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Planning

Note: This template is the cornerstone of the 90 Day Marketing Marathon™ program – www.90daymarketingmarathon.com. Whether you choose to use the program or not, this template will help you clarify the future of your business.

Here is the continuation of your 9-Step Marketing Plan. Once again, don't spend a lot of time worrying about your answers; rather go with your gut feeling to get you started. Refinement of this 9-Step Marketing plan will be on-going.

It is best to do this work in your 90 Day Marketing Marathon™folder (whether on your computer, a physical folder or notebook or both). We know from feedback that people refer back to these materials long after the course is over.

So pick up where you left off with Part 1.

5. Your Top Ten Marketing Tools.

We are including a list below, many of which will be covered during this 90 Day Marketing Marathon™. Your job is to identify the ones that most appeal to you. There will be more on the list than you could ever attempt so bypass the ones that don't really resonate for you. Right now simply choose ten that sound appealing and add them to your notes.

1. Teleclasses or Other Live Classes

2. Workshops

3. Outrageously Good Service

4. Contests/Sweepstakes

5. Online Marketing

6. Stealth Marketing

7. Radio Spots

8. Strategic Alliance Partners

9. Free Offerings

10. Marketing Plan

11. Daily Follow-Up

12. Positive Attitude

13. Free Consultations

14. Customer Reactivation Letter

15. Elevator Speech

16. Volunteer Work

17. Business Card

18. Testimonials

19. Location

20. Stationery

21. Phone Demeanor

22. Logo

23. Promotional Kit

24. Hours of Operation

25. Brochures

26. Articles

27. Reprints of Articles

28. Professional Photo

29. 800 Number

30. Targeted List from List Broker

31. Audio and Videotapes

32. Accepting Credit Cards

33. Club Associations/Membership

34. Using Voice Mail to Promote Events

35. Circulars and Flyers

36. Competitive Pricing

37. Research Studies/Success

38. Audio Welcome/Interview

39. Toastmasters

40. Postcards

41. Inserts

42. Waiting Room Resources

43. Trade Shows

44. Speak at Conferences

45. TV Commercials

46. Gift Certificates

47. Assisting Others During Workshops

48. Start a Fusion Marketing or Master Mind Group

49. Quick Service/Delivery

50. Classified Advertising

51. Customer Mailing List

52. Enthusiasm

53. Yellow Pages

54. Sales Training

55. Teach Adult Education Courses

56. Donation to Silent Auction

57. Participate in Chat Room

58. Hard Copy Newsletter

59. Join Speakers Bureau

60. Demonstrations

61. Serve on Association Board

62. Charity Fundraisers

63. Online Newsletter

64. Create an Advocates List

65. Online Discussion Group

66. Brand-Name Awareness

67. Give Away a Chapter of a Book

68. Continuing Education

69. Breakfasts/Lunches with Potential Clients

70. Networking or Leads Groups

71. Free Gift with Purchase

72. Word of Mouth

73. Column in Newspaper or Magazine

74. Audio Tape Interview with a Guest Expert

75. Join Affiliate Programs of Other Vendors

76. Link Sharing with Other Websites

77. Posting Newsletter and Articles on 20 Websites

78. Create a Set of Client Handouts

79. Booth at Tradeshows, Exhibits, and Fairs

80. Imagination/Creative Crafts and Writings

81. Referral Fee

82. E-mail Signature

83. Walk Your Talk

84. Write a Book

85. Advisory Board or Research and Development Team

86. Listing with Top Search Engines

87. Marketing Savvy-You live it every day!

88. Host Your Own Radio Show

89. Create a Strong Opt-In Email list

90. Join the Chamber of Commerce

91. Audio Clip on Website

92. Market Research-See what the competition is doing

93. Displaying brochures with other businesses

94. Free Video Tapes

95. Change Greeting Daily for a “Tip of the Day”

96. Free Article Archive

97. Being Easy to Work With

98. Tag Line

99. Free E-Course

100. Happy Customers

101. Brightly Colored Shopping Bags

102. Mascot

103. Lapel Pin or Accessory

6. What is Your Signature Style? How Will You Be Known?

Examples:

“As an attorney, I offer an advanced level of legal services, which is based on high quality, a high level of integrity and speed. My legal practices help clients develop a sound portfolio for their business and personal life, which includes monthly updates and focus on genuine customer service for today and the future.”

“As a hair stylist, I provide my clients with a cutting edge hair cut, which looks great on them and meets their lifestyle needs. I enhance my services by providing instruction on daily hair care protocols which make the hair look its best always.”

7. Create a Budget. You will be using many tools that are free, but some tools will require that you spend money.

SAMPLE MARKETING BUDGET OUTLINE*
Marketing Expenditures	Quarter I		Quarter II		Quarter III		Quarter IV
	Percent Marketing $Budget		Percent Marketing $Budget		Percent Marketing $Budget		Percent Marketing $Budget
Advertising
Newspaper
Magazines
Trade Publications
Radio
Outdoor
Television
Specialty Items
Direct Mail
Point of Purchase
Co-op Ads
Production/Creative
Sales Promotion
Brochures/Flyers
Trade Shows
Newsletters
Customer Services
Decor/Display
Community Events
Clerical
Managerial
Secretarial
Telephone
Travel
Postage
Supplies
Sales Force Expenditures
Motivation Program
Recruiting
Salaries and Benefits
Telephone
Training Program
Travel
Professional Membership
Subscriptions
Marketing Research
Computer Time
Salaries and Benefits
Supplies
Telephone
Travel
________________
________________
________________
Miscellaneous
________________
________________
________________
Total Budget
*NOTE: Many specific items in the sample will not be necessary for all businesses and some businesses will require even more items in the budget. You may need assistance on calculating this figure, depending on what you plan to do to market your business.

 

8. What Will You Do to Get Into Action?

Examples:

· Commit to working the assignments in the 90-Day Marketing Marathon program

· Get an accountability partner

· Write affirmations and post these in my home and office

· Set aside $_____________ to ramp up my marketing plan.

· Call 100 friends and ask them to distribute business cards

· Write a calendar of my plan and stick with it.

9 . Choose a Business Name (Optional)

If you don't already have one, choose a business name. This can be your name, your initials or something that describes what you do or who you are (like the DISC Ninja™). However, if you are thinking about selling your business at some point in the the future, it may be best to choose a business name that doesn't incorporate your name. It will be easier to sell a business that has a well established brand name and you may not want to give up the rights to your name.

As you choose a name, keep in mind that you will want it to be available as a domain (web name), if at all possible. So, sit at your computer and type www.godaddy.com into your web browser to see if the domain name you want is available. Towards the top center there will be a box that says “Search for a Domain Name NOW!”

There are many services you can use but www.godaddy.com is one of the least expensive and offers many other services for free with your domain registration. We will be asking you to explore some of these other services later so it's a good time to get familiar with GoDaddy.

Even if you choose a business name other than your name, we recommend if available, that you also register your own name as a domain. You can always have GoDaddy forward traffic from your name domain to a different domain name. For instance, I feel fortunate that I was able to register www.AliciaSmith.com when I did.

We recommend that you get a domain name that ends in .com, as it is the standard for doing business. We DO NOT recommend that you do business with an email that is from AOL, hotmail, or yahoo. Many people have shared that they will not hire anyone with these email addresses. Once you find a domain name you like, register the URL. Don't get too hung up on this. It can always be changed later.