibly frustrating and strangely enlightening. Often people think that the solution is to plough ahead, brush aside the minutiae and keep going. Now, as a real-life resident of Perseverance Street (no really, that is my address), I am all for sticking at things through hell and high water, but sometimes simply charging ahead can lead to missed opportunities rather than simple success. Sometimes you need to check your bearings.

Values and vision statements, 'mission' statements, positioning statements, even firm objectives, and definitions of audiences can often get blurred or go past their 'sell-by' date. It is vitally important to take stock every now and again, to make sure everyone is headed in the same direction, and knows where you are going and why. Especially in tough economic times – most marketing people I know are getting smart, and that means getting focused and absolutely clear about what they are doing.

So here is some advice before you head off towards some tempting destination:

1.Check you know exactly where you are going – what does success look like?
2.Make sure you know why you are well placed to succeed – what have you got going for you?
3.Make sure everyone feels like they are on a mission – do you all share the confidence you need?