Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Create winning marketing plans like the pros!

Whether you're starting a new business or launching a new product line within a company, you won't be able to succeed without a clear plan that defines your goals and how you will achieve them.

Now, best-selling author William Cohen equips you with the knowledge, tools, and techniques you'll need to develop marketing plans like the pros. The Marketing Plan, 5th Edition presents step-by-step procedures--from scanning your environment and establishing goals and objectives, to developing marketing strategies and tactics, to presenting and implementing your plan, and everything in between. When you complete the book, you will not only know what to do, but also how and why.

With this practical guide, you get:
* Step-by-step instructions: This easy-to-follow, logical approach keeps you clearly focused on what you need to do to develop a successful marketing plan.
* Time-saving forms: These worksheets, including 20 new to this edition, help you with different marketing planning tasks, such as profiling target markets and establishing an advertising and publicity budget.
* Actual marketing plans from readers who have used the book: This new Fifth Edition features three new sample marketing plans. These plans show how readers have adapted the basic ideas in this book and translated them into successful marketing plans.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Prologue (p. xiii)
• The Power and Mystique of the Marketing Plan (p. xiii)
• The Marketing Plan Is Essential for Every Business Operation (p. xiv)
• What a Marketing Plan Will Do for You (p. xiv)
• The Marketing Plan Acts as a Road Map (p. xiv)
• The Marketing Plan Assists in Management Control and Implementation of Strategy (p. xiv)
• The Marketing Plan Informs New Participants of Their Roles and Functions (p. xv)
• The Marketing Plan Plots the Acquisition of Resources for Implementation (p. xv)
• The Marketing Plan Stimulates Thinking and Makes Better Use of Resources (p. xv)
• The Marketing Plan Assigns Responsibilities, Tasks, and Timing (p. xvi)
• The Marketing Plan Predicts Problems, Opportunities, and Threats (p. xvi)
• Getting in a Competitive Position Before You Start (p. xvi)
• Types of Marketing Plans (p. xvii)
• The New Product Plan (p. xvii)
• Annual Marketing Plans (p. xvii)
• Summary (p. xvii)
• Chapter 1 Step 1: Planning The Development of a Marketing Plan (p. 1)
• The Structure of the Marketing Plan (p. 1)
• The Executive Summary (p. 3)
• The Table of Contents (p. 3)
• Introduction (p. 4)
• Situational Analysis (p. 4)
• The Target Market (p. 5)
• Problems and Opportunities (p. 6)
• Marketing Goals and Objectives (p. 6)
• Marketing Strategy (p. 6)
• Marketing Tactics (p. 7)
• Implementation and Control (p. 7)
• The Summary (p. 7)
• Keeping Your Material Organized (p. 7)
• Summary (p. 8)
• Chapter 2 Step 2: Scanning Your Enviroment (p. 10)
• The Introduction (p. 10)
• The Situational Analysis (p. 11)
• Target Market (p. 16)
• Media Habits (p. 20)
• Organizational Buyers (p. 20)
• Competition (p. 21)
• Resources of the Firm (p. 21)
• Technological Environment (p. 21)
• Economic Environment (p. 22)
• Political Environment (p. 22)
• Legal and Regulatory Environment (p. 22)
• Social and Cultural Environment (p. 22)
• Other Important Environmental Aspects (p. 22)
• Problems and Opportunities (p. 22)
• Sources of Information for Completing the Environmental Questions Form (p. 23)
• Primary Research (p. 24)
• Summary (p. 24)
• Chapter 3 Step 3: Establishing Goals and Objectives (p. 26)
• Establishing Objectives (p. 26)
• Goals (p. 28)
• The Concept of Competitive or Differential Advantage (p. 29)
• Summary (p. 32)
• Chapter 4 Step 4: Developing Marketing Strategy (p. 33)
• The Strategy Pyramid (p. 33)
• Strategic Marketing Management (p. 34)
• The Four-Cell Portfolio Matrix for Decision Making in SMM (p. 35)
• Product Life-Cycle Analysis (p. 38)
• The Introductory Stage (p. 39)
• Growth (p. 40)
• Maturity (p. 40)
• Decline (p. 41)
• Locating the Product in its Product Life Cycle (p. 41)
• Developing Strategies for the Products in Each Stage of the Product Life Cycle (p. 44)
• Alternative Strategies for the Marketing Plan (p. 46)
• New Market Penetration (p. 46)
• Market Share Expansion (p. 49)
• Entrenchment (p. 50)
• Withdrawal (p. 51)
• Summary (p. 51)
• Chapter 5 Step 5: Developing Marketing Tactics (p. 54)
• Manipulating the Controllable Variables (p. 54)
• Product (p. 54)
• Price (p. 55)
• Place (p. 57)
• Promotion (p. 58)
• Primary Internet Marketing Tactics (p. 60)
• World Wide Web (p. 61)
• Establishing a Web Site (p. 61)
• Marketing at the Web Site (p. 61)
• Cybermalls (p. 61)
