Perspective around Opportunities

An opportunity strategy checklist

By Ian Richardson, Managing Partner, Richardson & Richardson Consulting

This blog is presenting a simple list of questions to ask yourself, your team, and your clients to create an opportunity strategy checklist. For each item, you’ll notice I’ve given a few areas to consider (questions to ask), as well as how often I would ask them, and a stoplight rating around how important I consider the perspective to gather (Red – Don’t proceed without getting this perspective, Yellow – get these perspectives at some point during the process, Green – get these perspectives if you have time).

List 2: Opportunities

Note that I’m considering this no matter what type of opportunity I’m considering (acquisition, new product or service, value add type item). It is important to run through the entirety of the opportunity strategy checklist before taking action to ensure that you have the right perspective informing your plan of action.

• My senior / executive leadership team.
  • Stoplight rating: RED
  • Questions I would ask:
    • “This is the basics of the opportunity. What items do I need to scope out and/or consider with regards to this opportunity?”
    • “What teams or people would be impacted by the implementation of this opportunity?”
    • “What are the costs associated with this opportunity should we pursue it? Payroll, expenses, COGS, and soft cost items”
    • “What are the negative outcomes that could occur if this opportunity goes poorly?”
    • “In your opinion, does this opportunity create forward momentum towards achieving our vision? Why or why not?”
  • Key customers with whom we have a good, strategic rapport
    • Stoplight rating: RED
    • Questions I would ask:
      • “These are the basics of the opportunity. As presented, would your organization find value in this offering/action?”
      • “What would the impact to your organization be if this opportunity was successfully implemented?” [if applicable]
      • “What would you be willing to pay for this product / service?” [if applicable]
      • “Have you pursued an opportunity of this nature before? If so, what lessons did you learn from it? If not, why not?”
      • “Is there anyone else in your network that you would advise me to talk to about this opportunity?”
    • Peers in the industry (Noncompetitive [geographically different] similar organizations to our company)
      • Stoplight Rating: Yellow
      • Questions I would ask:
        • “These are the basics of the opportunity. Have you pursued an opportunity of this nature before? If so, what lessons did you learn from it? If not, why not?”
        • “If you are currently offering this product / service, what can you share with me and my team to help us succeed?” {process, details, procedures, pricing, sales discovery / closing items} (If applicable)
        • “If you have pursued an acquisition of this nature before, how did it go and what lessons did you learn?” (If applicable)
        • “Would you recommend we pursue this opportunity? Why or why not?”
      • The team leader of the team that would be responsible for the execution of the opportunity
        • Stoplight rating: RED
        • Questions I would ask:
          • “These are the basics of the opportunity. Do we have the capacity to pursue this opportunity at present?”
          • “What resources would your team need to successfully pursue this opportunity on a routine basis?”
          • “Are there any conflicts or barriers to success that you can see to us pursuing this opportunity?”
          • “In your opinion, does this opportunity help us in the pursuit of our vision?”
          • “If I allocated all the resources, you mentioned previously to your team, would you recommend we pursue this opportunity? Why or why not?”

If you’re struggling to create an opportunity strategy checklist or get your team onboard with the need to do so, Richardson & Richardson can help. Check out our case studies for stories of organizations that we’ve assisted with similar issues and download our white papers for deep dives on tools you can use in your organization. If you’re wondering where to start, book a complimentary session with one of the Richardsons today to come up with a plan on how to move forward.

Always Forward,

Ian Richardson