Dr.

Jordan LeBel & Harold Simpkins

Module 2
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product
By the end of this module, you will
Understand what marketing planning is, and its importance to the success of organizations
and individuals
Appreciate how marketing planning can apply to your career
Know the key steps in creating your personal marketing plan
Appreciate the importance of knowing your product--namely yourself--as you begin the
process of putting together your personal marketing plan

spotlight: you as an you as a you as an you as a now On the Check it out mind map
Mike Owen entrepreneur professional artist job seeker what? bookshelf

2012 KnowledgeOne Inc. lebel/simpkins. All rights reserved.

 Module 2
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product

Mind Map by Britta Heintzen

Module 2
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product 2

Success favours the preparedjust
ask Mike Owen. Mike graduated in
2002 from Concordia Universitys
John Molson School of Business
in Montral. Although Mike
realized long ago that he had an
entrepreneurial inclination, it was
by accident that he got into the
real estate business. After a chance
meeting with a real estate company
recruiter at a job fair, Mike decided
to broaden his job search horizons.
He researched the real estate
field, and started to understand
its dynamics and identify its key
players. Based on his analysis, Mike
Spotlight ON determined that residential real
estate was undergoing difficult
times, and that new sell-it-yourself
online agents were appearing on the
competitive landscape. On the other
Mike Owen hand, the commercial real estate
sector was ripe with promise and
Industrial Real Estate Broker
untapped potential for whomever
knew how to play the field.
So Mike set out to prepare as best
he could, and focused his efforts on
landing a job with a specific firm.
In fact, Mike did considerably more
than that: he actually put together
an entire marketing plan for himself.
With no experience but lots of
ambition, he realized he needed to
put his thoughts and goals on paper.
This first step helped him crystallize
his ideas and identify the key actions
he needed to carry out to reach his
goals.
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product
Mikes plan did not sit on the shelf
collecting dust: he made good use of
it, referring to it regularly to evaluate
his progress and make adjustments
as changes in the environment or
opportunities and threats arose.
As with Mike, even someone with
strong initiative and enduring
motivation can benefit from having a
personal marketing plan. Otherwise
good ideas can vanish into thin air
and never materialize into anything
concrete. Also, a plan focuses you
and helps you to react dynamically
and in many instances proactively
to changes in your environment.
Today, Mike is a highly successful
real estate broker specializing in
industrial property. His daily routine
includes making and returning
literally hundreds of telephone calls,
travelling to and from properties
and sites, counselling clients on their
real estate needs, and marketing
buildings and land for sale or
development.
We asked Mike what advice hed
like to share with readers of M.Y.
2.0. Here are his answers:
1. Know your own strengths and
weaknesses. To avoid getting in over
your head, know what you are good
at, and where you need to improve
in order the get the job or position
you want. Be frank with yourself, but
dont undercut yourself either. And
if you think you dont have enough
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product
Module 2
experience, get involved. There
are many opportunities to gain
experience through internships, co-
op programs, part-time jobs, or even
volunteering. Its the kind of thing
that gives you something to talk
about during an interview and that
sets you apart from other prospects
or candidates.
2. Identify and know your target
market. Make a list of companies
or people you want to target. And
then prepare a package that will be
certain to tweak the interest of these
people or companies. Dont expect
them to read between the lines:
make it obvious why they should
hire you.
3. Dont rely on online job search
sites. Just because a company
doesnt advertise on them doesnt
mean they dont have an opening.
Pick up the phone and call them.
You might be surprised by the result.
This process enabled Mike to
appreciate first hand just how
galvanizing the act of putting ones
goals on paper is: all of a sudden,
they have metamorphosed from the
shifting, ambiguous thought-space
of the brain to the tangible, physical
realmand they are staring at you
in the face from the paper. Try it for
yourself!
Module 2
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 Module 2
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product

Myth MARKETING PLANNING: WHAT

IS IT AND WHY BOTHER?
Developing strategies and tactics
to achieve these goals
to devising strategies and tactics to
achieve your objectives. Using poker
Marketing planning is Implementing, evaluating, and as an analogy, not only do you need to
time-consuming Marketing planning is the backbone controlling the activities used to get a good read of the situation and
and not worth the effort. of successful marketing. It is a execute the strategies. put your game face on, you also need
structured process (whose essential to play your cards well in order to win.
Reality Check steps are illustrated in Exhibit
2.1) which typically starts with
Marketing planning is neither an
exact science nor is it purely an
Importantly, marketing planning is
never a finite process. Most successful
You wouldnt build a art. Its a combination of both. On organizations and individuals are
researching and analyzing the
house without a plan, the one hand, marketing planning always engaged in some component
situation or field you are inor are
would you? So then why requires information gathering and of marketing planning.
hoping to enter. This analysis is
plan and manage your analysis, which often involves scientific
intended to bring to the surface the
career without the benefit methods, rigour and discipline. On the The steps involved in marketing
opportunities, threats and any other
of one? other hand, marketing planning also planning each offer a great
relevant factors likely to influence
your success in the foreseeable involves ingenuity and creativity opportunity to develop the
future. finding the information needed five mind-sets outlined in the
when it is not readily available, and introduction that also characterize
Based on this initial step, known interpreting the meaning or the full successful managers. For instance,
as a situation analysis, marketing implications of that information and when conducting an analysis of your
planning also involves: making decisions. Marketing planning situationthe first step in marketing
Setting marketing objectives also requires astuteness and out- planningyou need to be reflective
or goals of-the-box thinking when it comes and to learn from your own past
experiences (as well cover in the
next module). You also need to be
Research, and analyze the situation analytical in order to see patterns
and trendsto be capable of picking
Formulate marketing objectives out vital details from within whatever
data or information you gather about
Select one or more target markets to serve your chosen field of prospective
Develop marketing strategies to achieve objectives
clients or employers. Devising
successful strategies and tactics,
Develop tactics to carry out marketing strategies especially when we are all connected
globally through the internet, also
Execute chosen tactics requires you to adopt a worldly
perspective and to open yourself to
Evaluate the progress and success of tactics and strategies in achieving objectives
other, newer ways of doing things,
Adjust objectives, strategies, and tactics and evaluation methods as needed and to seek inspiration outside of
your own backyard or your most
immediate, comfortable sphere of
Exhibit 2.1 Essential Steps in the Marketing Planning Process knowledge. And finally, implementing

