Last Friday, I had one of my clients over — a dentist, to review and discuss his business and marketing plan for 2014. It was quite a revelation to see Mr. Dentist totally enjoy the process this year. It wasn’t the case last year. My client was very frustrated because he struggled for years to find a simple-to-follow marketing plan template that he can fill out and thus have a powerful action plan to implement.
Look, this guy is an academic. If he complains about over-complicated marketing plan templates, what can you expect from everybody else who wants to start a business or is currently running a business, but lacks a Uni degree.
A marketing plan template doesn’t have to be tailored to PHD, MBA or Uni graduates. The world of entrepreneurship isn’t made of ‘degrees’. Why do we have to complicate things so much? Why can’t we just make the process simple, easy and fun?
I’m a huge fan of Richard Branson’s concept and ideology that states that “business should be fun”.
“Try to keep bureaucracy to a minimum, and remind your teams that business, as well as life, should be fun.” – Sir Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin Group
To be honest, I’m also an academic. Nevertheless, I’m not a fan of theoretical business and marketing plan templates that were developed by Professors that never had a company themselves. How can you teach future entrepreneurs about creating and implementing sound marketing plans if you haven’t done it yourself — that is, if you haven’t had a business yourself? This is insane.
Unfortunately many small business owners get discouraged by these types of business / marketing plan templates and join the club of the so called “I don’t get this stuff, it’s way to complicated. Plus, what’s in it for me — what’s the benefit of filling out these forms anyway?”
Marketing Plan Template: Google Search Adventure
If you search the web for marketing plans you’ll find the following sites pop up:
- Government sites (US Small Business Administration, The Australian Government’s Principal Business Resource)
- Wikipedia of course, and WikiHow
- and some related articles in magazines such as Forbes and Entrepreneur.com.
The Google-landscape doesn’t change much if you search for marketing plan templates.
Are you already frustrated, or do you continue your search, looking for a company who actually delivers what you want?
If you continue your search, you will end up finding some pretty good companies doing a great job in the field of business & marketing plans. You’ll find a bunch of software, PDF-templates, E-Books and digital guides.
The question that arises is whether you’ll find these templates easy to understand and follow. I’ve tested several competitor products and I find them well done. Some are quite complicated while others are simple, yet not very effective. In terms of pricing: you’ll find marketing plan templates ranging from $50 to $300 and more.
Your Ultimate Marketing Plan Template
Of course I have a template ready for you. It wasn’t hard to guess, was it? 🙂
If you’re reading my blog for the very first time, or if you haven’t downloaded your *FREE* gift, make sure you access your FREE ROADMAP TO SUCCESS: 7 Step Marketing Plan for Small Businesses.
If you’re already an active member of our community, I’d like to acknowledge and THANK YOU for your amazing support.
If the templates you have downloaded (or bought) from our site were helpful to you and your business, have a look at the following marketing package:
Ultimate Marketing Plan Template Package
The Ultimate Marketing Plan Package includes five marketing strategy secrets to attract more loyal customers without hype, and without tech overwhelm. Check out the bonuses… they will literally blow your mind.
In order to be successful in marketing, you need to master the fundamentals. The keys to mastering the fundamentals are discipline, determination, attitude, the right mindset and the right tools.
My task as a marketing expert is to provide you with the right tools.
“If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.” – Abraham Maslow (1908 – 1970)
Enjoy your marketing journey and apply the knowledge you have accumulated while filling your marketing plan template. Remember, business should be fun 🙂
