Mr.

XXX, This initial marketing strategy proposal is intended to serve as a basis for retaining the services of GENERIC Marketing to strategize and implement all marketing activities for XXX, LLC (hereafter referred to as XXX). The role of GENERIC Marketing will be to utilize this marketing strategy with the ultimate goal of discovering, qualifying, contacting, and setting face to face appointments with potential clients who require XXX consultancy services. This will result in new business for XXX. The best reason to choose us is that unlike a typical marketing/ad agency that juggles several clients simultaneously, we will work solely with XXX and focus only XXXs needs. This type of attention will provide better transparency, communication, and results. We will learn your company from the bottom up, working alongside your organization daily. We will create a marketing message and brand position that tells the story of XXXs goals and past successes to resonate with targets that may currently not know how business consultancy services can bring added value. Furthermore, they may be searching for business consultancy services without knowing of XXXs presence as a strong candidate. GENERIC Marketing seeks to educate these individuals on how business consultancy services can bring positive change, and that XXX is the right choice.

Summary
The purpose of this marketing strategy is to look at XXXs business from a high level and define what it is currently, what it should be based on internal goals and target market needs, and how to market XXX in order to capture new business and promote flexible and healthy long-term growth. For simplicity, this strategy will ignore budgets and forecasts based on data currently unavailable to GENERIC Marketing. This marketing strategy should be revisited and revised often as internal and external factors change. This strategy covers the current challenge facing XXX, a situational analysis, market segmentation, and marketing tactics and theory to be used.

Challenge
XXX is a business strategy and performance optimization firm that uses the knowledge of team members to facilitate profitable change within clients organizations. Many organizations perceive a need for change, but dont understand how to roll out organization-wide adoption and dedication to changes that will bring about an environment of continuous improvement, which can be spun as an opportunity. XXX currently lacks a marketing strategy, cohesiveness, and a fundamental understanding of what its product is and what it should be. These fundamental issues must be addressed before XXX can reach its goals for maximum profitability and growth while maintaining a sustainable position in its competitive space. GENERIC Marketing will collaborate with XXX to develop and implement changes to overcome these challenges. The aforementioned goals can be changed depending on the needs of the market and wants of XXX management. Further quantitative and qualitative data will be required from XXX to

better focus XXX goals and the tactics GENERIC marketing will utilize. A full investment of organizational resources including time, effort, and collaboration will be required on the part of XXX in order to succeed.

Situational Analysis
Company Analysis o Information presented to us is such that XXX is a small company with a team of knowledgeable individuals who work separately and collaboratively with clients in order to optimize business strategy and operational processes in order to meet specific client goals. These goals depend upon the clients organization being non-profit or for-profit, with XXX changing its tactics for each. The current structure of XXX is not well defined and possibly needs refocusing. Strengths of each client consultant should be well defined and possibly tailored to the best fit for each type of client. o XXX, the managing director is interested in growth but is unclear on how to go about developing it due to lack of a clear marketing strategy. Furthermore, a growth goal needs to be decided upon with realistic expectations and taking into account the resources available and investment in new resources XXX is willing and able use or procure. Although XXX has until now defined itself as serving clients in the non-profit, healthcare, technology, professional services, manufacturing, and education markets, it may be more effective to expand or contract these areas of consulting services. The managing director states there is no clear definition of exactly what XXX is or should be, and so XXX should define itself to follow market opportunities, or first define what it should be and then choose segments that will best respond to XXXs solutions. o Upon choosing organizational goals, defining the structure and roles of the organization and those working within it, and choosing target markets that are a fit for both; XXX should create a new mission statement, vision, and marketing slogan that will more clearly illustrate the company and its service to potential clients and industry influencers. o XXX is still in the infancy-growth stage of its company lifecycle which may be seen as an opportunity. However, awareness of the company, its niche, and resources available are all hurdles. o Promoting XXXs services as a team of experts instead of Managing Director XXX being the main project leader using his reputation to sign new clients is a potential challenge.

Customer Analysis o Without the company properly being defined, it is nearly impossible to state who XXX clients can and should be. However, we will provide general options and suggestions for this later in this strategy. For now, a XXX client could be defined as any for profit or nonprofit company who require business strategy or optimization solutions that are within the abilities of XXXs consultants in order to reach organizational goals, whether those are increased revenue, market share, profits, cost-cutting, increased efficiency, or more.