Module 2
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product 4

Myth
Marketing planning is like
painting-by-numbers. It
will limit my flexibility and
my creativity.
Reality Check
In the absence of a plan,
what feels like flexibility is
often an inability or lack
of conviction to make
difficult decisions.
your marketing plan and getting
things done will require you to
embrace a collaborative attitude to
build win-win relationships, as well as
an action-oriented mindset to deal
with the sometimes sudden changes
in your environment.
Given the breakneck pace of change
in the marketing environment (as
discussed in Module 1), you may
justifiably wonder at this point
whether it is possible to accurately
predict changes in your environment
and situation, and, if so, whether you
can predict how these changes will
influence the chances of your future
success. Indeed, planning (naturally)
includes an element of uncertainty,
which often increases with your
planning horizon: it is somewhat
easier to predict what may happen
in a week from now than it is to
anticipate the future in, say, five
years from now. So why bother with
marketing planning at all? Is it, as
the myth above suggests, too time
consuming and simply not worth the
effort?
There are many benefits that can
potentially stem from a planning
exercise. Lets look at three main
benefits that occur when you apply
marketing planning to yourself:
First, the structure and discipline that
you need to use when planning (we
provide you with that structure in the
modules to come) will lead to the
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product
discovery of issues and dynamics (as
well as threats and opportunities) that
you might have otherwise overlooked.
In other words, you will not go forth
blindly: at the end of your planning
exercise, you will be much more
informed and aware of what may lie
ahead on your path to success.
Second, while the future may
bring unforeseeable changesand
the impact of those changes may
be difficult to evaluateanother
benefit of marketing planning is to
help you to anticipate roadblocks
and detours. In fact, marketing
planning invites you to think of
contingencies (i.e., having a Plan
B) and to ask What if? questions
to evaluate the consequences of
various actions (e.g., if Y happens
instead of X, then what do I do?). In
that respect, marketing planning is
not unlike playing chess, where you
need to anticipate your opponents
moves and ask yourself, what if
my opponent makes this move?
The preparedness that comes from
pro-actively asking these questions,
and of course having gone through
the exercise of researching and
developing your answers, will make
you much more nimble and quick
to react to change when it later
inevitablycomes your way.
And third, marketing planning forces
you to make difficult decisions that
would otherwise be easy to avoid or
sidestep. When marketing planning
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product
Module 2
is conducted to launch, manage or
realign your career, it forces you
to take control of your future. In
the process, you may have to ask
yourself some difficult questions,
such as: what exactly motivates me
and why?; what is my definition of
happiness?; and what am I really
good/poor at? In fact, after you
complete your marketing plan,
you just may come to the same
conclusion that many people reach:
it is not so much the actual plan
itself (namely, the final document)
that matters, but the process of
planning itself.
THE MARKETING PLAN
The outcome of the marketing
planning process is a document of
varying length called a marketing
plan. It spells out where you are
currently (your situation analysis),
where you want to be ideally (your
objectives), and how you plan
to get there (your strategy and
tactics). It should also outline how
you plan to evaluate and monitor
your progress (in real time, a sort of
progress meter) in achieving your
goals. As you begin to research
and assemble your marketing plan,
we suggest that you look at it as a
living document, one that youll use
and adapt to and with as time goes
by. Your situation may well change,
and, as a result, so too might your
objectives and strategies. Your
plan should therefore be revised
Module 2
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 Module 2
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product

from time to time as shifts occur in
your situation, or if your progress
evaluation points toward areas
needing improvements or revisions.
When you first embark on a
marketing planning exercise, you
may find that your mind goes
automatically to things you must or
ought to do, such as writing your
A marketing plan typically includes have bearing on your future success.
seven sections, which are described Often, a situation analysis will end
briefly next. with what is called a SWOT analysis,
which examines and assesses the
1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY companys, products, or individuals
The executive summary provides internal strengths and weaknesses,
readers with an overview of the as well as external opportunities
major points made in the marketing and threats. In Module 3, we explain
plan. Ideally one page or shorter in in more detail about conducting a
length, it presents situation analysis.
3. MARKETING OBJECTIVES
Here the specific goals that the
company, product, or individual
intends to achieve during the
planning period are stated. For
example, the objective for a
company could be to increase sales
of a specific product by 20 percent
over the next twelve months. An
individuals goal could be to secure

