Marketing Plan Willamette

Willamette Marketing Plan Example
1.0 Executive Summary
Although this topic appears first in the plan, you normally write it last. Wait until you're almost done so
you can include the main highlights. You should cover the most important facts, such as target markets,
sales growth, and strategic focus, and those facts may change during the planning process.
The contents of the summary should include the main highlights of the plan. Make sure to address
target markets, market needs, sales prospects, expenses, and strategy. Remember, as always, to match
your plan to your purpose. This is business, not writing class.
As a general rule, your first paragraph should include what products or services you sell, to what target
market, filling what target need, at what general level of sales and expenses. Make sure also to include
the nature and purpose of this plan. You might also refer to the keys to success, or at least summarize
them briefly.
Another paragraph should highlight important points. Projected sales and expenses are normally
included, as well as unit sales and contribution margin. Include the news you don't want anyone to
miss. That might be an important strategic focus for the plan, new product or service, or something
else.
Remember, this summary is the doorway to the rest of the plan. Get it right or your target readers will
go no further. Keep it short.
Willamette Furniture has been riding a growth spurt, having discovered the high-end direct mail
channel that gave us a push to new potential volumes through channels. Bolstered by appearances in
specialty catalogs, we were able to develop another additional channel through distributors of office
equipment that sell directly to corporations.
We believe that by targeting the high-end market, we can successfully occupy an emerging niche that
other channels of distribution have not been able to target. With the implementation of the new
marketing focus outlined in this plan, we will position our product line as the high-quality, elegant
alternative to mainstream office furniture found in office supply stores. Our ability to integrate
emerging technologies in our design, provide complimentary pieces for a complete set, and custom
design ergonomic executive-level office furniture will provide strengths and establish a reputation of
unmatched quality.
2.0 Situation Analysis
This first paragraph is a summary paragraph, addressing the key points that describe your current
situation.
The situation analysis sets the scene. As you develop your marketing plan, this early section is critical
to bring your plan up to speed on the key points to follow. This is where you inventory what your firm
offers and introduce your marketing situation and the main components of the marketing plan. These
components include your markets, competition, products, distribution channels, the microenvironment,
and historical results.
The most important single point is the market need. Every marketing plan should take a market-
oriented strategic planning approach that focuses on the market need.
Willamette Furniture's product offerings focus on the executive level customer who has an appreciation
for quality craftsmanship and materials, and wishes to integrate technology in to their office
environment. Our market segments within the office furniture context include the corporate executive,
small business owner, and home office. We will target these markets through a variety of media
including the Internet, catalog distribution, and word of mouth advertising. Because Willamette offers
products at a high cost level, we do not wish to mass market. Rather our strategy is to make our product
information readily available to those seeking quality office furniture with specific technological needs.
Therefore, we will add internal catalog publishing to our existing catalog marketing programs
(currently through high level channels such as Sharper Image). In addition, because our product
assumes the use of computer technology, the development of websites will increase our company
profile by promoting our product line in the media most appropriate to our customers.
Willamette Furniture occupies a specific niche within the office furniture market. Therefore, our
competition does not provide comparable products, as they lack the combination of technological
integration and quality in materials and craftsmanship. Our nearest competition includes Ethan Allen,
Acme Computer Furniture, and ABC Manufacturing. These companies distribute their products
through channels such as chain office supply stores or their own retail locations. In contrast, Willamette
targets its potential customers based on their search for our type of product.
2.1 Market Summary
This first paragraph is a simple summary about your market. Assume that this paragraph might be the
only one that somebody reads, so you need it to concisely summarize the rest of this section. What
information would be most important if you had only one brief topic to include about your market?
One effective technique is to skip this topic until you have finished the three others that follow, then
come back here to write the highlights. The Task Manager normally puts you here after the three others
are already done, so you can quickly summarize them.
Be concise. Without going into great detail -- leave it for the subtopics -- you should generally describe
the different groups of target customers included in your market analysis, and refer briefly to why you
are selecting these as targets. You may also want to summarize market growth and cite highlights of
some of your growth projections, if this information is available.
Normally this topic is linked to the Target Market Forecast spreadsheet, which you use to develop a
forecast for your target market segments. Use the spreadsheet to develop specific numbers for total
potential markets and market growth for each of your target segments. Remember, the market analysis
focuses on potential customers, not actual customers. Depending on the scale of your projections, you
may want to round your numbers to thousands so your spreadsheet doesn't have the formatting
problems associated with too many zeros.
Our product is positioned very carefully: this is high-quality office furniture combining workmanship
and ergonomics for the customer who understands quality, is a user of high technology equipment, and
is willing to spend money on the best. Unlike the mainstream products, we do not use laminates or
cheap manufacturing technology.
Our marketing strategy is based mainly on making the right information available to the right target
customer. We can't afford to sell people on our expensive products, because most don't have the budget.
What we really do is make sure that those who have the budget and appreciate the product know that it
exists, and know where to find it.
The marketing has to convey the sense of quality in every picture, every promotion, and every
publication. We can't afford to appear in second-rate catalogs with poor illustrations that make the
product look less than it is. We also need to leverage our presence using high-quality catalogs and
specialty distributors.
Our target market is a person who wants to have very fine furniture with the latest in technology,
combined with an old fashioned sense of fine woods and fine woodworking. This person can be in the
corporate towers, small or medium business, or in a home office. The common bond is the appreciation
of quality, and the lack of price constraints.
2.1.1 Market Demographics
Markets can be described in terms of geographic, demographic, psychographic, and behavioral

attributes. Analyzing your market from this perspective can be a useful way to categorize what you
know about the people you want as clients and can lead to identifying and confirming opportunities the
market presents. You may find that your information is limited, and just capture what you know. This
can also be an area that helps identify areas needing additional research.
Market Geographics - This factor addresses where your customers are physically located. A landscape
architect may serve those people within a specific climate or region. If you are marketing your services
over the Internet, your client's physical location may be irrelevant.
We focus our marketing on three types of target consumers:

