By Kris Mills
For most of us, January is the month for planning so to help
make that job a little easier, here are 24 questions to
consider when developing strategies for your plan.
1. Where are we now?
2. What are your goals and objectives?
3. What environmental factors are affecting your business
..how can you minimize the threats and capitalize on the
opportunities?
Product
4. Do you need to improve the quality or features of your
product?
5. Does your range of product/services need to be rationalized
to meet changing demand?
6. Is the manner in which your product (or service) is packaged,
in keeping with your market positioning AND in line with the
current needs of customers?
Price
7. How do your prices compare with your competitors now?
8. Is there scope for a price increase?
9. Manufacturers/Wholesalers ... can you or do you need to
adjust your discount structure for resellers?
10. Can you reduce your product costs without affecting
quality?
Distribution
11. Which companies/organizations represent alliance
opportunities and how can you approach them?
12. Can after-sales and service improvement be made?
13. Can you move into new markets and customer areas and
are there any that you should be withdrawing from?
14. Will improving your customer service levels lead to an
increase in customer retention and referrals and if so,
what can you do to achieve that?
15. Are there any niche markets you can tap into?
Promotion
16. Do you need to improve your sales conversion ratios
and if so how? ... special offers, sales training, upselling or
cross-selling?
17. Do you need to improve your average transaction value
and if so how?
18. How can you increase the number of times a client does
business with you during the year?
19.Does your cost per customer (CPC) need to reduce
significantly?
20.Which promotional methods aren't working well on a
CPE or CPC basis?
21.Which promotional methods are working well for you and
how can you expand on them to further increase sales?
22.What can you do to increase referrals?
23.What do your customers think about your service levels,
your product quality and what would they like you to be
offering them in the future?
Related Articles:
How to create your web site marketing plan
Creating a web site without developing a web site marketing plan
is the same as planning for failure. A web site marketing plan
is essential not only just to survive but to continue to thrive
and expand your business. You should spend 80% of your time
marketing your web site. It's the life blood of your online
business.
Business Plan Outline
An
outline of a typical business plan is given that can serve as a guide. You can adapt it to your specific business. Breaking down the plan into several components helps make drafting it a more manageable task.
Simple Daily Marketing Plan
Are you looking for some simple ways to market your eBook, eZine or Website? Sometimes we are so focused on searching the Internet for the latest marketing schemes that we omit those simple ones that are in our face. Here's a list of common ones you can incorporate into your daily marketing plan.
Developing a Web Site Marketing Plan
Your marketing plan is the compass by which
you navigate. As opportunities arise or your business
environment changes, the objective and strategies in your
marketing plan will point you toward the best action.
Without a marketing plan, you risk becoming unfocused in
your marketing and are only guessing what might be best for
your business.
