The First Rule of Marketing Planning

The First Rule of Marketing Planning

Unless warned otherwise, the people responsible for marketing a service almost will take up where they left off the last time they thought about marketing.

Everyone will assume that the company is in the right business, basically organized in the right way, and staffed as it should be staffed, give or take a few thorns in everyone’s side.

And everyone’s focus for marketing for the year immediately will turn to “How do we sell this?” Instead, everyone should start at ground zero. They should ask, “Is this viable anymore? Is this what the world wants?”

Have we added capabilities or skills that suggest that we should enlarge our scope, to serve new markets? Should we develop or acquire related skills and capabilities? Or should we narrow our scope, and leverage these specialized skills and services we are developing to prospects looking for those specialties?

Whatever questions you ask, you should consistently follow the first rule of marketing planning: Always start at zero.

Extracts from “Selling the Invisible”