Comments on: How to Develop a Marketing Plan

on 12/11/2007 In our practice at www.marketingactionprogram.com we have found that The best way to build a message strategy is to model a tough sales conversation and derive your messages from your strongest responses.

on 6/30/2006 Marketing by mimicking the competition is a short path to failure. If you look and act just like them, you're offering no compelling reason for a potential customer to choose you over anyone else. With that strategy, the only competitive advantage you can create is by outspending them on advertising. And advertising, for companies large and small, almost always costs more than it returns.

The best strategy is to clearly identify a target market then customize your product/service to meet their needs better than anyone else. If you do this well, you'll stake out a market where there is effectively no competition and generate word-of-mouth marketing.

on 1/19/2006 If there is no competition, there is probably no market for your product or service in that area. Always assume that someone thought of your idea before you did. See what similar businesses are doing in that area and find out what differences they have. If they are successful, it's because they altered themselves to meet special demands of their market. After you've done your research, an old marketing axiom kicks in: 'Use The User'. Do what other successful, similar businesses are doing and wade in for a piece of that market. Established business tend to become complacent. Better service from you will give you an edge.

on 11/22/2005 Consider the economic condition of the place where your company is located. In this manner, pricing can be taken into consideration, and you can make your product more suitable and efficient for your target market.