[ introduction ]

I have been writing and reviewing marketing plans for more than 15 years, and I have been teaching people how to write good marketing plans for more than a decade. During this time I have reviewed more than 3,000 different marketing plans, from organizations all around the world. That’s a lot of marketing plans.

Breakthrough Marketing Plans has evolved from what I have learned during that time. The book is built on three very simple insights.

First, marketing plans are important for every organization and every marketer. Indeed, it is virtually impossible to be a successful marketing leader today if you can't create a clear and effective plan and then gain support for it from senior management and your cross-functional team.

Second, a startling portion of the marketing plans being written today are a complete waste of time. Many should be simply put in the trash or, better yet (from an environmental perspective), the recycle bin. Despite the fact that people and organizations frequently spend months and months working on a marketing plan, the final document often contributes virtually nothing. All too many marketing plans are simply reviewed in a perfunctory way and then quickly put on a shelf, where they function as highly effective dust-gathering devices. This is waste of time and money, and, considering the power of a good marketing plan, a stunning missed opportunity.

Third, creating a good marketing plan is really not all that complicated; the theories behind accomplishing this task reflect a good deal of common sense. Indeed, the very best marketing plans are strikingly simple; they are short, easy to follow, and simple to understand.

I suspect that after reading this book you'll say to yourself, "Well, that seems pretty obvious." And you would be absolutely correct; the basic principles behind creating a good marketing plan are not mind-numbingly complex. However, despite this fact, many marketing plans do not follow the basic principles; far too many plans fall victim to the problems described in this book. As one of my students wrote in a class evaluation form, "The strategies discussed were very intuitive and based on common sense. The fact that I could not come up with any of the strategies on my own further showed that common sense, after all, is not very common."

This book has two goals. The first goal is to highlight the fact that many marketing plans are completely ineffective, and there is an urgent need for change. The second goal is to help people create stronger plans—marketing plans that will be supported and will drive strong results in the market.

[ who needs it? ]

This is a book for those who create or review marketing plans. This includes people at large and small organizations, people at for profit and not-for-profit organizations, and people at new companies and old companies. It includes people who work in marketing, of course, but it also includes people from other functions. Indeed, anyone who writes or reviews a marketing plan can benefit from this book.

Breakthrough Marketing Plans is primarily for people new to writing marketing plans, such as business school students and people transitioning into marketing from other functions. For these individuals, this book is an introduction to marketing plans and guide for what to do and what not to do.

This book is also valuable for more seasoned marketers—people who are familiar with marketing plans and the marketing planning process. For these people, Breakthrough Marketing Plans has a slightly different purpose: to highlight how marketing plans go awry and help improve them. After reading this book some people will want to completely rethink how they approach marketing plans and adopt these ideas.

Finally, this book is for senior executives, the people accountable for leading an organization and delivering results. Senior managers are, at the end of the day, the people who ultimately approve marketing plans and the people who are most accountable for the results. These are also some of the people who are most frustrated by the plans currently being written. Some senior executives may want to use the ideas in this book to improve the marketing plans being written in their organization. Others may use the book to create a formal marketing planning process if one doesn't already exist.

Importantly, not everyone will agree with the ideas in this book. People wedded to the traditional marketing plan format, for example, may well reject the ideas presented here. This book is a call for change, and many people simply don't like change. But those willing to look at things in a fresh way, read on.

[ using the book ]

If you're working on a marketing plan that's due in the near future, flip directly to chapter 8. This chapter provides a template for a marketing plan; if time is short, simply follow the template provided and get to work. You will find the template is a pretty good starting point. It is not as simple as it looks, but the template will get you moving in the right direction.

If you don't know whether you should be worrying about marketing plans in the first place, start with chapter 1. This chapter explains what a marketing plan actually is and why every organization and every product needs one.

If you have a bit more time, you can immerse yourself more fully in the topic and the theories. Chapter 2 explains why so many marketing plans are a waste of time; it describes the typical marketing plan and highlights why it is frequently a fairly stunning miss. Chapter 2 also explores the factors that create weak plans, and it examines this rather important question: Why do smart, experienced people create terrible marketing plans? Chapter 3 reviews the key elements of a marketing plan. Chapter 4 describes the characteristics of the best marketing plans.

Chapter 5 looks at the marketing planning process and presents an eightstep approach. Chapter 6 provides advice and suggestions on writing a good plan, and chapter 7 does the same for presenting a marketing plan.

Chapters 8, 9, 10, and 11 provide tools and answer questions. Chapter 8 presents a marketing plan template. Chapter 9 lays out an example of a good marketing plan. Chapter 10 presents 20 different strategic initiatives to get you thinking about things that you can do to build your business. Chapter 11 reviews frequently asked questions.

* * * * * *

Creating a strong marketing plan is a critical marketing leadership skill, but far too many people do a miserable job at it. The ideas in this book can help marketers create plans that are approved and supported and, most importantly, drive strong results in the market. The ideas may also encourage more than a few people to deposit their current marketing plans in the recycling bin and start over.