One-Day Marketing Plan: Organizing and Completing the Plan That Works

I purchased this book as I have not written a marketing plan since I graduated college and was looking for something that would guide me in producing a thorough review and evaluation of my business, as well as an effective marketing plan. I was impressed with the extensive guidelines for background research and with the practical information for producing the plan. It had more information in it than I needed for my current business, but I was glad to have it there, just in case. I'd recommend this book to anyone who is looking to create a REAL plan, not just something hacked up in a few hours. You will spend quite a bit of time analyzing your business and markets, but you will end up with a plan that does what it should: improve your bottom line. Please note: if you follow all of their instructions it will take longer than a day.

The promise of completing a marketing plan in one day (as per the title) is what sold me on this book. Aside from the title there are no further references on how to complete the 4 part/21 chapter plan within a single day, for the simple reason that it can't be done. In fact, this author published an almost identical book the previous year with the title "The Successful Marketing Plan : A Disciplined and Comprehensive Approach". Having said that, I don't regret buying the book. I don't have a formal background in marketing, and needed an introduction to the subject. This book provides a conceptual framework and worksheet templates which are both extremely helpful. It also imparts the valuable lesson that a good marketing plan takes several weeks of writing and research to complete. Each chapter has both explanations and worksheets (for preparing the Marketing Plan). The connection between the two was not always clear, which was my one complaint about the book. I ended up copying section titles from the explanation parts onto the worksheets. I particularly liked chapter 4, creating sales goals for the marketing program. The methodology is based on a combination of the projected cost of the campaign, the sales history of the product, and the size of the market. I felt this was a well thought out quantitative method for projecting sales. I gave the book 4 out of 5 stars because of the misleading title. Yet I bought the book and am happy with it. I had to wonder if the authors intended the misleading title to be the final lesson in marketing.

Speed to market is the key to success in today's fiercely competitive marketing area. This book help marketeers first determine who their target customers are and then deliver pinpoint marketing strategies and programs with speed and impact. The usefulness of the book is enhanced by the inclusion of helpful forms, along with actual marketing plan templates. Highly recommended. Dr Jusuf Hariman, Manuscript assessor, Fellowship of Australian Writers.