Are you looking for new capital to grow your business?
Do you have your company plan in your head? Well, it's time to write it down.
A good marketing plan has two main sections and a cover page.
What do I include on the cover page?
Take time to create a cover page that contains the following information:
Company name / Logo
Your name (Title)
Contact information: Phone, fax, email, website, address
Use these questions as a checklist to build an effective new Marketing Plan.
1. The Market Analysis Summary
__ What is the locale of your business? (Is it local, national or international?)
__ What is the market segmentation? (Fortune 500, Entrepreneursuers, Government, Education?)
__ What is the competitive landscape? (List the name, headquarters and local of your top five competitors)
2. Marketing Strategy and Implementation Summary
__ Who are your target clients? (Choose specific job titles and target audiences)
__ What is your competitive edge? (List at least four reasons why you are the good business choice.)
__ What is your positioning statement? (Tell where your company ranks in services)
__ What is your Pricing strategy? (Give a fee schedule if possible)
__ What is your sales strategy? (It is good to show you are going after new clients as well as retaining existing clients).
__ What is your sales forecast in each area of your business? (Go out at least three years)
__ What are the company milestones? (Give measurable miles to show how your company has achieved success.)
__ What is your Promotional strategy? (Give up to 10 ways you will market your company including):
o Brochures / Flyers / Postcards
o Advertise in professional journals / local papers
o Website – http://www.yourname.com including a newsletter
o Cold calls to new clients
o Follow-up calls to existing clients
o Follow-up visits to prospective clients
o Attend trade fairs
o Establish relationships with prime engineering consulting firms
o Attend professional organization meetings
o Membership in professional organizations
o Serve on professional committees
After completing your marketing plan, do not shelve it. It is a living document that needs to be frequently reviewed and revised for a couple of important reasons.
1. Since you took the time to research the market, you need to follow your plan if you want to achieve success under those terms and …
2. Things change. You may land a large contract that skews your business for just a few months or totally re-shapes your marketing outlook. We suggest that you review your plan on a quarterly basis to keep it updated and ready if you need to make a proposal to your bank for extra funding.