Corporate Executives: The Bureau of Labor Statistics (http://stats.bls.gov) reports there are 14.4
million executive, administrative, and managerial employees in the United States, and that number is
growing at 1.6% per year. We estimate the top 1% of that number, 144,000, as our market, and we're
suggesting the number is growing at the same 1.6% annually.
Small Business Owners and Executives: According to the most recent data available from the Small
Business Administration (SBA), there are between 13 and 16 million small businesses (500 employees
or fewer) in the United States. That includes about 5.5 million employers and 11 million self-employed
people. We take the top 1% of 15 million, to make our potential market of 150,000. We estimate growth
at 2.5%, a composite of different sources.
Home Offices: According to a story in Home Office Computing magazine, there are 36 million home
offices in the United States. That means a home office in 27% of the households in the country. The
U.S. census reports that in 1997 there were 16 million households in this country with incomes of more
than $100,000 per year. The 27% of those that have home offices are our potential market. That's 4.4
million households (of 132 million total). Our market is the top 10% of those, 440,000, which we
estimate is growing at 5% per year.
Other: We will also sell to some buyers outside the United States and outside of these targeted market
segments. We estimate 100,000 other potential customers, a number that we estimate will be growing at
5% per year.
2.1.2 Market Needs
This may be the most important topic in your marketing plan. Always emphasize the market need that
you seek to fill. What value are you providing? Your marketing efforts will always benefit from
focusing on the benefits you are providing your customers, rather that the benefits you are realizing. It
isn't how you sell the product; but rather, what customer needs you are satisfying.
Value is realized in tangible and intangible forms. Are you saving your clients time, effort, or money?
Are you enhancing their net worth, their self-confidence, or their potential? Are you enriching their
skills, their sense of security, or their self-esteem? Are you minimizing their real or perceived risks,
fears, or liabilities?
Think in broad terms of the benefits you offer. An automobile, for example, provides not just mobility
and transportation. Some autos offer their customers excitement, security, even status. Is a family mini-
van serving the same need as a 2-seat sports car? A personal computer fills different needs as a
productivity machine in an office than as a game machine at home. A computer consulting business
might really provide security and reassurance to its clients, rather than simply computing know-how.
This topic is a good reminder that all of your marketing activities should be based on meeting the
underlying needs of your clients. For each market segment included in your strategy, explain the
market needs that lead to this group's wanting to buy your product.
If you are managing several important segments, you might use this topic as a summary topic, and then
add sub-topics for examining the needs of each segment.
In any case, explain the target market needs that relate to the product you provide. Did the need exist
before the product was offered? Are there other products that offer different ways to satisfy this same
need? Do you have market research related to this market need? It is always a good idea to try to define
your product offering in terms of target market needs, so you focus not on what you have to sell, but
rather on the buyer needs you satisfy.
Use this topic to explain the needs you serve for each of your main target markets, with the products
you offer.
Willamette gives the discriminating personal computer user, who cares about design, quality furniture,
and quality of working environment, a combination of the highest quality furniture and an integration
of the latest technology, at a relatively high price. Willamette provides this discriminating customer
with more than a piece of furniture. We provide a quality working environment that includes the
integration of technological components that generally exist as part of the executive setting. The quality
of manufacturing, materials, and ergonomics found in our products serves to enhance the appearance of
an executive's office atmosphere, in turn adding to their status and effectiveness as a decision maker,
innovator, and leader.
We understand that our target market needs more than just office furniture. This need grew out of the
special requirements of personal computing, when combined with office furniture -- keyboards at
correct height, monitors at correct height, proper channels for cables, and other amenities. Our target
customer wants to have all of that, plus fine furniture. There is a need for quality wood and
workmanship throughout. We don't just sell office furniture, we sell design, workmanship, fine
materials, and a total-quality office environment
2.1.3 Market Trends
To describe market trends, think strategically. What factors seem to be changing the market, or
changing the business? What developing trends can make a difference? Market trends could involve
changes in demographics, changes in customer needs, a new sense of style or fashion, or other factors
that may influence purchase behavior of your market. Much of this depends on what business you are
in.
For example, a construction business might note the trend toward remodeling older homes instead of
buying new homes, or a trend toward more rooms in larger houses, despite smaller families, because of
home offices, dens, media rooms and exercise rooms. A restaurant business might note a trend toward
Asian foods or spicier foods, or toward fresher, healthier foods, or development of a new restaurant
district in a different part of town. An accounting practice might note demographic trends, as baby
boomers age, leading toward more need for estate planning and retirement planning.
Understanding market trends may enable you to "get ahead" of your market and allow you to know
where it is going before it gets there. Seizing a potential window of opportunity can be critical to
establishing a competitive advantage. Timing is critical to any marketing strategy.
Some quick research regarding trends can be a tremendous help. Your industry's association may be
able to provide information on key trends. Magazine publications that address industry issues are
another potential source. Financial analysts track trends for investment purposes and you may find this
information useful. Some markets, particularly in larger metropolitan areas, have detailed market trend
information that may be available through your local library or university. Remember that the Internet
can be an efficient source of information for inexpensive and accurate market trend research.
Once you have acquired this information, adapt it to what you know about your market. If your market
tends to be an early adopter of these trends, incorporate them into your current strategy. If your market
lags behind the pace setters, you will want to adapt the impact to your business.
Our market has finally grown to recognize the disparity between most of the standard office furniture
sold through channels and our own products.
The development of the high-end office worker, office owners, and the baby-boomer executive is an
important trend for us. We now have people who are using computers and also appreciate the old-
fashioned workmanship of good furniture.
Today's high integration of technology in the work place, especially in the multi-task oriented,
executive environment, sets the stage for growth in the area of high quality, technologically integrated
office environments. Similarly, home offices and small business owners continue to demand more
advanced technologies and their integration into the office atmosphere. A sense of craftsmanship and
quality of materials, such as oak and cherry, is timeless. The synergy of this desire for the classic
cabinet-maker look, and use of technology is inherent in Willamette's offerings.
2.1.4 Market Growth
Use this topic to explain and discuss market growth. Is the market growing, is it static, or is it
shrinking? Documented market growth enhances the implied value and potential of your business.
Ideally you will be able to cite experts, a market research firm, trade association, or credible journalists
describing projected growth. This may be particularly important when your plan is used to
communicate with those outside the marketing department or the organization, such as for investors,
board members, or advisors.
Cite growth rates in terms that fit the available information and your industry. Determine if growth is
best expressed in the number of potential customers, projected dollar sales, projects completed, website
projects, tax reporting hours, yards to landscape, or whatever best fits your business and your audience.
Whenever you can, relate the growth rates cited in expert forecasts to the growth in potential customers
that you have included in the market analysis table. This will calculate total market growth over a five-
year period, using the assumptions in your marketing plan forecast.
If you are projecting the market will experience growth, briefly describe how you are going to leverage
your strengths to take advantage of the market growth? If the market is static or shrinking, your task is
much more challenging. You will need to take away market share from your competitors to experience
growth in your business.
Check for reality. Are your growth rates reasonable based on the characteristics of your market? Are
they believable? Can you defend them? Unreasonable growth rates can create unrealistic expectations
and a marketing plan that is doomed to fail. Grossly understated growth rates may minimize the
potential of your marketing plan and make this process more difficult for you next year.
According to [source omitted], the market for office furniture is growing at XX percent per year, and is
projected to increase. The market for PC-related office furniture is growing even faster, at YY percent
per year, and is projected to top $XX billion by the year 2005.
Most important is the growth in home offices with personal computer equipment. As the cost of the
computer goes down, steadily, the number of home offices goes up. According to [source omitted], this
is about 33 million right now, growing at 15 percent per year. Households spent $XX billion last year to
equip home offices, and 15 percent of that was spent on furniture.
2.2 SWOT Analysis
A valuable step in your situational analysis is to assess your firm's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities
and threats (SWOT). A SWOT analysis is a helpful method to complete this assessment.
The SWOT analysis begins by assisting you in conducting an inventory of your internal strengths and
weaknesses. You will then note the opportunities and threats that are external to the organization, based
on your market and the overall environment. Don't be concerned about elaborating on these topics at
this point. Bullet points may be the best way to begin. Capture the factors you believe are relevant in
each of the four areas. You will want to review what you have noted here as you work through your
marketing plan.
The primary purpose of the SWOT analysis is to identify and categorize each significant factor,
positive and negative, into one of the four categories and allow you to take an objective look at your
business. The SWOT analysis will be a useful tool to develop and confirm your goals and your
marketing strategy.
Some experts suggest that you first consider inventorying the external opportunities and threats before
strengths and weaknesses. Marketing Plan Pro's Task Manager will allow you to complete your SWOT
analysis in whatever order works best for you. In either situation, you will want to review all four areas
as you add to each.
We are on the brink of major opportunity. We have the strength of a combined expertise in high-tech
ergonomics and furniture manufacturing, and the opportunity of a growing market and new channels of
distribution. We have the weakness of a small company without a lot of experience, and the threat of
new competition taking aim at our niche.
2.2.1 Strenghts
Think about the strengths within your business that add value to your product or your marketing
efforts. Strengths describe your positive tangible and intangible attributes.
You may want to evaluate your strengths by area, such as marketing, finance, manufacturing and your
organizational structure. Strengths include the positive attributes of the people involved in the business,
including their knowledge, background, education, credentials, contacts, reputation, or the skills they
bring. Strengths also include tangible assets, such as available capital, equipment, credit, established
customers, existing channels of distribution, copyrighted materials, patents, information and processing
systems, and other valuable resources within the business.
Strengths capture the positive aspects internal to your business that add value or offer you a
competitive advantage. This is your opportunity to remind yourself of the value existing within your
business.
Strategic market segmentation and implementation strategies.

Combination of skills in ownership. As co-owners, Jim and Susan jointly develop business strategy and
long-term plans. Jim is strong on product know-how and technology, and Susan is strong on
management and business know-how.
Diversified market segments: Corporate executives, small business owners, home offices.
Increased capital from successful historical growths in sales.
2.2.2 Weaknesses
Note the weaknesses within your business. Weaknesses are factors that detract from your ability to
have a competitive edge.
Weaknesses might include the lack of expertise, limited resources, lack of access to skills or
technology, inferior product attributes, or the poor location of your business. These are factors that are
under your control, but for a variety of reasons, are in need of improvement to effectively accomplish
your marketing objectives.
Weaknesses capture the negative aspects internal to your business that detract from the value you offer
or place you at a competitive disadvantage. These are areas you need to enhance in order to compete
with your best competitor. The more accurately you identify your weaknesses, the more valuable the
SWOT will be for your assessment.
High-end, high priced product line limits sales volume.

