These worksheets are designed to assist you in writing a formal marketing plan. Worksheets are a useful planning tool because they help to ensure that important information is not omitted from the marketing plan. Answering the questions on these worksheets will enable you to:
By downloading these worksheets in an electronic format, you will be able to change the outline or add additional information that is relevant to your situation. Remember that there is no one best way to organize a marketing plan. This outline was designed to serve as a starting point and to be flexible enough to accommodate the unique characteristics of your particular company’s situation.
As you complete the worksheets, it might be useful to refer back to various chapters in the text and notes from our class discussions for suggestions and ideas. In completing the situation analysis section, be sure to be as comprehensive as possible. The viability of your SWOT analysis depends on how well you have identified all of the relevant environmental issues. Likewise, as you complete the SWOT analysis, you should be honest about the firm’s characteristics. Do not depend on strengths that the firm really does not possess. Being honest also goes for your listing of weaknesses.
The executive summary is a synopsis of the overall marketing plan. The executive summary is easier to write if you do it last, after you have written the entire marketing plan.
Competitive Pressures
Identify the firm’s major competitors (brand, product, generic, and total budget):
Identify the characteristics of the firm’s major competitors:
Size
Growth
Profitability
Target markets
Products
Key strengths and weaknesses
Key marketing capabilities (production, distribution, promotion, pricing)
List any potential (future) competitors not identified in the preceding.
Economic Growth and Stability
Identify the general economic conditions of the country, region, state, and local area in which the firm operates:
Explain the economic climate with respect to customers:
Inflation
Consumer confidence
Purchasing patterns (buying power)
Business-to-business economic conditions
Political, Legal, and Regulatory Issues
Identify any political activities that affect the firm or the industry:
Changes in elected officials (domestic or foreign)
Industry (lobbying) groups
Consumer groups
Identify any changes in international, federal, state, or local laws and regulations that affect the marketing activities of the firm or the industry:
Recent court decisions
Recent rulings of federal, state, local, and self-regulatory agencies
Changes in global trade agreements or trade law
Changes in Technology
Identify ways that changing technology has affected the firm’s customers:
Searching for product information
Place and timing of purchase ( ) decisions
Comparison shopping
Identify ways that changing technology has affected the way the firm or the industry operates:
Manufacturing
Distribution
Promotion
Customer relationship management
Partnerships and alliances
Identify current technologies that the firm is not using to the fullest potential:
Identify future technologies that may increase the risk of product obsolescence:
Socio-cultural Trends
Identify changes in society’s demographics and values that will affect the firm or the industry (if this becomes too broad, focus on the firm’s target customers):
Explain the changes that shifting demographics and values will have on the firm’s:
Products (features, benefits, branding)
Pricing (value)
Distribution (convenience, efficiency)
Promotion (message content, delivery, feedback)
People (human resource issues)
Identify any problems or opportunities that may be created by changes in the cultural diversity of the firm’s customers and employees:
Identify any environmental issues (pollution, recycling, energy conservation) that the firm or industry is facing:
Identify the ethical and social responsibility issues that the firm or industry is facing:
Who are the firm’s current and potential customers?
Describe the important identifying characteristics of the firm’s current and potential customers:
Demographic
Geographic
Psychographic
Product usage
Identify the important players in the purchase process for the firm’s products:
Purchasers (actual act of purchase)
Users (actual product user)
Influencers (influence the decision, make recommendations)
Financial responsibility (who pays the bill?)
What do customers do with the firm’s products?
Purchase
Purchase quantities and combinations
Purchase of complementary products
Purchase situations
Consumption
Characteristics of heavy users
Characteristics of light users
Consumption of complementary products
Consumption situations
Disposition
Issues related to the creation of waste (garbage)
Issues related to recycling
Where do customers purchase the firm’s products?
Identify the outlets (intermediaries) where the firm’s products are purchased:
Store-based retailers
Electronic retailers (Internet, television)
Catalog retailers
Vending
Wholesale outlets
Direct from the firm
Identify any trends in purchase patterns across these outlets (e.g., how e-commerce has changed the way the firm’s products are purchased).
When do customers purchase the firm’s products?
Under the firm’s control
Promotional events (communication and price changes)
Customer services (hours of operation, delivery)
Not under the firm’s control
Seasonal patterns
Physical/social surroundings
Time perceptions
Competitive actions
Why (and how) do customers select the firm’s products?
Describe the basic benefits provided by the firm’s products relative to competing products:
Describe the degree to which customers’ needs are being fulfilled by the firm’s products relative to competing products:
Describe how customers’ needs are expected to change in the future.
Describe the relative importance of transactional (short, one-time) vs. relational (long-term, ongoing) exchange processes when customers make a purchase:
Why do potential customers not purchase the firm’s products?
Identify the basic needs of noncustomers that are not being met by the firm’s products:
Identify the features, benefits, and advantages of competing products that cause noncustomers to choose them over the firm’s products:
Identify problems with the firm’s distribution, promotion, or pricing that cause noncustomers to look elsewhere:
Review of marketing goals and objectives
Identify the firm’s current marketing goals and objectives.
State whether these goals and objectives are:
Consistent with the firm’s mission
Consistent with recent changes in the marketing or customer environments
Leading to expected performance outcomes (sales volume, market share,
profitability, awareness, brand preference)
Review of current marketing performance
Describe the firm’s current performance compared to other firms in the industry. Is the performance of the industry as a whole improving or declining? Why?
If the firm’s performance is declining, what is the most likely cause (e.g., environmental changes, flawed strategy, poor implementation)?
Review of current and anticipated organizational resources
Describe the current state of the firm’s organizational resources (e.g., financial, capital, human, experience, relationships with key suppliers or customers).
