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:
1. Organize and structure the data and information you collect during the situation analysis.
2. Use this information to better understand a firm’s strengths and weaknesses and to recognize the opportunities and threats that exist in the marketing environment.
3. Develop goals and objectives that capitalize on strengths.
4. Develop a marketing strategy that creates competitive advantages.
5. Outline a plan for implementing the marketing strategy.
I. Executive Summary
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.
II. Situation Analysis
A. The External Environment
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 (order) 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:
B. The Customer Environment
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:
C. Internal (Organizational) Environment
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