you may find

rsum, drafting a standard cover an overview of When applied to a position as an event planner with
letter, putting together a website, the plans main an individual, for a salary of no less than $30,000

that your
or sending out flyers. There is a components. The instance in the within three months of graduation.
good reason for that: these are executive summary case of your own The more specific the marketing

mind goes
concrete and visible efforts that, forces you to identify personal marketing objectives are, the easier they are
once accomplished, give us a and focus on the plan, the situation to understand, visualize, and act

automatical-
(sometimes false) sense of progress critical elements of analysis includes on. In Module 4, we will explain the
and accomplishment. Referring back your plan, helping another important process of setting goals and the

ly to things
to Module 1 and Exhibit 1.1, these you to clarify your component: getting common characteristics that goals
actions are comparable to the visible thinking on key to know yourself. The should possess. Formulating clear

you must or
portion of the marketing iceberg. issues. It also serves overall objective of and achievable goals is not as easy
Quite often, those who rush to to grab the readers a situation analysis as it soundsyou should know

implement such tacticslike sending
out rsums or flyersfrequently find
that their efforts fail to produce the
desired results. The reason is rather
simple: they jumped far too quickly
to direct tactics without reflecting on
what needs to precede such efforts.
These people needed to study the
submerged portion of the marketing
iceberg, namely the situation
analysis/objectives and strategy
elaboration portions of the marketing
plan. Following a more disciplined
and methodological approach to
marketing planning increases the
likelihood that your chosen tactics
will bear fruit and, in the end,
produce the desired outcomes.
ought to do
attention, and to give
them a compelling
motivation to read
further. It is usually
written after you have
completed your marketing plan.
2. SITUATION ANALYSIS
The situation analysis is typically
organized to survey two major
components: 1) the macro
environment and 2) the micro
environment. The goal of this
section is to familiarize yourself with
your chosen field, to understand the
market, its dynamics, trends within
it, and the competitive landscape,
as well as any other factor that may
is to get you better
acquainted with
your chosen field,
and to ensure
that you understand what you are
getting into by appreciating the key
factors and dynamics that might
influence your future success. While
conducting a situation analysis
appears to be distinct and finite step
in the marketing planning process, it
is important to note that successful
organizations and individuals
are constantly scanning their
environment for any changes that
may influence or impact the other
steps of the planning process.
exactly, and be specific, about what
you are asking forso make sure to
budget sufficient time to do so.
4. TARGET MARKET
In this section, the marketcurrent
and potential customers, clients,
and employersis identified and
quantified. Oftentimes, companies
will first focus on their prime
prospects, those who are most
likely to buy their products. The
more precisely you define your
prime prospects, the more you
begin to think and feel like them,
the greater your chances are of
converting them from prospects to
actual customers (or employers). For

Module 2
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product 6

example, a manufacturer of diet soft
drinks could define its market as the
120+ million North American females
aged between 14 and 64. While
thats a first step towards narrowing
the definition of the target customer,
it is quite likely that these 120+
million women have different
preferences, needs, behaviours, and
what is called purchase readiness
when it comes to buying and
drinking diet soft drinks. Therefore,
using segmentation (discussed in
Module 5), this manufacturer could
fine-tune its targeting approach, and
break down this enormous market
into smaller groups, identifying the
one(s) that present the highest sales
and profit potential. For example,
they might choose to focus on the
15+ million women between the ages
of 25 and 45 who actively control
their weight through regular exercise
and healthy eating, and who would
consider diet soft drinks as part of a
balanced diet. In Module 5, you will
learn how to create a clear profile
for your prime prospects.
5. MARKETING STRATEGIES
This section outlines the strategies
through which you plan to achieve
your marketing objectives. It links
each of your objectives to the key
strategies for each element of the
marketing mix. The marketing
mix relates to the elements and
decisions that managers can
control, and that within a reasonable
period of time can achieve the
objectives. In its most basic and
simple form, the marketing mix
includes four elements, known as
the Four Ps (see Exhibit 2.2).
As Exhibit 2.2 suggests, decisions
pertaining to each P (Product,
Price, Promotion, and Place) should
be focused on achieving the stated
goals of individuals. Well get back
to the elements of the marketing
mix in Modules 8 through 11, and
well discuss the need to integrate
all decisions pertaining to these four
crucial elements. Naturally, goals
and strategies should be formulated
so that they address and respond
to the threats and opportunities
identified in the situation analysis.
Exhibit 2.2
Elements of the Marketing Mix
Module 2
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product
Many people find the concept of
strategy difficult to understand,
and yet in our daily lives we make
strategic choices all the time. Youve
likely heard the expression, All
roads lead to Rome. Well, say you
wanted to go to Rome (which in
this case is the goal), and you were
faced with a choice as to which road
to take. While your primary goal
is to get to Rome, you may take
road A (which offers great coastal
scenery), or highway B (because
it gets you there the fastest), or
you may opt to use a succession of
country roadsbecause you feel
thats where the most unexpected
discoveries lie.
When you pick any one of these It is widely held that the concept
roads, you have just made a of strategy was conceived by the
strategic choice: you have decided Greek military during the time
to travel on no other road but the of Socrates. To the Greek army
one you have chosen. Moreover, leadership, strategy was the plan
each road will involve different costs of action that would be put in
or resources such as fuel costs, place to surprise, defeat, and
highway tolls, and time. Strategies surpass the enemy. Over time, the
can be adapted to changes in meaning of strategy has evolved.
the environment as needed, but In his 2005 book Winning, the
all strategies imply an element of former CEO of General Electric,
choice. By now, youve probably Jack Welch, defined strategy as
figured out that some choices will an approximate course of action
come easily, while others will be that you frequently revisit and
more difficult and gut-wrenching, redefine according to shifting
depending on the situation. This is market conditions. Underlying
why a thorough situation analysis both of these views is that strategy
is critical: it facilitates the strategy involves making choices, usually
development process, but by no about how you compete and
means does it make it easy or how you go about achieving your
guarantee success. objectives.
Module 2
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product 7
 Module 2
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product