Addition of in-house catalog design and publishing will add an aspect to Willamette's functions that has
not been previously experienced.
Direct marketing through the development of the above catalog creates the need for further research,
data gathering, and analysis.
Establishment on the Internet will produce technological challenges.
2.2.3 Opportunities
What opportunities exist in your market or the environment from which you hope to benefit?
Opportunities assess the attractive factors that represent the reason for your business.
These opportunities reflect the potential you can realize through implementing your marketing
strategies. Opportunities may be the result of market growth, lifestyle changes, resolving problems
associated with current solutions, positive market perceptions about your business, or the ability to
offer greater value that will create a demand for your products. If it is relevant, place time frames
around the opportunities. Does it represent an ongoing opportunity, or is it a window of opportunity?
How critical is your timing?
Opportunities are external to your business. If you have identified "opportunities" that are internal to
the organization and within your control, you will want to classify them as strengths.
New channels of distribution.

Internet marketing and sales.
Specific niche: High-end appreciation for quality materials (cherry and oak), ergonomics, and
technology (and integration therein).
Employee turnover and corporate restructuring is causing an increased employee turnover at the
highest levels. The new generation of corporate executives, small business owners, and home offices
has a far greater appreciation of technology and the needs driven by its implementation, such as office
environment quality and integration
2.2.4 Threats
What factors are potential threats to your business? Threats include factors beyond your control that
could place your marketing strategy, or the business itself, at risk.
A threat is a challenge created by an unfavorable trend or development that may lead to deteriorating
revenues or profits. Competition -- existing or potential -- is always a threat. Other threats may include
intolerable price increases by suppliers, government regulation, economic downturns, devastating
media or press coverage, a shift in consumer behavior that reduces your sales, or the introduction of a
"leap-frog" technology that may make your products, equipment, or services obsolete. What situations
might threaten your marketing efforts? Get your worst fears on the table. A part of this list may be
speculative in nature and still add value to your SWOT analysis.
It may be valuable to classify your threats according to their "seriousness" and "probability of
occurrence."
The better you are at identifying potential threats, the more likely you can position yourself to
proactively plan for and respond to them. You will be looking back at these threats when you consider
your contingency plans.
The upcoming "Critical Issues" section will bring the four areas of the SWOT analysis together.
Growth in the high-end office furniture market invites competition. This competition could emerge
from a variety of given sources including:
Established mass-market companies' development of new lines.
New start up companies generated by healthy economic growth nation-wide.
New marketing strategies for established products and companies.
Existing competition.
2.3 Competition
Describe your major competitors in terms of the factors that most influence revenues. This may include
their size, the market share they command, their comparative product quality, their growth, available
capital and resources, image, marketing strategy, target markets, and any attributes you consider
important. Industry associations, industry publications, media coverage, information from the financial
community, and their own marketing materials and websites may be good resources to identify these
factors and "rate" the performance of each competitor.
Your access to this information will vary. Competitors that are publicly traded may have a significant
amount of information available. Competitive information may be limited in situations where your
competitors are privately held. If possible, you may want to take on the task of playing the role of a
potential customer and gain information from that perspective.
Use this topic for a general comparison of your offering as one of several choices a potential buyer can
make.
Discuss how your product offering compares to the others. For example, your travel agency might offer
better airline ticketing than others, or perhaps it is located next to a major university and caters to
student traffic. Your graphic design business might be mid-range in price, but well known for
proficiency in creative technical skills. Your management consulting business is a one-person home
office business, but enjoys excellent relationships with major personal computer manufacturers who
call on you for work in a vertical market in which you specialize.
In other words, in this topic you should discuss how you are positioned in the market. Why do people
buy your product instead of the other products offered in the same general categories? What benefits do
you offer at what price, to whom, and how does your mix compare to others? Think about specific
kinds of benefits, features, and market groups, comparing where you think you can show the
difference.
This topic is still in the general area of describing the industry, or type of business. Explain the general
nature of competition in this business, and how the customers seem to choose one provider over
another. In the restaurant business, for example, competition might depend on reputation and trends in
one part of the market, and on location and parking in another. In many businesses, the nature of
competition depends on word of mouth, because advertising is not completely accepted. Is there price
competition between accountants, doctors, and lawyers? How do people choose travel agencies or
florists for weddings? Why does someone hire one landscape architect over another? Why choose
Starbucks, a national brand, over the local coffee house? All of this is the nature of competition.
What factors make the most difference for your business? What might make customers choose one of
your type of business over another? Price, or billing rates? Reputation? Image and visibility? Are brand
names important? Or is it simply word of mouth, in which the secret is long-term satisfied customers?
You've referred to competition already, in previous topics, in terms of general factors and the nature of
competition. Use this topic to list your specific competitors, and the strengths and weaknesses of each.
By the way, this is a good place to point out that you can easily add topics into your outline, such as
one topic for each competitor, which will enhance the structure and formatting when the plan prints
out. Of course you can also just list the three or four competitors in this topic. Either way, you should
list the main competitors, and the strengths and the weaknesses of each. Consider their service, pricing,
reputation, management, financial position, brand awareness, business development, technology, or
other factors that you feel are important. In what segments of the market do they operate? What seems
to be their strategy? How much do they impact your service business, and what threats and
opportunities do they represent?
Within our niche we have three significant competitors, Ethan Allen, Acme Computer Furniture, and
ABC Manufacturing. Acme is a bigger company, operating mainly in our same niche, whose marketing
is better than its product quality. ABC is a subsidiary of Haines Furniture, a major furniture
manufacturer, which has recently targeted our niche. Ethan Allen is a furniture manufacturer which
produces some office furniture products and markets to the high level consumer.
In general, however, our competition is not in our niche. We compete against generalized furniture
manufacturers, cheaper computer-related furniture, and the mainstream merchandise in the major
furniture channels and office supply stores. It is not that people choose our competitors instead of our
product, it is that they choose lesser quality, mainstream materials instead of the higher quality
furniture we offer.
2.4 Product Offering

List and describe the product(s) your company offers. For each business offering, cover the main points
including what the product is, how much it costs, what sorts of customers make purchases, and why.
What customer need does each product fill?
It is always a good idea to think in terms of customer needs and customer benefits, as you define your
product offerings, rather than thinking of your side of the equation -- the products you sell -- first. For
example, a flower shop is selling a lot more than flowers, it's the message the flowers transmit, and the
convenience of transmitting those messages. A gasoline station is selling transportation. A grocery store
probably sells service and convenience, and in some cases pricing. A health foods store is selling a
different set of benefits from a convenience store.
As you list and describe your products, you may run into one of the serendipitous benefits of good
planning, which is generating new ideas. Describe your product offerings in terms of customer types
and customer needs, and you'll often discover new needs and new kinds of customers to cover. This is
the way ideas are generated.
The length and detail included here depends a great deal on the purpose of your plan. Normally a
marketing plan is not written for people outside the company, so you don't need to describe the service
as if you were developing sales literature or collaterals. People within the company know what your
products are already.
Still, this is a good place to list the benefits offered and pricing points, particularly where your
marketing plan will be read by people who aren't close to the products you're describing. Use your
judgment, and make sure the plan matches its purpose.
Remember that if you have different lines of products and a lot of detail, you can always create new
topics under this topic, with more detail in each
Willamette offers very high quality office furniture designed to effectively incorporate computer
machinery into the executive office or home office. The key to the line is an ergonomically effective
desk that still looks like an executive desk and looks very good in a high-end office, but is intended to
accommodate the personal computer. Each piece is available in either oak or cherry.
Our main line is the Willamette computer desk in several versions. This is an elegant piece of office
furniture designed to look good in executive office or home office, and at the same time, be ideal for
real use of the computer. The two critical elements of ergonomics -- keyboard height and angle, and
monitor height and angle -- are completely adjustable. Cable runs and shelving add to the utility of the
executive desk, without sacrificing elegance.
We also make complementary pieces to fill out the office suite, including file cabinets, printer stands,
and bookcases.
In addition, we make custom designs to fit exact measurements.
Further supporting our competitive edge is our assembly strategy, which is based on interlocking wood
pieces of such high quality that assembly is not only a pleasure for our customers, it is actually a
feature that enhances the sense of quality.
In 2001 we will introduce the new custom option to our executive desk line based on the laptop
computer, with a docking station to connect to a network. The new furniture has a different
configuration to assume easy access to the docking station, and better use of the space that doesn't have
to be dedicated the the CPU case.
We are also going to accommodate larger monitors, the 17," 19," and 21" sizes that are becoming much
more common, particularly in our high-end market. We will also be watching for technological
developments, allowing us to be the first to provide custom furniture for wall-mounted flat screens,
liquid crystal displays, and similar technologies.
2.5 Keys to Success

