Focus on the Customer

While a sales and marketing plan falls under the umbrella of a business plan, every part of the process, from planning to executing, should keep the customer top of mind! Who is your current customer? Who is your target market? Are they the same? After conducting research on your current customers and target market, you may find that these questions have complex answers.

Truly understanding your market is essential to a customer-centric sales and marketing plan. Target market analysis should act as a benchmark. Extensive primary and secondary research will allow you to determine your customer base according to psychographic, demographic and geographic information.

Closing the gap between your current customer base and your target market is not always easy, and an experienced adviser can help you establish a middle ground.

Plan to Adapt

When all is said and done, a marketing and sales plan should promote profitable growth, increase your customer base and maximize revenues. Markets are constantly evolving, as should your marketing and sales plan. It is best to review and amend your plan on a quarterly or yearly basis to grow the intrinsic value of your enterprise.

SOURCE:

1. Levinson, Jay Conrad. Guerrilla Marketing: Secrets for Making Big Profits from Your Small Business. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1984. Print.

Contributors: Alan Arcadipane is a Business Analyst of the Business Advisory Group at Riverview Capital Advisers. Melysa Latham is a member of the Business Advisory Group at Riverview Capital Advisers.