Section 1

Corporate issues
1. Is there a corporate statement about:
(i) The nature of the companys current business mission?
(ii) Its vision of the future?

2. Is there a target gure for ROI?

3. Is there a corporate plan to channel the company resources to this end?

4. Are there dened business boundaries in terms of:

(a) Products or services (that will be offered)?
(b) Customers or markets (to deal with)?
(c) Operations facilities?
(d) Distribution facilities?
(e) Size and character of the workforce?
(f) Sources and levels of funding?

5. Are there objectives for promoting the corporate image with?

(a) The stock market?
(b) Customers?
(c) The local community?
(d) The employees?
(e) Environmentalist/conservationist lobby?
(f) Government departments?
(g) Trade associations, etc.?

Section 2

Strategic issues
1. Is there a marketing plan?

2. Is it compatible with the corporate plan?

3. Does it cover the same period?

4. Is the marketing plan regularly reviewed?

5. Is the plan based on an assessment of market potential and past performance?

6. Will the plan close the gap if carried out?

7. Is there a marketing plan by product/service?

8. Do relevant managers have a copy of the marketing plan?

9. Are the following factors monitored in a regular and conscious way, in terms of
how they affect the companys business prospects?
(a) Business environment
(i) Economic factors?
(ii) Political/legal factors?
(iii) Fiscal factors
(iv) Technological developments?
(v) Social/cultural factors?
(vi) Intra-company issues? (
b) The market
(i) Trends in market size/growth in volume and in value
(ii) Developments/trends in product use, product demand, product presentation,
accessories and substitutes

(iii) Developments/trends in prices, terms and conditions and trade practices

(iv) Developments/trends in physical distribution, channels of distribution,
purchasing patterns, stockholding and turnover
(v) Developments/trends in communications, use of sales force, advertising,
promotions, exhibitions, the internet

(c) Competition Developments/trends of competitors, their marketing strategies,

their strengths, their weak nesses, new entrants, mergers/ acquisitions and their
reputation
(d) The industry
(i) Activities of trade association(s)
(ii) Inter-rm comparisons (iii) Industry protability
(iv) Investment levels of competitors
(v) Changes in cost structure
(vi) Investment prospects
(vii) Technological developments
(viii) Sources of raw materials
(ix) Energy utilization

Section 3
SWOT analyses

1. Is there someone (individual or group) responsible for converting the analysis of

factors in Section 2 into a summary which highlights:
(a) The companys principal strengths?
(b) The companys principal weaknesses (In terms of relating to external
opportunities/ threats)?
2. Does this person(s) have access to the necessary information?
3. Is this person(s) sufciently senior for his or her analysis to make an impact?
4. is the organizational climate such that a full and accurate analysis is seen as a
striving for improvement rather than an attack on specic departments or vested
interests?
Section 4

Assumptions
1. Is there a set of assumptions around which the marketing plan is formulated?
2. Are these assumptions made explicit to senior company personnel?
3. Do they cover?
(a) The business environment?
(b) The market?
(c) The competitors?
(d) The industry?
4. Are the assumptions valid in the light of current and predicted trading situations?

Section 5
Marketing objectives/strategies
1. Are the marketing objectives clearly stated and consistent with the corporate
objectives?
2. Are there clear strategies for achieving the stated marketing objectives?
3. Are sufcient resources made available?
4. Are all responsibilities and authority clearly made known?
5. Are there agreed objectives about:
(a) The service range?
(b) The value of sales?
(c) The volume of sales?
(d) Prots?
(e) Market share?
(f) Market penetration?
(g) Number of customers and retention levels?
(h) Introducing new products/services? (i) Divesting of old products/services?
(j) Organization changes to:
(i) Develop company strengths?
(ii) Reduce company weaknesses?
Section 6

Monitoring evaluation
1. Is the planning system well-conceived and effective?
2. Do control mechanisms exist to ensure planned objectives are met?
3. Do internal communications function effectively?
4. Are there any problems between marketing and other corporate functions?
5. Are people clear about their role in the planning process?
6. Is there a procedure for dealing with nonachievement of objectives?
7. Is there evidence that this reduces the chance of subsequent failure?
8. Are there still unexploited opportunities?
9. Are there still organizational weaknesses?
10. Are the assumptions upon which the plan was based valid?
11. Are there contingency plans in the event of objectives not being met/conditions
changing?

1. What services do your clients/prospects most want and need?

2. What are the core strengths of your organization?
3. How do people feel after they use your services?
4. What are your customers trying to accomplish by using your products/services?
5. Describe your typical customer (needs, desires, preferences, fears, pain, etc.).
6. Who is your competition? (Please list at least 3-5 competitors)
7. What sets your company apart from others in your industry? Is there a unique
aspect to your company that you could use as a point of differentiation?
8. Do you have an existing tagline, slogan or brand statement? If not, would you
like to create one?
9. How do prospects nd you?
10. What are the central keywords/trigger words that prospects might use to nd
you online? (I.e. what words would your target audience use to describe the key
products/services/information you provide?)
11. What is your target location (international/national/regional/state/local)?