The idea of keys to success is based on the need for focus. You can't focus efforts on a few priorities
unless you limit the number of priorities. In practice, lists of more than three or four priorities are
usually less effective. The more the priorities (beyond three or four), the less chance of implementation.
Virtually every marketing plan has different keys to success. These are a few key factors that make the
difference between success and failure. This depends on who you are and what services you offer. In a
manufacturing business, for example, quality control and manufacturing resources might be keys to
success for one strategy, and economy of scale for another. In another example, the keys might include
low cost of assembly, or assembly technology in packaging kits. Frequently the channels of distribution
are critical to manufacturers. You might also depend on the brand or the franchise.
Think about the keys to success for your marketing plan. This is a good topic for a discussion with your
management team. What elements are most important? This discussion will help you focus on priorities
and improve your plan.
The keys to Willamette's success have historically been effective market segmentation and
implementation strategies. Along these lines of proven success, Willamette will implement direct
marketing strategies based on our success in distribution through high-end channels such as the Sharper
Image. Our catalog marketing will turn to in-house production for more specific, extensive product
descriptions.
Uncompromising commitment to the quality of the product: quality wood, quality workmanship,
quality design, quality of end result.
Successful niche marketing: we need to find the quality-conscious customer in the right channels, and
we need to make sure that customer can find us.
Almost-automatic assembly: we can't afford to ship fully-assembled desks, but assembly must be so
easy and automatic that it makes the customer feel better about the quality, not worse.
2.6 Critical Issues
Now we will bring the four areas of the SWOT analysis together to formulate critical issues affecting
the marketing plan. The objective is to leverage the strengths of the business to take advantage of the
available opportunities, offset or improve the stated weaknesses, and minimize the risk of potential
threats. Your marketing plan should address the critical issues to place you in an optimal position to
succeed -- optimizing revenues with the allocated marketing resources.
As you look at using your strengths and consider your weaknesses, it may be helpful for you to
consider placing your business in one of four categories. Is your business ideal, speculative, mature or
troubled?
- Ideal: High in major opportunities and low in major threats has great promise for success.
- Speculative: High in major opportunities and high in major threats describes a risk situation with
potentially large returns.
- Mature: Low in major opportunities and low in threats indicates limited growth potential with
relatively low risk.
- Troubled: Low in both opportunities and high in threats raises serious questions about the potential
and requires immediate reconsideration.
This discussion may also include an assessment of your ability to compete in the market, the fit of the
products you offer based on the needs of the market, your price and promotion policies, or investment
in the research and development activities to enhance your products.
The critical issues emerge from the SWOT analysis and review of the market:
The underlying paradox: How can we sell our high-end customers a packaged kit that requires
assembly. ? Or do we need to find channels to offer delivery of assembled product?
Channels vs. Internet: Can we do both? Is there a channel conflict? Are we going to be able to
manage our channels well enough to make money with them?
2.7 Historical Results

Give a brief summary of the historical results of your past marketing activities. Looking at the overall
trend of these results over the past few years along with the marketing activities that were implemented
can be helpful in the development of future marketing strategies.
What were the strategies employed in the past? What tactics and programs were associated with those
strategies? What impact did they have on revenues? Does there appear to be a correlation? Did they
work? If not, why? How have things changed compared to what existed at that time in the market and
the environment?
The following historical results table is based on research and some simplifying assumptions:
We used the Imarket Inc. website at www.imarketinc.com to find an estimate for wood office desks.
The total market in the U.S. was estimated at $140 million in 1996.
We estimated growth at 2.5% per year, using the average growth of the entire office furniture industry
as reported by the U.S. Census in Cendata (http://tier2.census.gov/cgi-win/asm/ASMDATA.EXE).
We simplified our own financial history somewhat, because this makes the analysis more useful for
decision making. We rounded some numbers and consolidated, so that our numbers are an accurate
reflection.
Looking at the table, we can see that we may soon begin to have measurable market share, as our new
channels allow us to contemplate future growth. Our present market share is a function of dividing our
numbers, since we don't show up in any industry surveys -- yet.
2.8 Macroenvironment
This section describes the broad macroenvironment trends that may affect your ability to generate
revenue. This considers the demographic, economic, technological, political/legal, and social/cultural
changes that impact the potential market worth in the future.
Briefly address factors that may include market acceptance, social perceptions, saturation levels,
consumer trends, economic changes, competitive activity, or technology advancements. What trends in
the larger environment may impact the course of your business? You may want to review your
comments in the "Opportunities" and "Threats" sections of your SWOT analysis for ideas and
validation.
At a large scale, market research demonstrates that the high-end market that we are catering to is
growing and changing to our benefit. Generally, there is a trend toward executive turnover in large
companies today. That is, corporate restructuring, increased small business development, and the
growth of the home office sector is providing for a younger market in the executive, small business
owner, and home office positions. Research indicates that this new generation of executives
implements technology to a much higher degree than past trends have indicated. Therefore, with the
emergence this new generation of executives, the appreciation of quality craftsmanship and materials in
office furniture that provides for an effective office environment, combined with the utilization of
emerging technologies for greater efficiency, dictates that our product line will increase in popularity.
2.9 Channels
How are you going to provide your products to your clients? Are you dealing with them directly or are
you utilizing a channel of distribution? This section discusses how you provide your products to your
clients.
For example, you may deal directly with each client on a face to face basis or through your toll-free
line. You may also reach your clients directly through your website. In some cases, you may use an
intermediary that performs a function of interacting with your clients.
Describe how this process works. Briefly describe the advantages, costs, limitations, or other factors
that may be involved with this process.
Our past marketing strategy assumes that we need to go into specialty channels to address our target
customer's needs. The tie-in with the high-end quality catalogs like Sharper Image is perfect, because
these catalogs cater to our kind of customers. We position our products as the highest quality, highest
price offering in any channel mix.
By including our products in these high-end catalogs, we were able to successfully target the specific
niche that was our marketing milestone. This has provided the foundation for a move to internal catalog
production. With a higher degree of information control internally, these catalogs will target the same
audience, but will include more extensive information in terms of quality, examples, testimonials, and
information tailored to past sales experiences.
3.0 Marketing Strategy

This is a summary chapter, introducing the discussion of strategies to follow. The strategy chapter
normally includes objectives, mission, target market strategies, product positioning, strategy pyramids,
and detailed discussion of the marketing mix.
As a summary paragraph, this topic should introduce the others to follow. You should include the most
important highlights, for sure, because this first topic might be used to summarize the whole chapter.
Remember, strategy is focus. It isn't a complete list of what you want to do, but rather a prioritized list
of your main items of focus. You will go into detail in your positioning, mission statement, and the
other topics included in the chapter. Don't try to include everything here, just the highlights.
Willamette furniture is moving toward internal marketing control by establishing programs such as an
in-house catalog publishing and distribution department, detailed customer service vehicles that will
allow us to track the success of our marketing and sales, and further integration with established quality
catalog vendors, such as Shaper Image.
Our target markets present great opportunities for company growth, as our niche is not at all saturated
at this point. We will dominate the high-end office furniture market by stressing the quality in
workmanship and materials of our product lines, keeping up with and integrating technological
advances in the personal computing environment, and by increasing our market research and customer
service in order to constantly satisfy our markets' needs.
The home office, small business owner, and corporate executive will greatly benefit from our quality
products in terms of , comfort, and appreciation of the office environment. The key to reaching this
market is to make them aware that our products are available. We do not need to convince them of
anything but the assurance of quality in manufacturing and ergonomic design.
3.1 Mission
A brief mission statement will keep your plan focused. Use your mission statement to establish your
fundamental goals for the quality of your business offering, customer satisfaction, employee welfare,
compensation to owners, and so forth. A good mission statement can be a critical element in defining
your business and communicating to employees, vendors, customers, and owners, partners, or
shareholders.
For example, customer service experts frequently point out the need for a mission statement that
explicitly states the importance of customer service, so that employees understand how much the
company values its customers. Quality assurance experts will also turn to a mission statement as a
fundamental plank of quality control. A company needs to state its goals and priorities so the people
charged with carrying them out can know and understand them.
The mission statement is also a good opportunity to specifically define what business you are in. This
can be critical to understanding your keys to success. For example, many experts say railroads suffered
badly in the 1930-1960 period because they thought they were in the business of trains when they were
really in the business of transporting goods and people; as a result, competition from highway
transportation was brutal.
As another option, experts in value-based marketing recommend a mission statement that includes what
they call a "value proposition." The value proposition summarizes what benefits you offer, to whom,
and at what relative price. Using this reasoning, a tire company might be selling the benefit of highway
safety to safety-minded consumers (especially parents) at a price premium. A luxury car might actually
be selling the benefit of prestige to status-conscious consumers at a price premium; or the benefit of
reliability to value-conscious consumers at a price premium.
Willamette helps create pleasant, productive office environments with well-designed furniture that
incorporates new technology into the classic office model, in which real people can work happily. We
are sensitive to the look and feel of good wood and fine furniture, as well as to high-powered personal
computing. We always provide the best possible value to our customers who care about quality office
environments, and we want every dollar spent with us to be well spent.
We also create and nurture a healthy, creative, respectful, and fun office and workshop environment, in
which our employees are fairly compensated and encouraged to respect the customer and the quality of
the product we produce. We seek fair and responsible profit, enough to keep the company financially
healthy for the long term and to fairly compensate owners and investors for their money and risk.
3.2 Marketing Objectives

