I'm a new Head of Growth, what should I do first

Overall, the key to regularly reviewing and adjusting your growth plan is to remain flexible and adaptable, and to be willing to make changes as needed in order to drive growth and achieve the company's goals.

As a new head of growth, the first thing you should do is to get a thorough understanding of the business and its growth strategy. This will involve reviewing the company's existing growth initiatives and metrics, as well as conducting market research to identify new opportunities for growth.

Once you have a good understanding of the business and its growth potential, you can then begin to develop a growth plan that aligns with the company's overall goals and objectives.

This plan should include specific tactics and strategies for acquiring and retaining customers, as well as metrics for measuring the success of your growth efforts.

It's important to regularly review and adjust your growth plan as needed, in order to ensure that it remains effective and relevant.

Review the growth initiatives and metrics

When reviewing the company's growth initiatives and metrics, there are a few key things to look for:

Alignment with overall business goals and objectives: It's important to ensure that the growth initiatives and metrics are closely aligned with the company's overall goals and objectives. This will help to ensure that the growth efforts are driving value for the business.
Effectiveness of current growth initiatives: You should assess the effectiveness of the company's current growth initiatives by looking at metrics such as customer acquisition and retention rates, as well as revenue growth. This will help you to identify which initiatives are working well and which ones may need to be adjusted or replaced.
Opportunities for improvement: Look for areas where the company's growth efforts could be improved. For example, are there untapped market segments that the company could target, or could the company's customer acquisition and retention processes be made more efficient?
Sustainability: Consider whether the company's current growth initiatives are sustainable in the long term. For example, are they based on scalable business models, or do they rely heavily on a small number of key customers?

Overall, the goal of reviewing the company's growth initiatives and metrics is to gain a deep understanding of the business and its growth potential, in order to develop a successful growth plan.

Market research

When conducting market research to identify new opportunities for growth, there are a few key things to look for:

Unmet customer needs: Look for customer needs that are not being adequately met by the company's existing products or services. This could be an opportunity to develop new products or services that meet these unmet needs.
Market trends: Research the latest trends in the market, including changes in consumer behavior, technology, and competitive landscape. This can help you to identify opportunities for growth that are in line with market trends.
Competitor analysis: Look at what your competitors are doing, and identify areas where the company has a competitive advantage or opportunities to differentiate its offering. This can help you to develop a growth strategy that is unique and valuable to customers.
Target market segments: Identify specific market segments that the company could target, such as geographic regions, demographics, or industries. This can help you to focus your growth efforts on areas where there is the greatest potential for success.

Overall, the goal of market research is to gain a deep understanding of the market and its opportunities, in order to develop a growth plan that is tailored to the unique needs and opportunities of the business.

Growth plan

There are many tactics and strategies for acquiring and retaining customers, and the specific approach will depend on the unique needs and goals of the business. Some common tactics and strategies include:

Developing a customer-centric value proposition: Offer customers a clear, compelling reason to choose your product or service over competitors. This could involve highlighting unique features or benefits, or providing exceptional customer service.
Offering promotions and discounts: Offer customers promotions and discounts to incentivize them to make a purchase or continue using your product or service. For example, you could offer a discount on their first purchase, or a loyalty program that rewards repeat customers.
Personalizing the customer experience: Use data and technology to personalize the customer experience, such as by offering personalized product recommendations or tailored communication. This can help to build a strong relationship with customers and encourage them to continue doing business with you.
Engaging with customers through social media and other online channels: Use social media and other online channels to engage with customers, by responding to their questions and comments, and providing valuable content. This can help to build a positive brand reputation and foster customer loyalty.
Gathering customer feedback and using it to improve the product or service: Regularly gather feedback from customers and use it to make improvements to the product or service. This can help to ensure that your offering is meeting the needs and expectations of customers, and can also help to identify new opportunities for growth.

Review and adjust

To regularly review and adjust your growth plan as needed, you should establish a regular schedule for reviewing the plan and its progress. This could involve conducting regular meetings with your team to discuss the plan and its performance, as well as gathering feedback from customers and other stakeholders.

During these reviews, you should assess the effectiveness of the plan by looking at metrics such as customer acquisition and retention rates, revenue growth, and other key performance indicators (KPIs). If the plan is not meeting its goals, you should identify the reasons for this and make adjustments as needed. This could involve changing the tactics and strategies being used, or setting new goals and KPIs.

It's also important to regularly reassess the market and the business environment, in order to identify new opportunities for growth and adjust the plan as needed. This could involve conducting additional market research, or keeping abreast of industry trends and changes in the competitive landscape.