I just came back from a meeting with one of our principals. Our company has been partnering with theirs for almost 10 years, and they recently had a new director in charge of our business segment. And the reviews for the last quarter has not only been great, but nothing short of spectacular.

He basically was able to almost double their business with us ( and with most of the resellers) last quarter compared to same period last year. That, in an industry that at best estimates, grew by less than 20 percent.

Was there new strategy? No, there was not. The company basically used the same strategy that they have been using the same few years, but with simply more focus on execution. Some additional refinements in the ads. Some more attention given to customer feedback. More detailed planning in exhibitions and events. More attention to selection of speakers and product presentation during conferences, as well as some more pizazz given to the entertainment numbers as well as the venue selection. More engagements and talks with the distributors and resellers of their products.

When you see great companies and not-so-great companies, more and more , you see the difference is in the execution. Business secrets are hardly secret anymore, and I think millions know how Tiger Woods did his stuff. The only difference of course, is that it is only he that continues to be able to do it.

Ideas are a dime a dozen. If you have new initiatives being undertaken, and you are not getting the results you need, maybe it is not that the idea was no good. When you open a new seafood restaurant in the neighborhood, and it is not doing well, maybe it is not that there is less interest in getting seafood. Maybe it is your location. Maybe your food. Maybe your marketing. You can get a checklist of what could possibly be wrong from hundreds of books, or thousands of web sites. But maybe it was really a great idea, but just not executed well.

Maybe you can just follow the same idea, but do it better. Refine the edges, and you might see a much better improved result. Want to try it?