A
good marketing plan enables
you to focus your sales
and marketing efforts in
the areas with greatest
potential. The marketing
plan, based on accurate,
current market
research, is an essential
part of any professional
business plan. As you build
relationships with customer
groups that place a strong
value on the products and
services you deliver, you
will command a premium
price in the marketplace.
Running your business
without a sound marketing
plan is like driving your
car through the countryside
with no map and no directions.
You might eventually reach
your destination but you'll
waste a lot of fuel in the process. Our marketing plan process is
structured so we gather all the information we need to make sound recommendations.
However, we are also flexible so if market conditions change or are far different than we
expected, we can adapt and change direction quickly. 
We'll
begin the marketing
planning process by building a solid
knowledge base.
To accomplish this, we
execute the following
steps:
- Assess
markets and
current market positions
(Step 1 --- Market
Research)
- Identify
customer needs and
determine which market
segments hold attractive
profit potential
(Step 2 --- Market
Research)
- Identify
trends in the external
environment that
could affect business
performance (Step
3 --- Market Research)
- Develop
a thorough understanding
of competitors (Step
4 --- Market Research)
- Determine
your enterprise's
positioning relative
to that of key competitors
and benchmark best-in-class
companies (Step 5)
- Once
the Knowledge Base
is in place, we'll
work with you to develop
a strategy (Step
6) that differentiates
you and positions the
company as a market
leader. At this stage,
we will:
Synthesize
and analyze
findings
Differentiate the enterprise from
competitors in ways that are meaningful
to customers
Determine Target Market through data
mining
Define Value Proposition
Align your organization to close
performance gaps (deficiencies, if
any) and deliver the value you promise
- Once
the Strategy is in
place, we'll build
this into a detailed Marketing
Plan for
executing the strategy.
(Step 7 & 8) This
includes plans for
channel, customer segmentation,
product/service mix,
price, promotion, processes,
customer service.
- Then,
we'll help you execute
by translating
Marketing Plans into
action (Step
9) through all aspects
of the marketing mix:
Sales
force
planning
and management
Direct marketing
Pricing
Advertising and promotions
Public relations
Sales support materials
Events planning
- Finally,
to be successful in
the long run, you need
to establish marketing
metrics in order to
track results and continually
refine the approach.
(Step 10)
Note
that steps 1-5 involve
different aspects of
market research; steps
6-8 focus on strategy
or business planning;
and steps 9 and 10 involve
execution of the marketing/business
plan.
The
above steps can be tailored
to the particular needs
of any enterprise. Generally
the larger the business,
the more involved the
marketing plan becomes.
However, even if your
company is small or in
the earliest stages of
development you can increase
your profit margin and
grow faster with a marketing
plan than without one. market
research |