Use this topic to set specific marketing objectives. Think about sales, market share, market positioning,
image, awareness, and related objectives.
Remember to make your objectives concrete and measurable. Develop your plan to be implemented,
not just read. Objectives that can't be measured can't be tracked and followed up, so they are less likely
to lead to implementation. The capability of plan-vs.-actual analysis is essential.
Sales are easy to track and measure. Market share is harder, because it depends on market research.
There are other marketing goals that are less tangible, harder to measure, such as positioning or image
and awareness. Remember though, as you develop the objectives, that it is much better to include the
measurement system within the objective itself. This is especially true when they aren't obvious.
Financial objectives are very different from marketing objectives. A financial objective might be to
increase 1999 profits by 10%. The associated marketing objective to attain the profit goal might be to
increase market share by 3%.
Our marketing strategy assumes that we need to go into specialty channels to address our target
customer's needs. The tie-in with high-end quality catalogs like Sharper Image is perfect, because these
catalogs cater to our kind of customers. We position as the highest quality, offering status and prestige
levels of purchase.
Our presence on the World Wide Web will increase the availability of our products to the specific
market segments that we wish to target. Because Willamette's product offerings concentrate on the
integration of PC technologies, Web presence is a natural objective in reaching appropriate potential
customers.
Finally, our movement into internal catalog publishing will provide Willamette's marketing managers
with additional control over the content and recipients of our direct marketing. With experience gained
through our inclusion in other high-end catalog merchants, and our managers' publishing experience,
our internal catalogs will undoubtedly prove to generate great sales increases for Willamette Furniture.
3.3 Financial Objectives

Financial objectives are very different from marketing objectives, and generally easier to measure. A
financial objective might be to increase 1999 profits by 10%, or sales by 10%, or contribution margin
by 5%, or gross margin by 10%. Financial objectives might also be holding spending to a specific level,
as a percent of sales.
In all of these cases, the achievement of the objectives is measurable. As you develop the objectives,
keep the measurement and tracking in mind. As always, make sure your objectives are concrete and
measurable.
To grow our sales more than three times over during a five-year period, from $450,000 in 2000 to $1.6
million in 2004.
To significantly decrease our sales and marketing expenses as a percent of sales: from 34.5% this year
to 26% by 2004.
To increase contribution margin from 40% to 48% over five years.
3.4 Target Markets

In this topic you should introduce the strategy behind your market segmentation and your choice of
target markets. Explain why your business is focusing on these specific target market groups. What
makes these groups more interesting than the other groups that you've ruled out? Why are the
characteristics you specify important?
This is more important for some businesses than others. A restaurant, for example, might focus on one
set of upper-income customers instead of another, for strategic reasons. An accounting firm might focus
on certain business types whose needs match the firm's expertise. Some fast food restaurants focus on
families with children under driving age. A graphic design firm might specialize in small or medium
businesses that need Internet websites. Strategy is focus; it is creative, and it doesn't follow pre-written
formulas.
Our segment definition is of itself strategic. We are not intending to satisfy all users of office furniture
intended for use with personal computers, but, rather, only those who are most demanding. We are
definitely out to address the needs of the high-end buyer, who is willing to pay more for quality.
In our particular market, we also seek the buyer who appreciates two attributes: the quality of furniture
workmanship and the excellence of design, with an understanding of technology and ergonomics built
in.
Corporate executives: our market research indicates about 2.5 million potential customers who are
managers in corporations of more than 100 employees. The target customer is going to be at a high
executive level, in most cases, because the purchase price is relatively steep compared to standard
office furniture.
Small business owners: our customer surveys indicate a strong market among the owners of businesses
with fewer than 100 employees. There are 11 million such businesses in this country, most of them with
concentrated ownership that makes the owners potential customers.
Home offices: the home office business has proliferated during the 1990s, and we also have home
offices for people employed outside the home. This is a big market, some 36 million home offices,
growing faster than other markets.
3.5 Positioning
Use this topic for your marketing positioning statements. The positioning statements should include a
strategic focus on the most important target market, that market's most important market need, how
your product meets that need, what is the main competition, and how your product is better than the
competition.
Consider this simple example:
For [target market description] who [target market need], [this product] [how it meets the need]. Unlike
[key competition], it [most important distinguishing feature].
For example, the positioning statement for the original Business Plan Pro, in 1994, was: "For the
businessperson who is starting a new company, launching new products or seeking funding or partners,
Business Plan Pro is software that produces professional business plans quickly and easily. Unlike
[name omitted], Business Plan Pro does a real business plan, with real insights, not just cookie-cutter
fill-in-the-blanks templates."
Our competitive edge is our dominance of high-technology ergonomics and traditional high-quality
furniture workmanship. Although there are many computer furniture manufacturers, and many
computer lovers, few have brought the two crafts together as we have.
We focus on a special kind of customer, the person who wants very high quality office furniture
customized to work beautifully with modern technology including personal computers, scanners,
Internet connections, and other high-tech items. Our customer might be in larger corporations, small or
medium business, or in a home office with or without a home-office business. What is important to the
customer is elegance, fine workmanship, ease of use, ergonomics, and practicality.
The product strategy is also based on quality, in this case the intersection of technical understanding
with very high quality woodworking and professional materials, and workmanship.
An important competitive edge is our assembly strategy, which is based on interlocking wood pieces of
such high quality that assembly is not only a pleasure for our customers, it is actually a feature that
enhances the sense of quality.
3.6 Marketing Mix
This topic is a summary introducing the topics to follow, all of which are part of the marketing mix.
Marketing mix is the combination of your marketing programs, including your product positioning,
pricing, distribution channels, advertising and promotion, service, delivery, and other factors. The toll-
free telephone number, the website, the sales literature, the advertising, and many other marketing
programs are all part of the marketing mix.
The best way to handle this summary topic is to note the highlights of your marketing mix. Don't try to
include all the details, just what is different. Are you a price leader, for example, or maybe positioning
yourself as the high-priced and high-quality provider? Or are you pushing for image and awareness?
Emphasize what makes you different, what isn't obvious, what might surprise somebody.
Product, price, place, promotion, and service are all standard components of the marketing mix.
Our marketing mix depends mainly on the product and product marketing, but we are also leveraging a
lot more in our presence in channels than on our direct national branding. The channels are the key to
our recent growth and our prospects for additional growth.
3.6.1 Product Marketing
Use this topic to provide detail on product marketing, and to relate product marketing to strategy. Your
value proposition, for example, will normally include implications about the value and positioning of
your products. Therefore, you should check whether your detailed product-by-product offering matches
the value proposition.
Most of the material for this topic is already in your plan, particularly in the product positioning
statement. Make sure this topic links with product positioning.
Our product marketing has to emphasize the benefits of our unique combination of technological
expertise, ergonomics, and fine furniture craftsmanship. We need to sell pride of ownership and
workmanship, and prestige. That has to come out in our packaging, finishing, shipping, and collaterals.
Product marketing's most important challenge is the problem of assembly and packaging. We know we
have the best product when we deliver it locally. That isn't necessarily so when we send it in boxes to
be assembled. We have to make sure that the assembly is truly easy.
3.6.2 Promotion
Think of promotion in a broader sense than simply sales promotion. Think of how you spread the word
about your business to your future customers. Think of it in the broader context, including the whole
range of advertising, public relations, events, direct mail, seminars, and sales literature.
Think strategically. What, in general, is your strategy about communicating with people? Do you look
for expensive ads in mass media, or targeted marketing in specialized publications, or even more
targeted, with direct mail? Do you have a way to leverage the news media, or reviewers? Do you
advertise more effectively through public relations events, trade shows, newspaper, or radio? What
about telemarketing, the World Wide Web, or even multilevel marketing?
Are you satisfied with how this is working for you now, or is it a problem area that needs to be
addressed? Are you meeting your needs and in line with your opportunities?
How does your promotion strategy fit with the rest of your strategy? Check for alignment between what
you say here and what you say in your strategy pyramid, and your value proposition. As you described
market trends and target market segments, did you see ways to improve your promotion strategy?
Our promotion strategy is based mainly on making the right information available to the right target
customer. We can't afford to sell people on our expensive products, because most don't have the budget.
What we really do is make sure that those who have the budget and appreciate the product know that it
exists, and know where to find it.
The marketing has to convey the sense of quality in every picture, every promotion, and every
publication. We can't afford to appear in second-rate catalogs with poor illustrations that make the
product look less than it is. We also need to leverage our presence using high-quality catalogs and
specialty distributors.
3.6.3 Service
This topic is intended for product companies that use service as an important part of their marketing
mix. IBM, for example, has traditionally used service as an important part of its marketing mix. So has
Dell Computer, and many competitors. A local store might emphasize its reputation with service.
Restaurants typically focus on service in different degrees.
How important is service to your marketing mix? How does it fit with the rest of the mix?
The service aspect of Willamette's marketing mix is limited in traditional terms. That is, due to our high
degree of quality in manufacturing and assembly, our product lines do not require continued
maintenance or service. However, we do consider our customer service to be key to the retention of
customers. Willamette manufactures many accessories in addition to our main, executive desk lines. As
a result, we offer a fully integrated office environment, including peripherals such as lamps, cabinets,
tables, and chairs. Therefore, a Willamette Furniture customer is not considered to be a one time buyer.
The establishment of a quality office environment can be an on-going process. Willamette will continue
to offer additional pieces to our customers, targeting them based on their previous purchases.
3.6.4 Channels of Distribution

