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Guest post by: Leanne Hoagland-Smith Become an Author

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So many times small business owners including service providers such as real estate agents, insurance agents, mortgage brokers to distribution providers including restaurants and retail stores decide to embark on a new marketing message without checking the existing marketing plan and current sales plan. This type of behavior is very dangerous.

Marketing actions must be in alignment with current marketing goals and sales goals. Having a great idea, may be a good thing, but that good idea should be easily integrated into existing business goals. If there is a lack of alignment, much like the wheels in the care, poor performance that means business results will ensue.

What astounds me is that so many small business owners to professional sales people lack a written marketing plan. They are so busy running from networking event to networking event, making sales calls and taking care of yesterday’s and today’s problems that they fail to take time to think about tomorrow. Marketing and sales decisions are made on the fly without any consideration to how those reactionary decisions affect long term business results especially customer loyalty.

If the goal is to increase sales through a new marketing strategy, then the first action is to check your current marketing plan by asking these three simple questions:

1. Will this action deliver the results as detailed in both my marketing plan and sales plan?
2. How much time is required to make this action manageable and measurable?
3. What additional resources are required to make this action successful?

If you answer any of these questions with I do not know or I am unsure, then logic suggests you have not done your homework and this new marketing action may possibly fail. Given that no business has resources to waste, does it not make sense to make sure your new marketing action is as successful as possible?

Beyond the specific goals of a marketing plan such as trade shows, direct mail, Internet, etc, your marketing plan should be researched specific to your target market. The answers to these three critical questions are necessary if you want to increase sales:

1. Who do you want as clients?
2. What are the demographics and psycho-graphics of your potential customers (a.k.a. qualified prospects)?
3. How many potential clients are available?

After answering these questions, then you must look at your sales plan. Do you have the capacity to deliver the results generated from the marketing actions?

Finally, a review of your customer loyalty plan is also required. What is the impact on our customer service from this new marketing action? Will this new action upset existing loyal customers?

When actions are taken to increase sales, each must be viewed independently as well as dependently to ensure that the desired results are achieved. Unfortunately, too many small business owners continue to play Captain Wing It and fly by the seat of their pants.

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