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, Entreprenuers, 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 milestones 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, don’t 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.