• How to Market on the World Wide Web (p. 62)
• Using Banners (p. 62)
• Cyberlinks (p. 63)
• Give Information Away (p. 63)
• Usenet Marketing (p. 63)
• E-mail Marketing (p. 63)
• Using E-mail for Publicity (p. 64)
• Manipulating Marketplace Environs (p. 64)
• Tactical Questions for the Marketing Plan (p. 65)
• Summary (p. 65)
• Chapter 6 Step 6: Forecasting for Your Marketing Plan (p. 72)
• The Difference Between Market Potential, Sales Potential, and Sales Forecast (p. 73)
• Finding Market Potential (p. 73)
• The Index Method of Calculating Market Potential (p. 74)
• Bottom-Up and Top-Down Sales Forecasting (p. 75)
• Executive Judgment (p. 75)
• Sales-Force Composite (p. 75)
• Trend Projections (p. 75)
• Industry Survey (p. 76)
• Regression Analyses (p. 76)
• Intention-to-Buy Survey (p. 77)
• Exponential Smoothing (p. 77)
• Leading Indicators (p. 77)
• Which Method to Use (p. 77)
• You Need More Information for Your Forecast (p. 78)
• The Project Development Schedule (p. 78)
• The Break-Even Analysis (p. 78)
• The Balance Sheet, Projected Profit and Loss Statement, and Cash-Flow Projections (p. 82)
• Summary (p. 85)
• Chapter 7 Step 7: Calculating Important Financial Ratios for Your Marketing Plan (p. 86)
• Measures of Liquidity (p. 86)
• The Current Ratio (p. 86)
• The Acid Test, or "Quick," Ratio (p. 87)
• Average Collection Period (p. 88)
• Inventory Turnover (p. 88)
• Profitability Measures (p. 90)
• Asset Earning Power (p. 90)
• Return on Owner's Equity (p. 90)
• Net Profit on Sales (p. 90)
• Investment Turnover (p. 91)
• Return on Investment (ROI) (p. 91)
• Sources of Ratio Analyses from All Industries (p. 91)
• Summary (p. 95)
• Chapter 8 Step 8: Presenting the Marketing Plan (p. 96)
• The Marketing Plan as a Product (p. 96)
• The Formal Presentation (p. 97)
• Preparing for Your Presentation (p. 98)
• Planning for Visual Aids (p. 99)
• The Practice Sequence (p. 101)
• The Importance of Controlling Your Time (p. 102)
• Questions and Answers and How to Prepare for Them (p. 103)
• Use of the Mental Visualization Technique (p. 104)
• The Keys to Success for Marketing Plan Presentations (p. 104)
• Summary (p. 106)
• Chapter 9 Step 9: Implementation (p. 107)
• Appendix A Sample Marketing Plans (p. 109)
• A1 Promoting Healthy Families (p. 111)
• A2 Legal Beagle Specialty Coffee Shop (p. 139)
• A3 OpenAxis (p. 179)
• A4 MCM Powersports (p. 194)
• A5 Birralee Primary School (Australia) (p. 223)
• A6 Oakstream Homes (p. 258)
• A7 Penbridge Corporation (Indonesia)
• A8 Naan Irrigation Systems (Brazil)
• Appendix B Sources of Secondary Research (p. 269)
• Appendix C Examples of Simple Research and A Marketing Research Checklist (p. 288)
• Appendix D How to Lead a Team (p. 290)
• Appendix E The Concept and Application of Marketing Strategy (p. 298)
• Appendix F Useful Worksheets for Marketing Planning (p. 303)
• Worksheet 1 Potential Expenditure Summary (p. 304)
• Worksheet 2 Inventory to Be Purchased (p. 305)
• Worksheet 3 Employee Compensation Forecast (p. 306)
• Worksheet 4 Tax Obligations Forecast (p. 307)
• Worksheet 5 Determining Source of Funding to Use (p. 308)
• Worksheet 6 Checklist for Business Insurance (p. 311)
• Worksheet 7 Designing a Marketing Research Questionnaire (p. 316)
• Worksheet 8 Appraising a Primary Research Study (p. 319)
• Worksheet 9 Important Questions to Ask Before Developing a New Product (p. 320)
• Worksheet 10 Screening Questions (p. 322)
• Worksheet 11 Quick Go/No-Go Checklist (p. 324)
• Worksheet 12 Selecting Products or Services From Many Opportunities (p. 325)
• Worksheet 13 Things to Consider If New Product/Service Introduction Is Failing (p. 326)
• Worksheet 14 Establishing Costs, Sales Volume, and Profits (p. 327)
• Worksheet 15 Developing Profiles of Target Markets (p. 331)
• Worksheet 16 Developing an Advertising and Publicity Budget (p. 333)
• Worksheet 17 Sales Interview Objective Assessments (p. 334)
• Worksheet 18 Determining Objectives and Resources for Trade Shows (p. 335)
• Worksheet 19 Deciding on Which Trade Shows to Attend (p. 336)
• Worksheet 20 Determining Size of Booth Requirements at a Trade Show (p. 337)
• Worksheet 21 Checklist for Developing a Web Site (p. 338)
• Worksheet 22 Checklist for Getting a Web Site Listed in a Top Position with Search Engines (p. 339)
• Worksheet 23 Checklist for Promoting a Web Site (p. 340)
• Worksheet 24 Checklist for Obtaining a Patent (p. 341)
• Worksheet 25 Checklist for Obtaining a Copyright (p. 342)
• Worksheet 26 Checklist for Obtaining a Trademark (p. 343)
• Worksheet 27 Forecasting Labor Requirements (p. 344)
• Appendix G Useful Web Sites That Can Help You Develop A Marketing Plan (p. 345)
• Index (p. 347)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

