The CORE FOUR Business Planning Course®

Table of Contents

CORE 1: Success Planning

CORE 2: Market Planning

The Master Plan   
Market Planning   
What is marketing?   
What is a marketing plan?   
What does the successful marketing plan focus on?   
Have you ever prepared a marketing plan?
How do you build a marketing plan?   
Identify your niche  your market position   
Create an appealing image/package   
Develop a promotional plan   
Price your products/services
Sell your products/services
Identify Your Products or Services
What do you sell? What do customers buy?   
What is a feature?   
What is a benefit?   
Benefits – People Want or Need to:
WORKSHEET – Features and Benefits   
Identify Your Distribution Process   
What are your choices of distribution?
What should you consider before choosing your distribution method?   
WORKSHEET – Distribution   
Market Research: Industry, Customers and Competition   
What types of market research should you do?   
Market Research Chart   
Market Research Sources   
WORKSHEET – Market Research   
QUESTIONNAIRE – For Interviewing a Business Owner   
Identify Your Industry   
WORKSHEET – Industry
Section A – Individual Customers   
WORKSHEET – Individual Customer Needs Survey   
WORKSHEET – Individual Customer Profile   
Section B – Commercial/Industrial Customers
WORKSHEET – Commercial/Industrial Customer Profile
Section C – Existing businesses – customer profile   
WORKSHEET – Individual Customer Satisfaction Survey   
WORKSHEET – Commercial/Industrial Customer Satisfaction Survey   
Identify Your Competition   
Who are your competitors?
WORKSHEET – Competitive Analysis   
Competitor Evaluation Criteria   
WORKSHEET – Competitor Evaluation 1   
WORKSHEET – Competitor Evaluation 2   
Position Your Products/Services   
Find your market niche   
Rate your competitive evaluations
Prepare a Competitor Evaluation Worksheet for your business   
Example – Competitive Analysis Chart – Flower Shops   
Example – Marketplace Position – Flower Shops Part 1
Example – Marketplace Position Worksheet – Flower Shops Part 2   
WORKSHEET – Competitor Evaluation Summary   
WORKSHEET – Market Position   
Create an Appealing Image/Package
What is packaging?   
Why is packaging so important?   
What types of packaging issues should you address?   
WORKSHEET – Location   
WORKSHEET – Image/Packaging/Signage   
Create A Marketing Plan   
Overview   
Why do customers buy? What’s in it for them?   
How do you use benefits to motivate customers?   
Motivation Chart   
What are the three basic objectives when promoting your product?   
Advertising, Marketing, Promotion – What’s the difference?   
What is Marketing?   
What is Advertising?   
What is Promotion?   
How much should you spend on Marketing? (Promotion, Advertising, Etc)   
Where, when and how often?
Marketing options
Types of paid advertising
Low cost marketing ideas
E-Commerce and Your Website   
Marketing Your Website   
WORKSHEET – Marketing Plan   
Example – Marketing Plan   
WORKSHEET – Create Your Marketing Plan   
Pricing Your Products or Services   
What should you consider when pricing your products or services?   
Basic Pricing Formula   
What are variable costs?
What are fixed costs?   
What are value costs?   
WORKSHEET – Pricing:  Identify Your Cost Types   
Direct Selling: The Sales Presentation   
Who will you be selling to?   
How do you feel about selling your products or services?   
Example – Sales Presentation   
How can you be more successful at selling?
WORKSHEET – Creating Your Sales Presentation   
Build Your Marketing Plan   
How do you build your marketing plan?   
What do you do now that your marketing plan is done?

CORE 3: Cash Flow Planning

CORE 4: Operations Planning