Are you focusing on a specific area of distribution, or means of distribution? Is there some special
advantage that you want to emphasize? Anything unique in your distribution plans, that your
competitors can't imitate?
If it is relevant for your business, then explain your distribution strategy. Remember, strategy is focus,
so think about emphasizing your strengths and protecting your weaknesses.
The four main manufacturers are selling direct to the office superstores and buying discount clubs. This
accounts for the main volume of distribution. The office furniture customer seems to be growing
steadily more comfortable with the retail buy in the chain store.
The major corporate purchases are still made directly with manufacturers. Although this is a major
channel for some of the more traditional manufacturers, it is essentially closed to new competition. The
direct channel is dominated by two manufacturers and two distributors. The distributors will
occasionally take on a new line -- happily, this has helped Willamette -- but the main growth is in retail.
Published research indicates that 51% of the total sales volume in the market goes through the retail
channel, most of that major national chains. Another 23% goes through the direct sales channel,
although in this case direct sales includes sales by distributors who are buying from multiple
manufacturers. Most of the remainder, 18%, is sold directly to buyers by catalogs.
In the mainstream business, channels are critical to volume. The manufacturers with impact in the
national sales are going to win display space in the store, and most buyers seem content to pick their
product off the store floor. Price is critical, because the channels take significant margins. Buyers are
willing to settle for laminated quality and serviceable design.
In direct sales to corporations, price and volume is critical. The corporate buyer wants trouble-free
buying in volume, at a great price. Reliable delivery is as important as reliable quality.
In the high-end specialty market, particularly in our niche, features are very important. Our target
customer is not making selections based on price. The ergonomics, design, accommodation of the
computer features within the high-quality feel of good wood, is much more important than mere price.
We are also seeing that assembly is critical to shipping and packing, but our customer doesn't accept
any assembly problems. We need to make sure that the piece comes together almost like magic, and as
it does, it presents a greater feel of quality than if it hadn't required assembly at all.
3.7 Marketing Research
Explain in this topic what market research you need. Think about what market research you need on a
regular basis. This might include customer surveys, market surveys, market forecast reports, market
share reports, trends, etc.
Are there specific market research projects that need to be conducted for the ongoing development of
the marketing plan? Explain the objectives, scope, and implementation plan for the research.
Due to the market segmentation that Willamette Furniture has established, we will require constant
updates in terms of the potential sizes, distributions, and purchasing patterns of the quality conscious,
technology utilizing executive markets. We will use our historical performance to establish a customer
database containing this information. This will allow Willamette to target customers more efficiently as
a result of actual experience. Furthermore, as our customer service and follow-up are key to
establishing retained customers, the marketing database will allow us to divide the potential buying
patterns of customers into categories based on future needs.
4.0 Financials
This is a summary paragraph for the rest of the chapter. This chapter contains your expense budgets,
sales forecasts, and breakdowns by category. Normally it is mainly tables and charts, with texts to
explain the numbers in them.
As a summary, cite the main points. Sales are expected to grow to what, from what level? Expenses are
to be held at some level, which is only XX% of sales? Many of your readers will just browse these
main paragraphs, some will browse the charts as well, and only a few will go into the tables in detail.
The financial picture is quite encouraging. We have been slow to take on debt, but with our increase in
sales we do expect to apply for a credit line with the bank, to a limit of $150,000. The credit line is
easily supported by assets.
We do expect to be able to take some money out as dividends. The owners don't take overly generous
salaries, so some draw is appropriate.
4.1 Break-Even Analysis

Use this topic to explain the break-even table and chart. Explain your underlying assumptions. Unless
you change the linking, this topic will be followed first by the chart and next by the table.
The classic break-even is a measure of risk, comparing fixed costs to variable costs. It normally takes a
company or a business unit and estimates fixed costs, per-unit (or per dollar of sales) variable costs, and
per-unit revenue. The lower the fixed costs in relation to total sales, the less the risk. The lower the
break-even point, the less the risk.
Our break-even analysis is based on running costs, the "burn-rate" costs we incur to keep the business
running, not on theoretical fixed costs that would be relevant only if we were closing. Between payroll,
rent, utilities, and basic marketing costs, we think $30,000 is a good estimate of fixed costs.
Our assumptions on average unit sales and average per-unit costs depend on averaging. We don't really
need to calculate an exact average, this is close enough to help us understand what a real break-even
point might be.
The essential insight here is that our sales level seems to be running comfortably above break-even.
4.2 Sales Forecast

This is a text topic intended to explain the highlights of the sales forecast table and chart that normally
follows it.
What level of sales are you projecting? How fast will sales grow? What are the most important
components of sales performance? Why?
Use the text to summarize and highlight the sales forecast in the detailed sales forecast table. Your
annual sales forecast prints automatically after this text, and the monthlies are in the appendix.
Explain your sales forecast. Emphasize important points and explain assumptions. What growth rates
are you expecting for the more important lines, and what growth rates in units, and in dollars? Why are
you projecting your sales at this level? Why not less or more? What are the main driving forces behind
the sales forecast? How does it relate to your market analysis, your main target segments, your sales
strategy and marketing strategy? Is your sales forecast believable? Why?
What risks are involved. What events might turn the sales forecast downward? What kind of things are
you assuming will happen to make sure the sales happen?
Our sales forecast assumes no change in costs or prices, which is a reasonable assumption for the last
few years.
We are expecting to increase sales grow from $350 thousand last year to $450 thousand this year. The
growth forecast is in line with our last year, and is relatively high for our industry because we are
developing new channels. In 2001 and 2002 we expect growth closer to 60% per year, to a projected
total of more than $1 million in 2002.
For 2000 we plan to internally develop a company catalog, which will include some other products for
the same target customers. The focus will be an executive level office catalog, with furniture, lamps,
and other accessories.
Our Oregon location is a distinct advantage for local wood. We can buy higher quality oak and cherry
than either of our competitors (one in California, one in New York). Since our sales increased over the
last two years, we have been able to buy at better prices, because of higher volumes.
We work with three wood suppliers, all local. Bambridge supplies most of our oak, and a bit of cherry
and some other specialty woods. Bambridge has been in business for as long as we have, and has given
us good service and good prices. This is a good, stable supplier. Duffin Wood Products is a good second
source, particularly for cherry and specialty woods. We've used Merlin supplies as well, frequently, for
filling in when either of our main two suppliers were short.
We also work with a number of specialty manufacturers for furniture fittings, drawer accessories, glass,
shelving accessories, and related purchases.
Although we aren't a major player compared to the largest furniture manufacturers, we are one of the
biggest buyers of the custom materials we need. Most of our suppliers are selling through channels to
hobbyists and carpenters, so they treat us as a major account.
We depend on our dominance of the latest in technology of ergonomics, combined with classic design
elements of fine furniture. We must remain on top of new technologies in display, input and output, and
communications. For example, our latest models are already assuming the desktop digital scanner as a
frequent accessory, and audio for use in creating presentations, email attachments, etc.
Our assembly patents are an important competitive edge. No competitor can match the way we turn a
drawback -- having to assemble the product -- into a feature. Our customer surveys confirm that
customers take the interlocking assembly system as an enhancement to the sense of quality.
In 2000 we will introduce the new line based on the executive laptop computer, with docking station to
connect to a network. The new variation on the executive desk line has a different configuration to
assume easy access to the docking station, and better use of the space that doesn't have to be dedicated
the the CPU case.
4.2.1 Sales by Manager