In terms of developing and drafting
a personal marketing plan for
yourself, articulating your personal
goals and making strategic choices
forces you to define and articulate
who you are, what you stand for,
and how you intend to best pursue
your goals. At the risk of sounding
overly philosophical, this may be the
right time to bring to our situations
a little nuance and perspective.
When something doesnt work
out the way we intended it to, we
it as an opportunity to grow, to
learn (for instance, to avoid certain
circumstances that lead you to less
productive outcomes), and, as need
be, to adapt your planning and
strategies.
6. MARKETING TACTICS
This portion of the marketing plan
includes the series of activities
you will need to carry out in order
to put your marketing strategy
into action. These could include
7. IMPLEMENTATION AND
CONTROL
Here, the concrete and specific
step-by-step tasks required to
implement the marketing tactics
are spelled out. Additionally, this
section describes the controls, or
evaluation methods, to be used
to monitor your current progress
against the full achievement of the
Tactic Run print ad in The Voice local newspaper
marketing objectives. This section
may also outline how adjustments
will be made to keep the marketing
plan on track. Say, for instance, your
tactic is to run an advertisement in
your local newspaper to promote
your landscaping services. Your
implementation schedule and some
of your control mechanisms might
look something like Exhibit 2.3.

tend to be dismissive, and to call
it a mistake or a waste of time. As
you set out to map your goals and
strategies, wed like to invite you
to move away from that particular
mindset, which may end up not
being helpful to you.
To get back to our road-trip to Rome
example, say you had decided to
follow the main highway only to be
slowed down in a traffic jam caused
by an accident. Would it be accurate
to call your choice a mistake? Had
you taken the scenic seaside road,
you might have run out of gas or
encountered other roadblocks. Our
point, somewhat philosophical but
nonetheless very pragmatic, is that
in the broader scheme of things
there are no bad choices in life,
only alternate roads where different
trials and challenges await. When
something doesnt go as planned,
try this subtle but important shift
in perspective: instead of writing
it off as a mistake or error, look at
advertising, networking, media
relations, packaging, product
improvements, promotional pricing,
and rsum writing, to name just
a few. Preparing and carrying out
these activities for your personal
marketing plan is manageable,
but imagine doing the same for
a company with a marketing
department employing hundreds
of professionals. Everyone must
be on the same page, activities
must be coordinated, information
and details must be conveyed in
time, etc. This is why the marketing
tactics section of the marketing
plan also includes the schedule and
assignment of responsibilities for
the implementation of each of the
activities. If you intend to start your
own business and grow, it becomes
vitally important to spell out who
is ultimately responsible for each
tactic. Also in this section, the costs
associated with the implementation
are identified and a budget is
prepared.
Strategy Use local broadcast tools to reach target customers
Objective Acquire 20 new customers by May 20.
Activity Timetable
Call newspaper to inquire about ad sizes, rates, type and Call by end of March.
format of artwork needed, and due date for publication in
the first Saturday in May At Home section.
Ask about possibility of placing the ad in top right corner on
page 2 of the section.
Also ask about rates if ad is repeated a few times.
Find and brief a graphic artist to create and produce the No later than April 5.
ad. Request to see a rough draft before going into full
production.
Get the required ad material to the newspaper on time. Date TBD as per step 1.
Controls
1. Were 20 new customers signed up by May 20?
a. How many were signed up as a result of this ad?
b. Need to ask new customers how they heard about my service.
2. Was the ad clear, well placed, and appropriate?
a. Ask new customers what they thought about the ad.
b. Get copies of the paper, show ad to existing customers and ask if they would
recommend improvements.
Exhibit 2.3 Example of Implementation Schedule