Competitor analysis

Who are my top three competitors?

On what basis am I able to compete?

What is the range of products and services they offer?

Are their products or services aimed at satisfying similar target markets?

Are my competitors profitable?

Are they expanding? Scaling down?

How long have they been in business?

What are their positive attributes in the eyes of customers?

What are their negative attributes in the eyes of customers?

How do current customers view us compared to the competition?

How can I distinguish my company from my competitors?

Do they have a competitive advantage; if so, what is it?

What is their marketing strategy?

What is their promotional strategy?

What are their pricing structures?

Do they operate in the same geographic area?

Have there been any changes in their targeted market segments?

What is their size? Revenues?

What is their percentage of market share?

What is their total sales volume?

What is their growth rate?

How do they rate on:

customer service?

quality of product/service?

hours of operations?

pricing, incentives?

employees?

resources?

How do current customers rate the following features of your business compared to your
competition.Rate the following as: fair, good or excellent.

Our Company / Competition

___________ /__________ Price
___________ /__________ Quality
___________ /__________ Durability
___________ /__________ Image/style
___________ /__________ Value
___________ /__________ Name Recognition
___________ /__________ Customer Service
___________ /__________ Customer Relations

___________ /__________ Location

___________ /__________ Convenience
___________ /__________ Other
Gather Competitive Information
Advertising
Sales Brochures
Newspaper and Magazine Articles
Annual Reports
Your Sales Force
Trade Associations
Direct Observation

Market Situation
The "market situation" section should contain your best and most clear-headed
description of the current state of the marketplace (this is no place for hunches).
What are your products/services or product/service lines?
What is the dollar size of your markets?
What is your sales and distribution setup?
What geographic area do you sell to?
Describe your audience in terms of population, demographics, and income levels
and so on.
What competitors exist in this marketplace? Historically, how well have your
products sold?

Threats and Opportunities

This section is an extension of the "market situation" section, and it should focus on
the bad and good implications of the current market:
What trends in the marketplace are against you?
Are there competitive trends that are ominous?
Are your current products poised to succeed in the market as it now exists?
What trends in the marketplace favor you?
Are there competitive trends working to your benet?
Are the demographics of your market in your favor? Against you?

Marketing Objectives
Introduce new products
Extend or regain market for existing product
Enter new territories for the company
Boost sales in a particular product, market or price range.
Where will this business come from? Be specic. Cross-sell (or bundle) one product
with another
Enter into long-term contracts with desirable clients
Raise prices without cutting into sales gures
Rene a product
Enhance manufacturing/product delivery

Financial Summaries
Part 1 Sales Analysis
Overall Industry and Market Share
Sales for the Entire Market
Sales for Your Company

 Sales for Your Competitors

Sales By Segments and/or Product Categories
Sales by segments and/or product categories
Sales by company product(s)
Sales at this level compared to competition
Sales By Geography
Sales for Each Region
Sales for company product(s) by region
Sales for Your Competitors by region

Part 2 Protability Analysis

Revenue Breakdown
Marketing Expense Breakdown

The SWOT Analysis

Are your competitors becoming stronger?
Are there emerging trends that amplify one of your weaknesses?
Do you see other external threats to your companys success? Internally, do you
have nancial, development, or other problems?
Strengths: Here is where you must capture the positive aspects internal to your
business that add value or offer you a competitive advantage. This is an opportunity
to remind yourself of the value existing within your business. Think about what your
company does well. You should address the strengths within your business that add
value to your product or your marketing efforts. You should also describe your
positive tangible and intangible attributes.

Weaknesses: These are factors that detract from your ability to have a competitive
edge. It includes the negative aspects internal to your business that distracting
customers from seeing the value you offer or place you at a competitive
disadvantage. These are areas you need to enhance in order to compete with your

best competitor. What do your customers complain about? What are the unmet
needs of your sales force?

Opportunities: Traditionally, a SWOT looks only at the external environment for

opportunities. I suggest you look externally for areas your competitors are not fully
covering, then go a step further and think how to match these to your internal
strengths. Remember, these are opportunities external to your business. If you have
identied opportunities that are internal to the organization and within your
control, you will want to classify them as strengths. Try to uncover areas where
your strengths are not being fully utilized. Are there emerging trends that t with
your companys strengths? Is there a product/service area that others have not yet
covered?

Threats: What situations might threaten your marketing efforts? You have to ask
this hard question. Get your worst fears on the table. A threat is a challenge created
by an unfavorable trend or development that may lead to deteriorating revenues or
prots. As with opportunities, threats in a traditional SWOT analysis are considered
an external force. By looking both inside and outside of your company for things
that could damage your business, however, you may be better able to see the big
picture. Competition existing or potential is always a threat. Other threats may
include intolerable price increases by suppliers, government regulation, economic
downturns, devastating media or press coverage, a shift in consumer behavior that
reduces your sales, or the introduction of a leap-frog technology that may make
your products, equipment, or services obsolete