Your breakdown categories are optional categories, normally sales by manager, region, market,
channel, product, strategy, etc. You set the categories in the Plan Wizard and you can revise them at any
time.
Use this topic to explain your sales breakdown. What information does this provide? How does it help
you with management? Are you going to be following this sales breakdown, and tracking plan-vs.-
actual results?
Try to relate the sales breakdown to strategy. What does this division into categories tell you about
strategies?
Willamette's sales in terms of our management structure are represented in the following table. Jack
and Cassidy are our strongest generators of sales because of their established relationships with past
customers and channels. We will bring on two new managers due to our progress on the Internet and
through internal catalog publishing. Although the first year sales projections for Sampson and Bertha
are not extremely high, their positions and customer interactions will increase exponentially with the
completion of our websites and internal catalogs. Willamette has decided to bring them on early
because Peggy will be taking a leave of absence during the summer months of 2000. The overlap will
also allow Sampson and Bertha to become quite familiar with our product offerings before their
respective departments are online.
4.2.2 Sales by Segment
This topic is really a placeholder, a reminder for you that you have chosen to divide your sales forecast
into categories. You have three sets of table and chart illustrating different sales breakdowns, such as by
manager, by strategy, by market, by channel, or whatever factors you choose. This topic is for the
second of those three breakdowns.
Therefore, use this text topic to explain your tables breaking your sales into the second of the three
categories you specified in the Plan Wizard.
This topic is supposed to be strategic. Consider your sales breakdowns and expense breakdowns. Are
you spending your money where you are receiving your sales? How well does your spending match
your strategy? Does your spending match your priorities? Do your priorities match your sales patterns?
Willamette's sales by program forecasts are a direct result of past performance stemming from outside
catalog marketing and market research. Our expanding markets are, by default, heavy users of the
World Wide Web. With our technological integration that is key to Willamette's product offerings, it can
be assumed that our target customers will find our products via the Internet (with a relatively
aggressive Internet marketing scheme).
4.2.3 Sales by Program

manager, by strategy, by market, by channel, or whatever factors you choose. This topic is for the third
of those three breakdowns.
Therefore, use this text topic to explain your tables, breaking your sales into the third of the three
Our sales by segment show how strategically we have targeted our market segments in the past and
project to continue to do so successfully. With historical experience in targeting these market segments,
Willamette will only increase in its market share due to expansions in marketing programs tailored to
our past success.
4.3 Expense Forecast
What is your total expense budget? How fast are you proposing to increase (or decrease) your sales and
marketing expenditures? Why? How are the larger portions of the marketing expenses being spent, and
why are you choosing to spend your resources in this way?
How does your budget for sales and marketing expenses compare to your projected sales? What percent
of sales are you planning to spend on expenses? Why are you planning to spend that percent of sales? Is
that level appropriate for your industry? For your marketing strategy? Which elements of the plan have
the highest levels of spending compared to sales, and which have the lowest? Why?
Our expenses occur as the result of both historically successful marketing endeavors and projected
marketing programs designed to take advantage of expanding markets and improved product lines. We
will be moving into the realm of Internet marketing and sales in the year 2000. The initial costs are
high relative to the maintenance costs involved after the websites' creation. Similarly, the development
of an in-house catalog design and publishing department will incur higher start-up expenses than
maintenance costs after the initial publication. We have chosen these two new marketing programs as
areas where expenses can initially build up because research indicates that they will cause our market
share to increase exponentially over time.
4.2.1 Expenses by Manager
This topic is really a placeholder, a reminder for you that you have chosen to divide your marketing
expenses into categories. You have up to three sets of table and chart illustrating different expense
breakdowns, such as by manager, by strategy, by market, by channel, or whatever factors you choose.
This topic is for the first of those three breakdowns.
Therefore, use this text topic to explain your tables breaking your expenses into the first of the three
Willamette Furniture's expenses in terms of manager are directly proportionate to the managed
program's potential. As our market share increases and capital is generated, we will support further
marketing programs and the expansion of current programs, thus increasing our management budgets
for these specific departments and projects.
Expenses by Segment
This topic is really a placeholder, a reminder for you that you have chosen to divide your marketing
expenses into categories. You have up to three sets of table and chart illustrating different expense
breakdowns, such as by manager, by strategy, by market, by channel, or whatever factors you choose.
This topic is for the second of those three breakdowns.
Therefore, use this text topic to explain your tables breaking your expenses into the second of the three
Willamette Furniture's expenses in terms of marketing programs are directly proportionate to the
proposed and historical success of these programs. As our market share increases and capital is
generated, we will support further marketing programs and the expansion of current programs.
4.3.3 Expenses by Program