Module 2
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product 8

Myth Getting to Know Your
Product
All marketing starts by
knowing your customers. When the word product comes
up, physical goods such as digital
cameras, shoes, clothes, cars, and
Reality Check other tangible, material things
Marketing yourself starts typically spring to mind. But refer
by knowing your product back to the opening spotlight
intimatelynamely vignette on Mike Owen. Now, Mike
yourselfso that you fully provides a service to his client
appreciate both the limits and his employer by performing
and full potential of your certain tasks, ranging from needs
product. identification to scouting locations
and arranging advantageous
conditions for the purchase and/or
rental of industrial real estate. And
not only is Mike the provider of the
service, but he is very much a part of
that service as well.
By that we mean that he cant
dissociate himself from that service.
His knowledge, contacts, his
appearance, his go-getter and his
can-do attitudes, his energy, and his
entire personality, for that matter,
are very much a part of the total
product, or bundle of features, he
offers his clients. The same applies to
many other fields, whether youre an
entrepreneur, a professional like Mike,
or a job seeker. And even if youre
an artist, your product is not simply
your art: you are very much a part
of the product you sell, and many
potential customers will be curious
to find out more about you, including
your background and education, your
personality, and your artistic vision.
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product
For many people, the idea of
thinking of themselves as a
product puts them off, is downright
degrading or too commercial.
Many artists, for instance, often
find that embracing the principles
of marketing, and thinking of their
art as a product, belittles their
artistic gifts and contributions.
But in marketing parlance, a
product is simply a term to refer
to the total offering you bring to
the market. Moreover, marketing
theory offers many tools to manage
that product in such a way as to
ensure that it does not become an
undifferentiated commodity (just
another consumer good) that
potential consumers do not value, or
one that they even find unappealing.
That is precisely why were inviting
you to think of yourself as a need-
satisfying or solution-providing
product, so that whatever field you
decide to enter, or career you decide
to pursue, you do not become a
commodity that can be substituted
or replaced easily.
Some people will tell you that
marketing starts by getting to know
your customers. That is certainly
an important step, however when
you are the productor are a
large part of the product bundle
(think of Mike Owen)wed like
to suggest that the first step is
getting to know your product,
namely yourself. Now, as you read
this, you may be thinking, What
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product
Module 2
are they talking about? I know
myself; its not so hard and Ive
been doing pretty well. We are,
however, most of us so constantly
busy that we rarely take the time to
get to know ourselves. By that we
mean finding our deep motivations,
searching our very souls, finding
what makes us passionate and
truly (not just superficially) happy,
as well as our shortcomings and
weaknesses that prevent us from
achieving our goals and ambitions.
We frequently take time and take
stock of our lives when something
goes terribly wrong, or when we
are confronted with our own limits.
When the walls around us are
crumbling, or when life throws us
a particularly difficult challenge,
then a window, or what some call
a teachable moment appears, and
prompts us to look at ourselves in
the mirror. Otherwise, frankly, we
do not ask difficult questions of
ourselves, and we otherwise often
prefer to avoid or sidestep any
sort of applied introspection. Right
now, as you embark on this journey
of marketing yourself, wed like
to offer you the opportunity (and
invite you to seize it!) to develop
some self-knowledge.
Developing a solid understanding
and not merely a superficial
awarenessof yourself, or what
is called self-knowledge can be
one of your greatest assets, both
materially and psychologically.
Module 2
9

Knowing yourself can help you make
decisions and align your career in
ways to maximize your well-being
and happiness. Some people tend
to discount the importance of self-
knowledge, or to avoid opportunities
to develop self-knowledge at all costs,
scared perhaps of what they may
find out. As a result, these people
sometimes end up in situations
where they feel disadvantaged,
overwhelmed, and boxed in. These
folksperhaps you know some,
perhaps you are one of themcan
often be heard asking why me?
when faced with a difficult situation,
and never having a good answer for
that question, because they have
never taken the time to develop any
amount of self-knowledge. When you
take time to get to know yourself,
and to take stock of the strengths,
weaknesses, values, and personality
traits that make you unique, you are
less likely to make and subsequently
repeat unfortunate decisions. Instead
of asking why me? we invite you
to ask instead: What is special and
unique about me that will either
enable or prevent me from reaching
my goals? A good place to start is by
examining your own personality.
The study of personality and
personality traits historically started
with craniology or craniometry, a
now-discounted and arcane pseudo-
science concerned with the analysis
and measurement of features of
the human head, and thought to
accurately predict such things as
intelligence and the capacity for
moral behaviour. Nowadays, the
study of personality has become
much more sophisticated, featuring
diagnostic tests frequently used by
employers during the hiring process.
In fact, the study of personality traits
has spawned a thriving industry,
with many proprietary tests that
run in the hundreds of dollars each
to take independently. Finding out
about yourself and making sense
of the results of these tests can be
expensive, but the investment is
usually well worth it. Perhaps the
best known and most widely used
personality test is the Myers Briggs
Type Inventory (or MBTI for short),
developed by Katharine Briggs
and Isabel Briggs Myers in 1943.
There are 16 personality types in
this instrument, determined by an
individuals personality dispositions
along the following four dimensions:
Introversion vs. Extraversion:
Being an extrovert does not mean
that someone is a wild, loud, and
talkative individual. Rather, the MBTI
uses this dimension to describe
how people direct their energy and
attention: inwards (introverts) or
outwards (extraverts).
Intuition vs. Sensing: This
dimension refers to how people
learn and acquire information.
Sensors attend to the concrete,
the facts, and the details. Intuitors
Module 2
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product
consider theories, potential future
outcomes, and do not need hard
facts and figures.
Feeling vs. Thinking: This
dimension is used to assess how
you make decisions. Do you let your
thinking (rational) or your feeling
(emotional) side dominate when you
make choices and decisions? Thinkers
are objective, while feelers often
consider the impact of their decisions
on others and their environments.
Perceiving vs. Judging: How do
you approach life in general? When
going on a trip, for example, do you
plan every little detail, or do you feel
comfortable just going where the
road takes you? Perceivers tend to
be more relaxed, spontaneous and
flexible, while judgers prefer a more
disciplined structure and predictability.
Intelligence testing is another
The Myers-Briggs Institute, in an area that can help you learn more
effort to protect the validity and about yourself and your own
credibility of its test, has tightly unique learning style. You have
controlled its administration and probably heard of standardized
availability. Further, it is generally tests like the SAT. Most of
considered a breach of professional these tests are concerned with
ethics to administer the MBTI quantifying intelligence. On the
without proper feedback by a other hand, noted researchers and
trained specialist. As a result, scientists have argued that what
unless you pay to take the test, it matters is not how intelligent you
is difficult to obtain your precise are, but what types of intelligence
MBTI profile. Nonetheless, various you possess. For instance, in 1983,
providers enable you to get a close Harvard University Professor
approximation of the MBTI. To find Howard Gardner introduced the
out about your MBTI personality theory of multiple intelligences.
type, visit www.personalitytype.com. He argued that what we typically
Module 2
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product 10

