Marketing Plans

What Makes a Good Plan?

You can think about the good or bad of a plan (business, farming, marketing, sales) as the plan itself, measuring its value by its contents. There are some qualities in a plan that make it more likely to create results, and these are important. However, it is even better to see the plan as part of the whole process of results, because even a great plan is wasted if nobody follows it.

The plan depends on the human elements around it, particularly the process of commitment and involvement, and the tracking and follow up that comes afterward. Successful implementation starts with a good plan. There are elements that will make a plan more likely to be successfully implemented. Some of the elements include:-

  • Is the plan simple? Is it easy to understand and act on? Does it communicate its contents easily and practically?
  • Is the plan specific? Are its objectives concrete and measurable? Does it include specific actions and activities, each with specific dates of completion, specific persons responsible and specific budgets?
  • Is the plan realistic? Are the sales goals, expense budgets, and milestone dates realistic? Nothing stifles implementation like unrealistic goals.
  • Is the plan complete? Does it include all the necessary elements? Requirements of a business plan or farming plan varies, depending on the context. There is no guarantee, however, that the plan will work if it doesn’t cover the main bases.

                    

 

 

 

What Makes a Good Plan? Read More »

What physical form should the plan take when it is completed?

         

You will always want to have a printed version of your business, farming, marketing plan or business profile. Depending on whom you expect to reading the document it may take a form ranging from a paper-clipped set of black & white, loose leaf papers to a formal, bound, full-color document. In addition, our electronic world offers other forms that can be very effective in presenting your document.

For a personal interface with a banker or private investor, a presentation using a tool like “Power Point” can be very effective for graphically portraying and explaining the key issues set forth in your document. It is especially helpful in describing market share issues, employee and sales personnel productivity growth expectations, cash flows and profitability. Also look at our Business Services for details on “Investors Pitches”.

For those instances when you can’t be personally present, having your documents in a secure Internet friendly format can be of great value. Being able to provide remote access for a portion of your complete document to someone who may represent a source of funding for your business is an effective way of screening potential investors.

If you are not a computer professional, some of the above document forms may be a challenge. If you can see the need for them then you should rather use the services of a professional consultant that can help you with these in various ways.

                  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What physical form should the plan take when it is completed? Read More »