Once the customer target market is better defined an effort should be made to estimate potential market size, demographics, and what exact value XXX can provide to the needs of each demographic. Competitor Analysis o XXX has expressed that within their ideal geographic market (5 hours of driving time from the central hub of its Charleston, SC location) there are two competitors who currently offer similar services. However, XXX feels it can provide better service and that those competitors may not be a serious threat in terms of client satisfaction and operational ability. XXX should still estimate their market share, which markets they serve, the marketing activities they utilize, their reputation, and what markets they are leave un-served. This must be revisited frequently as XXX, its competitors, and the business climate changes. o With that said, the biggest competitor is ignorance and budgets of potential clients. Many clients may not be well enough educated on how business consultancy services such as those XXX provides can be beneficial. Furthermore, their budgets may not allow them to procure the services of XXX. Marketing services provided by GENERIC Marketing can serve to educate potential clients and spread the importance of XXXs abilities. Client budgets need to be more closely scrutinized based on their demographics and operating processes in order to properly qualify which segmented markets (described in a following section) and which clients within that segment to allocate marketing resources towards for best ROI and whether those clients best serve the short term and long term strategy of XXX. o There may still be opportunity for XXX to learn more about potential clients through analyzing competitors. The following should be defined: How do competitors define and market themselves; what is their message? What services do they offer? Who are their clients and segments served? Where do they market and how? Revenue Structure Size Experience Team member knowledge mix Collaborators o XXX and its individual team members each bring their own network of past clients, employers, and business contacts to the table. These should be looked at more in depth to discover opportunities to find new clients or spread XXXs marketing message through untapped channels that may be only a phone call, email, or collaborative project away. Additionally XXX should identify any person or business which are keys to its success, future goals, or can bring any other positive effects for XXX. There may also

be opportunities for knowledge sharing and marketing interaction with those which provide complimentary services or work within selected market segments. Climate o Political and legislative factors can affect any business. XXX should work with GENERIC Marketing to identify any current factors that may affect their business now or in the futureand stay abreast of new issues in the future. One such issue might be changes in accounting practice standards which could affect how potential clients can allocate funds to consultancy services. Also, new non-profit regulations which might affect potential non-profit clients. These are merely two examples. o The economy and macroeconomic indicators at the local, regional, national, and international scale should be constantly surveyed for changes that may affect XXX directly or indirectly through affecting potential clients and future opportunities. GDP, trade-differentials, interest rates, housing starts, unemployment rates, DOW averages, and others should all be closely monitored. XXX should define which indicators to look at in order to forecast future economic growth or contraction and plan accordingly. o Social and cultural trends can also affect XXXs business. One such example would be the shift of traditional businesses from rigid internal control to accepting outside consultants and their ability to improve a business from an objective standpoint. Another is the trend toward continuous improvement in medium and larger organizations necessitating the use of outside process improvement consultants such as those at XXX. XXX should collaborate and define other social or cultural trends that may affect business. o Technology trends and shift can also affect XXXs business. One such issue may be the introduction of new software that replaces some or all of XXXs core abilities. There may also be new technology that XXX can utilize to become more efficient and effective in the practice of its work or the marketing methods it can use. These types of trends should be closely monitored as potential threats or potential opportunities. Its also important to analyze what technology currently is positive or negative for XXX.

SWOT Analysis o Strengths: Current XXX strengths are listed below. There are possibly more that XXX should define. Knowledge base of team members and their experience Satisfied high-profile clients, both current and past Perceived lack of threatening competitors Young and undefined company structure brings opportunity and flexibility

Geographic location lends itself to Charlotte, Atlanta, Jacksonville, and the I85 corridor which consist of many banking and manufacturing organizations Weaknesses: Current XXX weaknesses are listed below. There are possibly more that XXX should define. Youth of company and undefined structure causes uncertainty Competitors may have already established themselves in advantageous market positions A lack of current marketing tactics has left XXX vulnerable and in a position where refusal of one client or overextension for one job may weaken the company Many businesses arent aware that the cost of XXXs services can bring true positive impact. This may be due to ignorance of such services or stubborn management. Also, the decision makers for procuring XXXs services are likely in C-level positions within medium and large firms, making access difficult and marketing activities more costly. Opportunities: XXX should work to define potential opportunities the firm can take advantage of. One such opportunity would be using the right mix of marketing tactics to acquire new clients and bring growth If theres word that a competitor left a business less than satisfied, this could be an opportunity for XXX to contact that business and try to fix the mistakes left by XXXs competitor instead of letting their mistake raise questions about the effectiveness of business consultancy methods in that industry As Charleston becomes a growing tech/software sector, XXX can provide much needed consultancy services for these startups that are externally funded by angel investors and become a leader in this space Technology may make it possible for XXX to provide services without physically meeting clients at their locations, and should be looked into further Threats: XXX must also analyze and define current and future threats which do or can affect its business. Below are several potential examples: New competitors Bad press or leaving a client unsatisfied Pricing itself out of the market Competitors actively recruiting current XXX employees Overextending internal resources

Market Segmentation
XXXs target market of businesses in the aforementioned 6 industries and other potential industries needs to be defined and segmented based on many variables and then given rank. Rank can be based upon factors within that segment such as accessibility to decision makers, median earnings of businesses, cost of marketing efforts, ROI (including financial return and other intangible positive factors

such as building reputation and positive recognition), how that segment aligns with XXXs goals, and others. Furthermore, each potential client should be further defined within its segment similarly. This segmentation and ranking will facilitate the most efficient and effective use of organizational resources and guide XXX into future growth. When feasible, measurable indicators should be used for each segment. XXX and GENERIC Marketing must collaborate to define the following for each segment: A description of the segment Past and current client profiles Current and potential percent of XXX revenue Potential total revenue for XXX Cost of marketing efforts Which XXX services are needed and amount of XXX resources (time, people, etc) needed to fulfill the services Accessibility Description of decision makers, influencers, buyers, and users of XXX services Public or private Size of companies Typical organizational structure Revenue source (sales or donations/grants) Past, current, and future performance and growth/decline Which marketing tactics are most effective for the segment Cost of implementing XXX services Geographical location/concentration Life cycle of included businesses Price sensitivity Any important annual, seasonal, or other repetitive trends over time Month when budgets are set