manager, by strategy, by market, by channel, or whatever factors you choose. This topic is for the third
of those three breakdowns.
Therefore, use this text topic to explain your tables breaking your sales into the third of the three
Willamette Furniture's expenses in terms of market segment are directly proportionate to the segment's
potential. As our market share increases and capital is generated, we will support further marketing
programs and the expansion of current programs.
Linking Expenses to Strategy and Tactics
This topic is especially strategic. Consider your sales breakdowns and expense breakdowns. Are you
spending your money where you are receiving your sales? How well does your spending match your
strategy? Does your spending match your priorities? Do your priorities match your sales patterns?
The point of the breakdowns and categories is to explore strategic alignment. Far too often, your
strategy emphasizes one factor or another but the spending or sales are elsewhere. You should be able
to take the breakdowns and check whether your spending is aligned with sales. As you divide sales and
expenses into different strategic categories, look for problem areas in which you are either spending far
more or less, in percentage terms, than you are selling, in percentage terms.
Disparity isn't always bad. It can be strategic. For example, you may want an area that delivers five
percent of your sales to get 20 percent of your spending, because you are trying to build that area for
strategic reasons. You may also want to spend less in a key sales area simply because other factors
make it possible to spend less in that area and use resources more effectively. In any case, this is your
chance to consider the problem of strategic alignment, and either bring your spending into alignment
with sales or explain why it isn't.
Willamette's growth in sales revenue will happen as a result of the implementation of new marketing
programs in accordance with market growth. The expenses generated by these new marketing strategies
will be greater in the initial design and implementation stages than in later maintenance stages. For
example, it is proven that an Internet presence will increase our sales anywhere from 3-10%. Therefore,
it is worth an initial expenditure of $30,000 for design and staffing in order to maintain the websites.
Website expenses increase as website importance increases. We will use our increased capital to make
wise infrastructure purchases such as internal catalog publishing capabilities and additional design and
manufacturing tools.
Contribution Margins
Use this text topic to explain the table that is normally linked to it. Note the important points of your
sales and expense projections, such as percentage increase in sales and profits, your gross margins, and
key budget items. Your annual projections of contribution margin will normally print right after this
topic, so what you are writing here is an explanation of those numbers. How realistic are your sales and
expense projections? How good do your numbers look?
If you can, add some interest to the table. For example, you might note that you are spending less on
sales and marketing expenses than the industry average (just a hypothetical example), and maybe that is
because you are getting such great reviews in the consumer magazines, or for some other reason. At the
very least, point out your main numbers and growth rates.
Willamette's sales will increase as a result of market growth, market share increase, and Internet
presence. Our gross margin will remain steady at approximately 75%. The contribution margin will
steadily increase as a result of the initial expenses involved with starting marketing programs such as
internal catalog publication and website development. These second year expense decreases will offset
the increases in retained customer expenses, custom product line development, and outside catalog
expansion.
5.0 Controls
As your strategy is implemented, you will need to track your results and monitor new development in
the internal and external environments.
Is your plan on track with your revenue generation objectives? It is important to monitor your progress
based on comparing your performance to the goals and budget expectations for each month or quarter.
This variance will provide feedback on the impact of your programs. Are the programs accomplishing
your goals? Programs that are not working need to be changed. Programs that meet or exceed
expectations should be replicated. This is where the value of a dynamic marketing plan benefits you
most.
The executive furniture market is steadily increasing at an average calculated annual growth rate of
7.75 percent. With this in mind, our marketing programs will expand accordingly. The addition of an
internally created catalog will allow Willamette to market to this expanding number of potential
customers. Sales will increase accordingly, providing working capital for internal product development,
marketing department growth, and Internet development. A presence on the Internet will be a key
milestone to expanding sales and marketing potentials through the utilization of new channels.
5.1 Implementation
The milestones, which will normally print in a table following this topic, are critical. Established
milestones make a marketing plan a real plan with specific and measurable activities, instead of just a
document. This topic is normally the text that goes with the table, so use it to explain the table in as
much detail as you can. This is the heart of your marketing plan; make it as concrete and specific as
you can, in this text as well as the accompanying table and the Gantt chart that Marketing Plan Pro
builds with the table.
Include as many specific programs as possible. Give each program a name, a person responsible, a
milestone date, and a budget. Marketing Plan Pro will automatically set up similar areas for evaluating
the actual results and the difference between plan and actual results, for each program. You have a
place to track spending and milestone dates, and you can also create a table based on categories that are
meaningful to you, such as by the person responsible, milestone date, budget, and department. Good
work on your implementation milestones can also be a valuable tool to keep the person that is
responsible also accountable.
Give your marketing plan as many milestones as you can think of to make it more concrete. Then make
sure that all your people know that you will be following the plan, and tracking results. Details are
good. Add your implementation milestones to your "marketing calendar."
Your software will print the plan portion of the table as part of the printed plan. The actual results and
plan-vs.-actual comparisons don't print automatically. We assume you'll follow up with them, use them
to manage the plan, and print them as required from the table directly.
This tracking mode compares your planned expense budget and sales forecast to your actual results,
using the built-in spreadsheet. You don't enter data in this mode, because the software automatically
calculates the difference between planned and actual results. You can sort the tables and change the
views to focus on the most important elements. Explore the critical difference between the plan that
was originally developed, and the results achieved
Willamette Furniture will begin the year 2000 by continuing to strengthen our alliances with
established partners in distribution. We will prepare our catalog placements internally, submitting them
by the middle of January 2000. Simultaneously, the internal catalog plan will be polished and submitted
by the end of January 2000. This will be possible with the expertise of Rebecca King and James Black,
who have brought their industry knowledge to the marketing department of Willamette Furniture. With
the completion of this plan, design stages will occur from February 2000 through to the middle of
March 2000. This time frame is accurate because we have experience in the design stage, as we have
historically submitted our own designs to outside catalog vendors. As in past years, Spring and Fall
Trade Shows will occur at their normal times. These shows will provide test cases for our internal
catalog design. , our last milestone category to be implemented will be the expansion of our product
distribution through the addition of three new distributors to our current line-up. These distributors will
increase our customer base nationwide.
5.2 Marketing Organization

This is a text section describing your sales and marketing organization. It describes roles and the
relationship of those people and their responsibilities. You can also use the graphic import facility to
import a picture of your organization chart, and link it to the text. For that, use the Text Manager tab
and specify the file you want to import.
How is your sales and marketing management structured and organized? How will this marketing plan
affect your organization? How will your organization be able to implement this plan? What are the key
management responsibilities? Are they properly distributed? How are you going to be sure they are
properly executed? Are there implications from the critical issues or keys to success that impact the
marketing organization?
Addressing these questions will allow you to make certain your marketing organization aligns with
your marketing plan. Compare this information to marketing management and skill strengths you may
have identified in your SWOT.
Susan Graham, President, is responsible for overall business management. Our managers of finance,
marketing, and sales report directly to Susan. Susan had a successful career in retail before becoming
half owner of Willamette. She was an area manager of Ross Stores, a buyer for Macy's, and
merchandising assistant for Sears and Roebuck. She has a degree in Literature from the University of
Notre Dame.
Jim Graham, designer, is responsible for product design and development, assembly, and
manufacturing. Our workshop manager reports directly to him. Jim designed furniture for Haines
Manufacturing before becoming half owner of Willamette. He was responsible for one of the first
executive desks designed to include customized fittings for personal computers, and was one of the first
to design the monitor inside the desk under glass. He has an B.S. and M.S. in industrial design, from
Stanford University and the University of Oregon, respectively.
As co-owners, Jim and Susan jointly develop business strategy and long-term plans. Jim is strong on
product know-how and technology, and Susan is strong on management and business know-how.
Terry Hatcher, 34, is marketing manager. Terry joined Willamette from the marketing department of the
Thomasville Furniture chain, having been in charge of national catalog production and catalog
advertising. Terry also managed direct sales at one of the furniture distributors that has since died to
industry consolidation. Terry has a B.A. degree in literature from the University of Washington.
Our sales and marketing managers are in the process of revolutionizing the way in which Willamette
Furniture reaches its customers. Both of these departments have been integrated with our Information
Technology area in order to sell and market Willamette's product through our own, internal website. In
addition, we have started the publication of our own catalog. Due to the success in marketing with
high-end retailers and catalog merchants, such as Sharper Image, we have decided to implement this
new, internal strategy for future growth and increased market share. If the executive level employees
nationwide are aware of our product offerings, Willamette furniture will soon become a part of every
quality office environment.
5.3 Contingency Planning

What will you do if things don't work out? Do you have a contingency plan? Explain what happens if
things go wrong. What factors are most likely to cause trouble? What trouble could they cause? How
are you going to react?
Try to predict the problems that might come up. Think of internal problems first, like losing a key
person, funding falls through, some portion of the plan falls apart. Then think about external problems,
such as the entry of a new competitor, changes in technology, price wars, or difficulty getting product.
Contingency planning encourages you to think about the challenges ahead and consider alternatives.
The objective is to avoid or minimize the negative impact on your marketing plan, and keep you ahead
of these changes.
Review the threats you identified in your SWOT analysis. What would you do if one or more of those
threats became a reality? You may want to imagine a "worst case" scenario, then describe what
strategic options your might pursue in that case. Speculate by assigning a percent probability that this
might happen with each situation.
Willamette Furniture is unique in its discovery and utilization of the high quality, executive level
computer integrated office furniture niche. Therefore, it is possible that with our success and superior
design, other, well-established furniture manufacturers may release a competitive product line.
However, Willamette focuses specifically on the high-end, technologically integrated aspect of office
furniture. With this exclusive concentration, Willamette can continue to focus its resources on
producing the best executive level office furniture available. Another possible challenge would be the
emergence of a new company in our niche. This however, would not be quite as threatening, as their
initial market share would be minuscule, allowing for us to strategize further for continued success.
Finally, an established furniture company my choose to begin marketing to our target market. This
would not be overly threatening because our products are inherently the best available due to the true
craftsmanship involved in their design and manufacture.

Marketing Plan Willamette

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Marketing Plan Willamette

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Willamette Marketing Plan Example

1.0 Executive Summary

2.0 Situation Analysis

2.1 Market Summary

2.1.1 Market Demographics

Markets can be described in terms of geographic, demographic, psychographic, and behavioral

We focus our marketing on three types of target consumers:

2.1.2 Market Needs

2.1.3 Market Trends

2.2 SWOT Analysis

Strategic market segmentation and implementation strategies.

High-end, high priced product line limits sales volume.

New channels of distribution.

2.4 Product Offering

2.5 Keys to Success

2.6 Critical Issues

2.7 Historical Results

3.0 Marketing Strategy

3.2 Marketing Objectives

3.3 Financial Objectives

3.4 Target Markets

Consider this simple example:

3.6.4 Channels of Distribution

3.7 Marketing Research

4.1 Break-Even Analysis

4.2 Sales Forecast

4.2.1 Sales by Manager

4.2.2 Sales by Segment

4.2.3 Sales by Program

4.3 Expense Forecast

4.3.3 Expenses by Program

5.2 Marketing Organization

5.3 Contingency Planning

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