Every fall, marketing teams gear up for annual planning. For many, Q4 becomes a scramble—rushed budgets, unfinished goals, and vague decks. But one of my clients, an 11-person marketing team, decided to take a different path. They had never run a formal planning workshop before. Roles were unclear, priorities were reactive, and no roadmap tied the team together.

In just four weeks of prep and a five-day workshop, here’s how we transformed their process:

Step 1: Clarify Objectives

We defined three goals: refine a draft 2026 marketing plan, roll out a new org chart, and upskill the team in modern marketing (including AI).

Note: Days and agenda item can vary, but be intentional and strategic—align them with your desired outcomes and your team’s feedback and challenges.

Step 2: Do the Heavy Lifting Beforehand

Multiple revisions of the plan and org chart, an hour-by-hour agenda, and coordination with presenters ensured the workshop didn’t start from scratch.

Note: Allow at least two full weeks to prepare for your planning workshop. Strong outcomes come from solid preparation—there are no shortcuts here.

Step 3: Run the Workshop

• Days 1–2: Draft plan shared and refined with team + Sales input
• Day 3: C-Suite review and live integration of feedback
• Days 4–5: Upskilling with AI training, planning sessions, and team breakouts

Step 4: Deliver Results

By the end, the team had:

 A draft 2026 marketing plan

 A clear org chart

 Alignment across marketing, sales, and leadership

 A team newly equipped with AI skills and planning confidence

The outcome? Clarity, confidence, and commitment. 

Note: Before closing the workshop, review the desired outcomes, assigned action items, and parking lot topics together to ensure everyone leaves aligned and clear on next steps.

Want to dive deeper into how we pulled this off?  Read the full blog post here.

Cheers-

Pam

P.S. If you’d like to book me for your next event, conference, or workshop for a wide array of sales, marketing and AI topics, you can find me at hello@pamdidner.com or schedule a free call and let’s talk about it.

Here’s where you can find me so far this year. If I’m in your town and you want to get together, hit ME up!

• 10/19 SMASH – Senior Care Conference, Demand Gen and Revenue Impact, Las Vegas, NV
• 10/23 Market Better Show
• 10/29 -11/4 – Planning Retreat, Sorrento, Italy
• 11/5 Active Campaign Webinar
• 11/17-11/19 B2B Forum, Marketing Planning Workshop, Boston, MA
• 11/20 ZoomInfo Year-end Webinar
• 12/9-12/11 MHI SHOWPro, Atlanta, GA
• 2/19 MPro Webinar I  – Personal Branding
• 3/11 CMO Summit – San Francisco, CA
• 7/19 MPro Webinar II – Account-Based Marketing

 

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