How are the levels of these resources likely to change in the future?
If resource levels are expected to change:
How can the firm leverage additional resources to meet customer needs
better than competitors?
How can the firm compensate for future constraints on its resources?
Review of current and anticipated cultural and structural issues
In terms of marketing strategy development and implementation, describe the positive and negative aspects of the current and anticipated culture of the firm. Examples could include:
The firm’s overall customer orientation (or lack thereof)
The firm’s emphasis on short-term vs. long-term planning
Willingness of the culture to embrace change
Internal politics and power struggles
The overall position and importance of the marketing function
Changes in key executive positions
General employee satisfaction and morale
III. SWOT Analysis
Strength 1: _________________________________________________________
How does this strength enable the firm to meet customers’ needs?
Does this strength make the firm different from (better than) its competitors?
Strength 2: _________________________________________________________
How does this strength enable the firm to meet customers’ needs?
Does this strength make the firm different from (better than) its competitors?
(Repeat as needed to develop a complete list of strengths)
Weakness 1: ________________________________________________________
How does this weakness prevent the firm from meeting customers’ needs?
Does this weakness make the firm different from (worse than) its competitors?
Weakness 2: ________________________________________________________
How does this weakness prevent the firm from meeting customers’ needs?
Does this weakness make the firm different from (worse than) its competitors?
(Repeat as needed to develop a complete list of weaknesses)
Opportunity 1: _______________________________________________________
How is this opportunity related to serving customers’ needs?
How can the firm capitalize on this opportunity in the short- and long-term?
Opportunity 2: _______________________________________________________
How is this opportunity related to serving customers’ needs?
How can the firm capitalize on this opportunity in the short- and long-term?
(Repeat as needed to develop a complete list of opportunities)
Threat 1: ___________________________________________________________
How is this threat related to serving customers’ needs?
How can the firm prevent this threat from limiting its capabilities in the short- and
long-term?
Threat 2: ___________________________________________________________
How is this threat related to serving customers’ needs?
How can the firm prevent this threat from limiting its capabilities in the short- and
long-term?
(Repeat as needed to develop a complete list of threats)
| Strengths:
• • • • |
Opportunities:
• • • • |
| Weaknesses:
• • • • |
Threats:
• • • • |
Describe ways that the firm can match its strengths to its opportunities to create capabilities in serving customers’ needs.
Can the firm convert its weaknesses into strengths or its threats into opportunities? If not, how can the firm minimize or avoid its weaknesses and threats?
Does the firm possess any major liabilities (unconverted weaknesses that match unconverted threats) or limitations (unconverted weaknesses or threats that match opportunities)? If so, are these liabilities and limitations obvious to customers?
Can the firm do anything about its liabilities or limitations, especially those that impact the firm’s ability to serve customers’ needs?
Objective A1: ______________________________________________________
Specific and measurable outcome:
Time frame:
Responsible unit/person:
Objective A2: ______________________________________________________
Specific and measurable outcome:
Time frame:
Responsible unit/person:
Objective B1: ______________________________________________________
Specific and measurable outcome:
Time frame:
Responsible unit/person:
Objective B2: ______________________________________________________
Specific and measurable outcome:
Time frame:
Responsible unit/person:
(Repeat as needed to develop a complete list of goals and objectives)
Primary target market: ________________________________________________
This target’s primary need:
Identifying characteristics (demographics, geography, psychographics):
Purchasing/shopping habits and preferences:
Consumption/disposition characteristics:
Product: _______________________________________________
Major features and benefits:
Sustainable competitive advantage:
Differentiation / positioning strategy:
Brand name and packaging:
Customer service strategy:
Complementary products:
Pricing: ________________________________________________
Pricing objectives:
Description of per unit costs:
Discount/markdown policy:
Distribution: ____________________________________________
General supply chain strategy:
Intermediaries and channels to be used:
Elements of customer convenience:
Promotion: _____________________________________________
General IMC strategy:
IMC objectives and budget:
Elements of the advertising/publicity strategy:
Elements of the personal selling strategy:
Elements of trade sales promotion (push) strategy:
Elements of consumer sales promotion (pull) strategy:
Elements of the sponsorship strategy:
Secondary target market: ______________________________________________
This target’s primary need:
Identifying characteristics (demographics, geography, psychographics):
Purchasing/shopping habits and preferences:
Consumption/disposition characteristics:
Product: _______________________________________________
Major features and benefits:
Sustainable competitive advantage:
Differentiation / positioning strategy:
Brand name and packaging:
Customer service strategy:
Complementary products:
Pricing: ________________________________________________
Pricing objectives:
Description of per unit costs:
Discount/markdown policy:
Distribution: ____________________________________________
General supply chain strategy:
Intermediaries and channels to be used:
Elements of customer convenience:
Promotion: _____________________________________________
General IMC strategy:
IMC objectives and budget:
Elements of the advertising/publicity strategy:
Elements of the personal selling strategy:
Elements of trade sales promotion (push) strategy:
Elements of consumer sales promotion (pull) strategy:
Elements of the sponsorship strategy:
Describe your overall approach to implementing the marketing strategy:
Describe any changes to the firm’s structure needed to implement the marketing strategy
(e.g., add/delete positions, change lines of authority, change reporting relationships).
Describe your internal marketing activities in the following areas:
Employee training:
Employee buy-in and motivation to implement the marketing strategy:
Overcoming resistance to change:
Internal communication and promotion of the marketing strategy:
Coordination with other functional areas:
Will customer-contact employees and managers be empowered to make decisions? If yes, how will the organization ensure that empowered employees make the right decisions?
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