This is marketing mistake #4 of 15. I don’t want you to jump ship on this one. Very few people in business today have a marketing plan. They say they do, and every book on business suggests that you have one. My experience tells me otherwise.
The truth is that most well-intentioned folks have a “wing-it” plan. They have a “we try harder” plan. They have an “I’m a nice person, so I deserve success” plan. For lack of a better term they call these Marketing Plans. I don’t think so!
The reason they don’t have a plan is because in order to construct a marketing plan they must first know and understand what “marketing” is, or means, and how it works. They don’t.
This does not make them bad people. It does make them struggling people in need for some degree of direction. Let me try to make this a bit easier to understand. (Just my opinion.)
It was General Dwight Eisenhower who first said, “The plan is worthless. Planning is everything.” (Don’t shoot the messenger.)
In my words: This reminds us to think about what it is we want to do and follow with a few ways on how you are going to make it happen. You do not have to write the second edition of War and Peace. Keep it simple. Simple works.
Take a single sheet of paper for each element of your plan. Write the single topic on the top of each sheet and provide your thoughts on bringing this topic to life.
Individual topics might include: marketing; sales; promotion; publicity; advertising; staffing; new services; visibility campaigns; tradeshows. One sheet of paper for each topic. Then let your mind go to work.
Example:
Sales
In the next 12 months I want to increase my sales by $200,000.
My objective is to increase my client base by 20%. This equates to approximately 20 new clients.
I plan to:
-
- Attend six networking events in next 12 months. (Name them)
- Ask top ten clients for referrals. (Name them)
- Send out 50 emails/month to my current prospect list with meaningful content. (Not destination commercials.)
- Meet with my preferred suppliers to brainstorm collaborative efforts.
- Draft, edit and send ten “Feeler” Sales Letters a month to opportunities I spot while reading, browsing, or eaves dropping.
Easy-peasy. Now move onto the next topic and do the same before returning to the initial topic to fine-tune your plan.
Stop beating yourself or fooling yourself. You are making your marketing plan a lot harder than it needs to be.
Mike Marchev is recognized for his down-to-earth, street-savvy and honest delivery of useful sales and marketing advice, suggestions, tactics and strategies. For a complimentary copy of his Special Report titled: 11 Sales Mistakes You Must Avoid send Mike an email with the word TRO-11 in the Subject Box. mike@mikemarchev.com