A seasoned author of many books and a professor of marketing, Cohen shares his many years of helping students and practitioners develop thousands of marketing plans. The aim of this book is to present readers with the knowledge needed to develop truly outstanding professional marketing plans. The author explains marketing planning and provides step-by-step procedures to develop a professional marketing plan. Steps of the marketing plan consist of (1) outlining a marketing plan; (2) scanning the environment; (3) establishing goals and objectives; (4) developing marketing strategies; (5) developing marketing tactics; (6) forecasting; (7) calculating important financial ratios; (8) presenting the plan; and (9) implementing it. Several helpful forms are provided. Seven actual marketing plans written by former students constitute 175 pages of the book. Appendixes cover sources of secondary research, examples of simple marketing research, and a marketing research checklist. Must reading for undergraduate and graduate students wishing to develop a marketing plan, especially those consulting with small businesses. Also very helpful for new and existing small business owners. W. H. Brannen; Creighton University

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Dr. William A. Cohen is Professor of Business Administration, Touro University International, and past Chairman of the Marketing Department and Director of the Small Business Institute at California State University, Los Angeles. He has also taught at the University of Southern California and the Peter Drucker School of Management at Claremont Graduate University and was President of California American University. Professor Cohen has a B.S. from the United States Military Academy at West Point, an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in management from Claremont Graduate University. He is also a distinguished graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, National Defense University, and a retired major general in the U.S. Air Force Reserve.