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Informative Articles

Barriers to effective planning
Communication policy essential for the growing SME This is a summary of a talk given by Martin Kuhne of Ibis Associates in Bremen to an audience of small business advisors in September 2004. Background One of the most serious barriers that a...
Creating a Vision
Creating a Vision (reprinted from Semiconductor Magazine, March 2000) by Dr. Marilyn Manning CSP, CMC To sell your product or service, you need vision. To attract investors, you need vision. To market yourself, you need vision. Is this article, I...
Living Life In A Time Starved World
Recently I saw an advertisement for a time management booklet: "Shorter deadlines, competing priorities, endless meetings, interruptions and even higher quality expectations are just some of today's time challenges. And yet the number of hours in...
Ready, Fire ... Aim!
Almost every book about starting a new business begins by telling you to write a business plan. Many readers run in terror, others jot some notes on a pad and a very few sit down to write out a comprehensive strategic plan for their business. After...
Starting a Small Business Is Just Like Running the Peachtree...Only Tougher
STARTING A SMALL BUSINESS IS JUST LIKE RUNNING THE PEACHTREE…ONLY TOUGHER I started jogging several years ago. It was a New Year’s resolution. Like most of my New Year’s resolutions, I was confident at the time that the euphoria of the holiday...
 
Competitive Marketing Analysis

The keyword in this phrase gives us a hint - "competitive". The competitive marketing analysis is an in-depth study of your business's competition and the markets available to you in order to ensure your advertising and public relations budget dollars are spent where they will be most effective. In order to perform strategic planning for your firm's future, it is imperative to know who the competition is and exactly what you are up against to ensure that your market share is sufficient for your firm's future. Increasing market share is the goal of any competitive marketing analysis. Identifying the Competition Who is the competition and how can they be located? Since you know exactly what products or services your firm provides, you can locate your competition by identifying other producers or providers in the same market that you supply. This is not a difficult task; it does, however, require some research. Competing suppliers are not hiding; they advertise just as your firm does.

The yellow pages of your local telephone book can be the starting point for competition identification. Research the Internet searching for press releases and publications which use descriptions similar to your products or services. Government agencies, Dunn and Bradstreet, business magazine features or employment of a private research firm can reveal a great deal about your competition and how they operate. Shop Your Competition If you want to know first-hand about your competition, shop with them. For example, if


you are in the restaurant business, eat at local restaurants that are similar in price range and clientele to your establishment. If you are a plumbing business, have someone contact the competition and learn prices of service calls and specific products. Knowing as much about the competition as possible allows your marketing analysis to include details rather than generalities. Unbiased Comparisons In order to truly analyze your firm's strengths and weaknesses, you need unbiased sources willing to compare your firm and the competition. You can employ market researchers, use surveys, form focus groups to obtain completely unbiased opinions on what you are doing right and wrong and how your competition stack up to your business.

Measure your strengths and ensure these strengths are maintained or improved upon. Identify your weaknesses and create a plan to improve those areas significantly. After you implement your plan, go back to your unbiased researchers and obtain another comparison to ensure that your implementation of your strategic plan has been effective.

About the author:

Matt Bacak became "#1 Best Selling Author" in just a few short hours. Recent Entrepreneur Magazine's e-Biz radio show host is turning Authors, Speakers, and Experts into Overnight Success Stories. Discover The Secrets To Unleash The Powerful Promoter In You! Sign up for Matt Bacak's Promoting Tips Ezine ($100 value) just visit his website at http://www.powerfulpromoter.com or http://promotingtips.com

 

Strategic Planning (in nonprofit or for-profit organizations)
Adapted from the Field Guide to Nonprofit Strategic Planning and Facilitation. ... First, a Point About For-Profit and Nonprofit Strategic Planning ...
www.managementhelp.org
 
Basic Description of Strategic Planning (including key terms to know)
Adapted from the Field Guide to Nonprofit Strategic Planning and Facilitation. ... Strategic planning often includes use of several key terms. ...
www.managementhelp.org
 
Strategic Planning, Strategic Plan, Business Strategy, Strategic ...
Strategic planning advice with free strategic planner & sample strategic plan covering mission statement, SWOT analysis with business plan software for cash ...
www.planware.org
 
Strategic Planning
FAQs regarding strategic planning - geared primarily toward non-profit organizations but with enough detail and general information to provide useful ...
www.allianceonline.org
 
Frequently Asked Questions
Strategic Planning · Fundraising · Financial Management · Risk Management · Credit Card Acceptance. The FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) listed on this ...
www.allianceonline.org
 
Strategic planning - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Strategic planning involves defining objectives and developing ... Strategic planning uses "the big picture" to pursue large scale, long term objectives. ...
en.wikipedia.org
 
08/26/96 STRATEGIC PLANNING
You guessed it: strategic planning. Suddenly, the idea of rising above the ... But if strategic planning is back with a vengeance, it's also back with a ...
www.businessweek.com
 
Dr. Strategy - Dr. Pete Johnson, Keynote Speaker, Marketing ...
StrategicPlanning.com “Turning Change Into A Competitive Advantage”. Dr. Pete's Preview Video Click Here. Take-Away Value Sample Program Handouts ...
strategicplanning.com
 
Strategic Planning Society: Strategy Development and Implementation
Strategic Planning Society: Strategy Development and Implementation.
www.sps.org.uk
 
Guide 7
Strategic Planning in Smaller Nonprofit Organizations ... In short, as a result of a strategic planning process, an organization will have a clearer idea of ...
www.wmich.edu
 
STRATEGIC PLANNING MANUAL
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML
Your browser may not have a PDF reader available. Google recommends visiting our text version of this document.
 
BPubs.com: Strategic Planning & Business Planning Articles
Business Publications related to Corporate Strategic Planning.
www.bpubs.com
 
Strategic Planning Tools
Strategic Planning is a method for positioning an organization to take ... A strategic planning process incorporates an in-depth planning model that takes ...
www.nsba.org
 
Center for Simplified Strategic Planning, Inc.
The Center for Simplified Strategic Planning offers training, seminars, consulting, speakers, workshops, a book and a newsletter on strategic management for ...
www.cssp.com
 
LEADERSHIP: Strategic Planning and Strategic Management
Introduction: Is strategic planning really worth it? ... The purpose of strategic planning is to encourage thinking about your organization's "big ...
vskn.ca
 
The CEO Refresher Archives - Strategic Planning
When done right, the integrated strategic planning process can take a ... Strategic Planning and Project Management: The Key to Successful Implementation ...
www.refresher.com
 
HEFCE : Publications : 2000 : 00/24 - Strategic planning in higher ...
This guide reviews good practice in strategic planning in higher education (HE). It originated in a consultation exercise which we held in 1998 to review ...
www.hefce.ac.uk
 
The Association for Strategic Planning
The Association for Strategic Planning (ASP), is a non-profit professional society whose mission is to enable people and organizations to succeed through ...
www.strategyplus.org
 
Amazon.com: Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations: A ...
Amazon.com: Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations: A Practical Guide and Workbook: Books: Michael Allison,Jude Kaye by Michael Allison,Jude Kaye.
www.amazon.com
 
Amazon.com: Simplified Strategic Planning: A No-Nonsense Guide for ...
Amazon.com: Simplified Strategic Planning: A No-Nonsense Guide for Busy People Who Want Results Fast!: Books: Robert W. Bradford,Robert W. Bradford,J. Peter ...
www.amazon.com
 
 

 
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