MARKETING PLAN

A simple achieveable straightforward plan. Determine your budget and how much you can do with it.

Overall Marketing Strategy
Describe your market and Marketing philosophy. How you are going to maximize the opportunity and minimize the risks. Define sales method - direct, sales representatives, mailings, retail, wholesale, etc. Describe unique or unusual marketing or sales concepts. Explain your introductions plans and methods.

Pricing
Discuss pricing and pricing strategy and compare your policy with your competitors. Discuss gross margin and determine if it is large enough to cover support areas -- warranties, training, sales distribution, service, development and equipment costs, and price adjustments to compete. Present pricing relative to market share and profits. Include discounts for cash payment and volume purchases.

Sales Tactics
Describe you sales methods -- sales reps, own sales people, manufacturers sales reps, direct mail, distribution companies, individual distributors, etc. Be able to explain cost distribution (i.e. margins given to distributors, retailers, wholesalers or anyone in the sales and distribution chain). Present the sales force -- number of persons or companies and how they are involved. Describe your advertising methods and how you will track their response rate and yield (%). Establish schedules and budgets for all methods used.

Service and Warranty Policies
If you are offering service, warranties and/or training, rate them as to importance for your customers purchasing decision. Review your competitors policies in these areas. Establish your policies for these items and include them in budget projections.

Advertising and Promotion
Outline approaches that can or will be used. Invesigate trade shows, trade magazines, direct mailings, preparation of product sheets and promotional literature, and advertising agencies. Products involve sales aids, promotional campaigns, etc. and scheduling and costs for each item.

Distribution
Outline methods and costs of distribution. Costs should always be calculated or estimated as a percentage of the selling price. Also, are there any problems or vulnerable areas in distribution plans?