Marketing XXX
Many successful service based companies are now changing their B2B marketing focus from product-centric to customer-centric with solutions in mind instead of merely forcing the product as it is upon potential clients. This is SAVE marketing (solution, access, value, education). With the current flexibility of XXXs structure and youth of the company, implementing this type of strategy for all marketing activities will be more beneficial as opposed to the traditional 4P marketing mix of place,

promotion, product, and price. GENERIC Marketing stresses the importance of aligning the organizational goals of XXX with all marketing activities. Solution (formerly product of the 4Ps) Currently XXX provides not just a one size fits all product-centric business strategy and optimization service, but a tailored solution for its clients in need. GENERIC Marketing will help XXX to analyze and anticipate the specific needs of each potential client and its segment to form a better, solution-based marketing plan. Differentiation will also be necessary, backed up with testimonials of past clients and case studies. XXXs product is actually a solution, and should be marketed as such. Defining XXX and its goals will help to better define what solutions can be provided for each potential client. Value (formerly price) XXX should present their services (solutions) in terms of value to the customer during marketing and selling activities, not just the price. This switch to a focus on total cost of ownership by procuring XXXs services will force potential clients to look at both the benefits and costs at once instead of the price only. Simply put, focus on the added value XXX can bring to clients. XXX must also estimate its own profit per client in order to effectively qualify the best target clients. One possibility for calculating XXX service pricing would be to maximize the ratio of value added for the client against what XXX will gain from performing those services. Competitor pricing should also be considered, but with less importance than the former calculation. Access (formerly place) In the services sector clients are more concerned with access to a consulting firm, because XXXs product is not a tangible one but instead knowledge based solutions. The bulk of the work that XXX currently performs is done onsite with active engagement from client executives. However, support should continue to be a top priority. XXX should focus on fulfilling current and potential clients needs for access to their services, general queries, continued support, and education as soon as those needs are perceived. Remember that in the digital world, there is a chance to be actively engaged with a potential client even from their response to a blog post or article. Knowing how potential clients will access information and seek knowledge is critical to educating and promoting.

Education (formerly promotion)

The new school of thought focuses on the idea of using some forms of promotion as a part of education. XXX cannot stop at general promotion, but must be engaged in actively educating potential clients of the following:

1. Leadership should measure whether or not the business is reaching its goals (this serves to create demand for business consultancy services, an industry of which XXX is a part) 2. Outsourced business optimization consultancy is useful at any stage in their life cycle to achieve those unsatisfied goals 3. XXX is a team of knowledge experts able to provide a custom tailored solution with the most added value To accomplish the three objectives, GENERIC Marketing will work with XXX to implement the most effective promotion and education tactics with respect to XXX goals. These should be ranked and broken down using factors important to XXX (GENERIC Marketing will develop the factors) and SMART objectives when feasible (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time) to find the order in which they will be rolled out. General o Create a consistent marketing message and brand. A slogan should also be devised. o Company logo refresh o Create a positive reputation for XXX and push it through utilizing other tactics in this list Online o Onsite optimization of landing page and full site, visitor analytics, visitor information capture for future contact, downloadable press kit, blog o Creating a tool for businesses based upon XXX knowledge that allows them assess their organizational and operational health with results (grading system A-F or % based) accessible only after information input (name, organization, email, phone, etc) o Case studies o Press releases o Blogging and guest articles on industry magazines/publications/blogs o White papers o Infographic creation o PPC (pay per click) advertising campaign o SEO (search engine optimization) o Social media use (linkedin, facebook, twitter, and others) o Email campaign and newsletter (taking into account best practices for design and time of day for most reads) o Viral is there a way to create a buzz for the XXX through less traditional means? This is much more difficult to do correctly and care should be taken to not damage XXXs reputation o Video blog/series Offline (traditional) o Network with past and current clients and other professional contacts to gain information on who they recommend as needing XXXs solutions o Phone calls to potential clients (find out who the decision maker is first or top influencer)

o o o o o o

Join roundtables and industry events/associations Billboards or other print marketing in geographic areas with higher concentrations of potential clients Public relations and charitable causes gain reputation through community involvement Sponsorships of events where potential clients or their children participate Lead knowledge sharing luncheons or events with Q&A to raise awareness of issues that XXX can solve for potential clients Newspaper, magazine, or direct mail print campaigns

Short and Long Term Projections

Without current XXX financials and without analyzing potential ROI for marketing activities, this will need to be revisited at a later time.

Conclusion
GENERIC Marketing is confident that utilizing this marketing strategy will bring positive value added change for XXXs goals. Leveraging XXX knowledge as a way to promote the brand will be the most effective method of educating and acquiring new clients. GENERIC Marketing will use its strategic and tactical marketing knowledge and experience to deliver measurable results as we have for past clients.