When it comes to competing effectively against Planned Parenthood, as measured by market share, a Pregnancy Help Center (PHC) must be equipped to compete at a major league level.
That’s where Planned Parenthood plays in terms of the 4 Ps of marketing.
Unfortunately, most PHCs currently operate at a minor league level.
The result? Market share data proves that Planned Parenthood wins big against almost all PHCs.
First, Know Thyself
What to do?
Another quote from Zig Ziglar can help, “The first step in solving a problem is to recognize that it does exist.”
First, the Board of Directors of a PHC has to acknowledge that their PHC has a problem.
The problem is that measurable data reveals that the PHC has been losing the market share battle, usually in a big way, year after year, to Planned Parenthood.
The result of that is the PHC is not achieving what its benefactors want more than anything else: to save as many babies’ lives from abortion as possible.
Now the difficult part: time for some “extreme ownership” as Navy Seals Jocko Willink and Leif Babin would put it. (I highly recommend reading their book Extreme Ownership)
Failure to achieve what the benefactors demanded rests with the leadership team – the Board of Directors.
Bring On The Coach’s Coach
“We have met the enemy and he is us.” – Walt Kelly in his comic strip Pogo, April 22, 1970
Assuming members of the Board of Directors can conduct a humble self-assessment, both individually and as a group unit, based on facts (data!), not on feelings, then I think they would come to a conclusion along the lines of, “We’re losing. We don’t have the right team (that means us!), and we don’t have the right strategy to succeed in achieving what our benefactors expect us to achieve.”
Following such an assessment, members of the Board may conclude that they should resign and let someone else take charge.
While I understand that thinking, my question would be, “How do you know the person replacing you on the Board is any more qualified?”
Instead of jumping ship, I would propose that the Board members receive “mentoring” or “coaching” to learn what to look for in terms of qualified candidates for the Board.
Turning to others for help and guidance is not unusual.
Great leaders recognize that they also need mentors – a leader’s leader, or coach’s coach, if you will.
Those mentors bring both expertise and objectivity to the table because they are free to focus on the essentials of what is needed to succeed.
Instead of one mentor or coach, I would propose that the Board set up what I will call a “Business Advisory Committee (BAC).”
The role of the BAC would be simple: Find prospective Board members who bring the marketing expertise, based on real-world achievements, the PHC needs to elevate its performance, as measured by market share, from minor league level to major league level.
Relying on the wisdom of “It takes one to know one,” I would recommend that the BAC members themselves also be made up exclusively of those who bring marketing expertise and real-world success to the table.
Tomorrow, we will explore what the specific skills of BAC members might look like.
Regards,
Brett