Beat the plan

If there’s 1 thing more sure than throwing your budget in the trash before Q2, it’s this:

Business leaders trying to figure out how to ‘beat the plan’.

And in FP&A, that’s our green light to meddle in the business.

Now, I’m not typically a fan of us meddling in operations - typically our role is more of a scorekeeper and coach for business leaders.

But we should never let a good opportunity go to waste when it comes to driving results and earning a seat at the table.

Today, we’ll talk about specific ideas you can bring to the table to drive results.

Let’s get it!

Beat the plan mentality

In FP&A or as a finance business partner (I use the terms interchangeably) it can be easy to forget the role of a growing business = get more customers and/or make more money from each customer.

And when we talk about beating the plan, it’s these 2 levers we typically focus on.

There is also an efficiency component to it too - where we do the same (or less) activity for more output.

And since this level of thinking is elevated from our norm, it’s smart to be prepared for that moment when the business needs help.

We’re going to run through some of the primary departments in a company to give you a framework for how to zoom out and drive value through innovation. Most of them will be AI innovations (so you look cool when you propose them).

Beat the plan: Marketing

The goal: More qualified leads

How: Content creation, targeted outreach, events, and optimized campaigns

Some ideas: [We’ll use the More/Better/New framework on this one]

• More: Leverage AI-powered tools like SEObotAI.com to generate a high volume of SEO-optimized blog content that drives organic traffic.

• More: Generate more case studies and testimonials from happy customers to include in existing content, digital assets, and sales material.

• Better: Create high-value lead magnets like ROI calculators, interactive quizzes, and benchmarking tools using platforms like Replit.com or Lovable.dev to capture more engaged leads.

• New: Launch a founder-led LinkedIn content strategy where the leadership team shares insights, case studies, and personal stories to build trust and attract decision-makers.

• New: Create or sponsor a massive industry event where you have a chance to showcase your product/service to your target customers.

Beat the Plan: Sales

The goal: More revenue from new and existing customers

How: Pipeline expansion, deal acceleration, and cross-sell strategies

Some ideas: 

• More: Automate outbound prospecting with AI-driven tools like Apollo.io to generate a higher volume of quality leads.

• Better: Improve the sales process with enhanced discovery frameworks and objection-handling scripts. Provide AI tools that give call coaching and script optimization.

• Better: Improve lead scoring by leveraging AI tools that study prior behavior to predict likely sales outcomes (Hubspot and Salesforce both have them)

• New: Implement a win-back campaign targeting past customers with personalized offers and incentives.

Beat the Plan: Operations

The goal: Lower costs and greater efficiency

How: Process optimization, automation, and resource allocation

Some ideas: 

• More: Increase automation by deploying tools like UiPath (enterprise) or Make.com (smaller businesses) for repetitive tasks, reducing manual workload.

• Better: Improve reporting dashboards to provide clearer insights into bottlenecks and capacity constraints. Use PowerBI for deeper visibility into operational metrics.

• New: Implement AI for any of these: anomaly detection and quality control of data or manufacturing processes, resource allocation and workflow optimization, demand management, process automation and unstructured data management (PDF uploads, etc.)

Beat the Plan: Customer Support

The goal: Higher retention and customer satisfaction

How: Faster response times, proactive support, and value-added services

Some ideas:

• More: Deploy an AI-driven chatbot like Intercom Fin for initial triage and 24/7 basic support, freeing up human agents for complex issues.

• Better: Develop a premium support tier offering faster SLAs and dedicated account managers for top customers.

• New: Launch a proactive customer success initiative where support teams reach out before renewal periods with product optimization insights.

In summary:

Some finance professionals have a business-first mindset.

But for the rest of us, it’s helpful to take a step back and think more about the department we are serving and how we can help them.

Often it means critiquing their ideas (I’m sure they love it), but sometimes we can step in the ring with them to give our perspective.

Spend time thinking of ways you can help before you’re put on the spot. Your career trajectory will thank you.

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