Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1.
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The Executive Summary. A high-level summary of the marketing plan as a whole, and a
paradox on paper: this is the last section that you should write, but the first section that
should be in the finished report. Its best to keep the Executive Summary as short and
sweet as possible just a couple of sentences to sum everything up. While writing it,
imagine that youre going to present this summary elevator pitch style. Once youve
finished it, read it out loud. If it takes you longer than ten seconds to read it all, it
probably needs to be simplified even further.
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2.
The Challenge. This section should contain a brief description of the product(s) and/or
product line(s) that your company offers. With each description, include goals that you
want to set for each product and product line (sales figures, strategic and company-wide
goals, etc.). Keep the number and complexity of your goals at a maximum of three per
product/product line, and remember that they need to be concise, measurable, and
moderately easy to achieve.
3.
Situation Analysis. This section contains a snapshot of your company, your customer
base, and your market at large. It should be divided into six subsections:
o 1. Company Analysis:
The focus of your company (should fall directly in line with your mission
2. Customer Analysis:
Estimate size of your customer base (i.e. how many people could
Value drivers (what about your products and/or services provides true
Weaknesses.
Market shares.
you do.
Subsidiaries, joint ventures, distributors, suppliers, etc.
Political and legal environment (are there any specific regulations or laws
Your companys internal strengths (what does your unique structure and/or
4
Market Segmentation:
Each market has its own different segments. Understanding the relevant
segments for your product(s) in your market is important, for they allow
you to adjust your marketing mix (the Four Ps discussed lower) to
Description.
The price sensitivity of this segment (are they largely price elastic or price
inelastic?).
Repeat this until you feel that you have identified all of your major
segments.
5
Alternative Marketing Strategies: Write down details about any alternatives that you
and your team considered before arriving at your current strategy. These may include
eliminating a particular product or line, changing the price point of a product or line, etc.
6
Selected Marketing Strategy: Explain the strategy that you and your team have
developed and agreed upon. Why did you choose this strategy? Why do you feel that its
the best possible strategy for the near future? Once thats on paper, put your Four Ps
down for each product. Each product should have its own Four Ps you can follow
the format below:
Product
Branding/Brand Name.
Warranty.
Packaging.
Price
List price.
Discounts.
Bundling.
Payment terms.
Place (Distribution)
Distribution channels (do you sell this product yourself, ship it to retailers
or warehouses, etc).
Channel Motivations (what sort of margins should your distributors
expect, if applicable?).
Criteria for evaluating your distributors.
Locations.
Promotion
Promotional programs.
7
Short and Long-Term Projections. This section should include forecasts of revenues
and expenses, your break-even analysis, and any changes or adjustments that you predict
youll need to make in the future.
8
The Conclusion This is an expanded version of your Executive Summary. You should
include all specific numbers (projected costs, revenues, profits, etc.).