call intelligence is not a single
trait that can both adequately and
accurately be measured through a
single number.
Gardner proposed that there are
nine types of intelligence:
1. Visual/spatial intelligence
refers to the fact that some
people learn best by visualizing
and organizing things spatially.
Charts, graphs, maps, pictures,
and puzzles tend to appeal
to people with visual/spatial
intelligence.
2. Verbal/linguistic intelligence
is typically demonstrated by
people in the language arts such
as speaking, writing, reading,
and listening. Such people are
successful in traditional learning
environments because their skills
and intelligence fit best with the
traditional teaching style.
3. Mathematical/logical intelligence
is present in people who have an
aptitude for numbers, reasoning,
and problem solving. These people
also tend to do well in traditional
classroom situations.
4. Bodily/kinesthetic intelligence
leads some individuals to learn
best through doing physical
activities like sports, games, and
hands-on tasks.
5. Musical/rhythmic intelligence
is displayed by people who learn
through songs and appreciate
patterns and rhythms. These
people typically enjoy learning a
musical instrument or engaging in
other forms of musical expression.
6. Intra-personal intelligence is
present in people who are aware
and in touch with their own
feelings and value-identities. They
tend to be more intuitive than they
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product
are outward or social, and may
appear somewhat shy or reserved.
7. Inter-personal intelligence
manifests itself in individuals
who are people-oriented and like
cooperative learning activities,
such as group projects. Theyre
often labelled or described as
outgoing and social. Together with
intra-personal intelligence, this
forms the basis for what has more
recently been called emotional
intelligence, which refers to the
ability to read and react to ones
own and others emotions.
8. Naturalist intelligence is
used by people who can easily
recognize and categorize natural
objects, and who often have an
ability to notice subtle differences
in meaning that go unnoticed by
others.
9. Existentialist intelligence
refers to the ability displayed by
some people to ask and ponder
fundamental questions about life,
death, and the nature and role
of humankind. Philosophy is a
discipline where individuals with
this type of intelligence typically
thrive.
Self-assessment and personality
typing are certainly not exact sciences.
Results of personality and other
psychological tests are meant to
provide general guidance. Still, many
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product
Module 2
organizations use such tests, and
sometimes base their hiring decisions
partly on results of these tests, which
are often used to predict on-the-job
performance. In recent years, the MBTI
test itself has faced criticism for being
ill-suited for making recruiting and
hiring decisions. As a result, employers
sometimes develop their own tests or
use other validated instruments that
test specific abilities relevant to the
position that needs to be filled (see
Exhibit 2.4, particularly the last link to
www.Inc.com).
The point of taking personality
and self-assessment tests is not to
anchor your own self-knowledge
in the results these tests provide,
but rather to illuminate your own
introspection and increase your
sense of self-knowledge. What
matters is not the results per se,
but the process of learning through
these tests. This type of knowledge
helps you become more comfortable
with yourself, and able to better
make decisions more in line with
who you actually are. Another
benefit is to be able to answer
questions about yourself confidently
and accurately. If an interviewer
asks you to describe yourself,
or to discuss your strengths and
weaknesses (and many will ask you
these identical questions), you will
be better prepared to answer the
question convincingly. As you evolve
and grow in your professional career
and personal life, it is useful to revisit
Module 2
11

these tests from time to time. Many
people are quite surprised with the
results when they retake personality
or self-assessment tests after a
number of years.
There are many personality and
intelligence tests available, but not
all of them are necessarily valid or
useful. On the Marketing Yourself
course website, you will find a link
to a variety of rigorous tests that
we have made available for you.
Additionally, we have included a
selection of websites in Exhibit 2.4,
where you will find some useful
tests. Taking these tests is not just a
pastime, or something to do when
youre bored, as you might take
a quiz in a magazine. Take them
seriously, and answer the questions
honestly. Then attempt to summarize
your findings and develop a sort
of self-intelligence. What do these
results, taken together, say about
you? How might you summarize
what you have learned from taking
these tests? You just may be
surprised by what you find out.
Finally, as you further develop your
self-knowledge, wed like to invite
you to pay particular attention to
something often considered taboo
and rarely discussed, much less
acknowledged: your own mental
health. When you are the product,
a lot is riding on your shoulders.
Whether youre self-employed or
working for a large organization,
1. At Concordia University, resources for students with difficulties that may affect their studies have been conveniently centralized here:
http://www.concordia.ca/help4u.
Module 2
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product
work-related stress, financial break the longer you wait. Do not be Your Marketing Plan and
pressures, family-related issues, shy to take advantage of resources Your Career Path
and the energy-draining nature of made available to you for this very
many daily activities (think of traffic reason: there is absolutely no shame To get you thinking in terms of the
jams!) can rapidly take their toll and in doing so1. Make sure you either big picture for your marketing plan,
lead to mental fatigue and illness. have or develop a good support lets examine how developing a
And while technology provides us network, and create opportunities marketing orientation will be useful
with sophisticated communications to have sincere and meaningful to you, whether youre thinking
devices and tools such as cellular conversations with your friends, of becoming an entrepreneur, a
phones, texts, and Facebook, it may colleagues, and family members. professional, an artist, or a job
well have diminished the quality of Build mechanisms and activities into seeker. This provides you with a
our interactions. It is unfortunately your routine that help you to deal framework into which you can fit
both common and easy for us to with daily stressors. For some, it the material covered in subsequent
go through our day making many may be going to the gym, taking a modules, then, in the next section,
contacts, yet finding ourselves walk, listening to music, or spending well provide you with two templates
isolated, lonely and depressed. Learn some time cookingor on whatever (one for entrepreneurs, professionals
to read the signs of mental fatigue activity that brings you pleasure. and artists, the other for job seekers)
and depression in yourselflisten to Module 13 is dedicated to Career to get you started on the process
how you are feelingand act upon Boosters, and includes tips and ideas of assembling your own marketing
them, before you find yourself in a to manage your stress and energy, plan.
downward spiral whose negative so as to encourage and to preserve
momentum becomes harder to good mental and physical health. You as an
Entrepreneur
Choosing to become an
The Big Five Personality Test - www.outofservice.com/bigfive/
entrepreneur means that you will
Visit this website to take the Big Five personality test, which returns immediate feedback be working for yourself, and will be
about your personality based on five dimensions: 1) openness to new experiences, 2)
conscientiousness, 3) extraversion, 4) agreeableness, and 5) neuroticism. producing goods and/or services
that you will sell to individuals or
www.Psychtests.com organizations. The rewards can be
This website provides you with a series of links to a variety of tests. enormous, and the risks can be even
more so. Because youre so close
www.Queendom.com to your product, its easy to fall into
the production or sales orientation
This website provides you access to numerous tests. Click on Tests & Profiles.
trap, and to lose sight of the threats
and opportunities around you. For
www.Inc.com
example, while you may think that
Although Inc.com is a website for entrepreneurs, this site includes a list of validated the product youve come up with is
instruments often used by employers.
the next best thing since the iPad,
there may not be enough potential
Exhibit 2.4 Useful Self-Assessment Test Banks customers for it to make producing
Module 2
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product 12

Myth and selling it profitable. Conversely,
because of your proximity to your
Successful entrepreneurs productas well as the partial or
are born risk-takers and complete loss of your objectivity,
theyre driven by the since you are so close to ityou may
quest for money. be blinded to the fact that there
may be large markets for it that you
hadnt even considered.
Reality Check
Successful entrepreneurs Theres a common belief that
are neither high- nor entrepreneurs are simply born
low-risk takers, but they that way, with an innate risk-taking
do like challenges if tendency and are motivated solely
they believe the odds by a desire for financial gain. In
are in their favour. They fact, successful entrepreneurs
prefer situations in which tend to be driven by the quest for
they can influence the responsibility, achievement and
outcome through savvy the idea of building a legacy rather
marketing. than simply by money for its own
sake. They are also competitive, and
motivated by a desire to out-perform
the competition. Rather than being
predisposed to taking unknown risks,
successful entrepreneurs tend to seek
situations where the odds of success
are already stacked in their favour.
As an entrepreneur, you can create
favourable odds for yourself by
adopting a marketing orientation,
and by doing so:
Identify, qualify, and quantify the
number of potential customers for
your product or service.
Determine your customers needs
and problems, and how your product
can satisfy these better than the
alternatives currently on the market.
Make any required product changes
based on these determinations.
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product
Set revenue and profit goals, and
formulate a pricing strategy to
achieve these goals.
Make sure your product or services
are available when and where your
potential customers want them.
Use the appropriate promotion
tools to make your potential
customers aware of your product,
and to persuade them to buy your
product with convincing arguments.
You as a Professional
If you choose the career path
of becoming a professional,
you will be offering services that
require highly developed skills and/
or expert knowledge. Most successful
professionals also need to stay on
top of trends and developments
within their fields. Some operate
on their own, or in a group of other
professionals. Professional careers
include medicine, accounting, law,
architecture, design, counselling,
consulting, physiotherapy, etc. For
many, the promise of high income
and prestige are also important
drivers in the choice to become a
professional. As a professional, you
are very much also the product.
Think of professionals you have
dealt with such as your dentist,
chiropractor, or hairdresser. Why do
you return to these professionals
and stay loyal to them? Chances
are that it is not merely for their
professional expertise, but for other
personal qualities as well (e.g., your
dentist is gentle and makes you
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product
Module 2
feel comfortable; your hairdresser
really understands your personality).
This speaks to the fact that, as a
professional, your personality and
even identity becomes intimately
linked to your services. When clients
retain the services of a lawyer, they
are not just buying legal counsel; they
are also buying trust, confidence,
and someone who will listen and
help. Therefore, as a professional,
your personality, your presentation,
your manners, etc. are all part of
your product, as much as your skills,
abilities and core competencies are.
As a professional, its deceptively
easy to fall into the product
orientation trap, and to look at the
world from an inside-out view (i.e.,
uniquely from your perspective)
instead of an outside-in perspective
(i.e., trying to see yourself objectively,
the way a stranger might see you).
As the saying goes Its hard to see
the forest from the trees, especially
when youre deep in the forest!
This could blind you to significant
threats and opportunities in your
environment.
By adopting a marketing orientation,
you could:
Estimate the demand for
professionals in your field for the
next 10 to 15 years. Why such a long
outlook? Because the barriers to
entry (i.e., the costs and time) of
acquiring the necessary knowledge
to become a professional are high.
Predict who will be the most
Module 2
13

Myth likely potential clients for your
professional service, and project
For artists, marketing how many there will be.
their art is like selling Determine the nature and extent
out to the pressures of the academic work and training
of capitalism and big that you will need to complete
business. in order to enter and compete
effectively in that profession.
Assess whether the professional
Reality Check field you have chosen suits your
As soon as you decide to personality, aptitudes, basic skills,
make your art available to needs, wants, and passions. If not,
others, youve started to identify if and how you need to
practice marketing. changeor if you should look at
Is this selling out? other options.
Determine how you will satisfy
potential clients better than your
competitors do. Determine what it
will take for you to keep on top of
developments and innovations in
your field and to continue to satisfy
clients over time.
Establish your income objectives
and formulate a fee strategy.
Create a promotion strategy to
inform potential clients that you are
available to fulfill their needs and
remedy their problems.
You as an Artist
Being an artist is very much
like being an entrepreneur.
Your offerings are your paintings,
sculptures, singing or musical
talents, your theatrical or dance
performances, your installation
art, your writing skills, or the
output of your work in whichever
medium youve chosen to apply
your passion and skills. And much
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product
like an entrepreneur, you need to
sell both yourself and your output.
Being an artist is similar to being
a professional because youyour
personality and identityare very
much part of the product: what
makes it unique, and, eventually,
valuable. Your offering wouldnt exist
without you. A career in the arts
gives you the opportunity to express
your creativity and, in the process,
to benefit financially. However, as
those of you who are artists now
know very well, the field is extremely
competitive, and making a living
as a working artist is extremely
challenging.
Some artists have a negative
perception of marketing, and hesitate
to use it to promote and sell their art.
But as weve discussed previously,
the art world, as with every other
domain, is getting crowded. Potential
clients have many opportunities and
alternatives on which to spend their
limited art dollar.
Adopting a marketing orientation
and applying basic marketing
concepts can help you make your
career as an artist fulfilling and
rewarding, by helping you to:
Estimate the demand for the art
that you produce, and assess
whether there is sufficient demand
to sustain you as a full-time artist.
Identify the prospects for your
product, and determine their
motivation and intent to buy it.
Determine how your product will
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product
Module 2
satisfy customer needs, and identify
any product changes that could
improve the level of satisfaction
that they provide.
Create a budget for yourself, and
use this as the basis for setting the
prices that you will charge.
Use the appropriate marketing
communication tools to encourage
potential customers to take an
interest in your art and, ultimately,
to purchase it and recommend it to
others.
You as a job seeker
Deciding to become an
employee means that you
are choosing to work for a business
or not-for-profit organization. Most
people who select this career path
think in terms of finding a job.
Typically, they prepare resumes, write
cover letters, reply to Employees
Wanted ads in newspapers or
online, and go to interviews. This is a
classic case of the sales orientation,
or trying to move the merchandise,
which, in this case, is you.
However, if you were to adopt a
marketing orientation, you could:
Identify the career option or options
that interest you, and assess the
potential opportunities for you in
these areas.
Determine the number of potential
employers and their characteristics,
needs, and the problems that you
could potentially solve for them.
As you are the product in this
case, evaluate how you can satisfy
Module 2
14

their needs, solve their problems,
and identify any requirements for
improvements to your product,
yourself.
Set your compensation goals,
including salary and benefits.
Customize how you will promote
yourself to potential employers
based on their needs. Choose and
use the promotional tools with
the most potential to help you
secure interviews and, once hired,
to promote yourself within the
organization.
In the preceding examples, weve
purposely used the marketing
orientation to illustrate how it
may guide you whatever your
chosen career path. Now, whether
your career path leads you
towards becoming an employee,
entrepreneur, professional, or artist,
you can also adopt the principles
and practices of a societal marketing
orientation to create winwin
situations for yourself, your clients,
and society as a whole. We will
cover some ways you could apply a
societal marketing orientation later in
Module 13 on Career Boosters.
To help you begin the process
of putting your marketing plan
together, weve provided some
generic templates at the end of this
module. Make sure to check out the
template that applies to your own
personal situation.
How marketing-savvy
have you become?
1. The first step in the marketing
planning process is to:
a) Gather information, research,
and analyze the marketing
situation
b) Identify your prime prospects
c) Formulate marketing objectives
d) Develop marketing strategies
and tactics
e) None of the above
2. What is the value of the executive
summary in a marketing plan?
Why is it written after the plan has
been completed, yet is one of the
first pages in the plan itself?
3. Many people believe that a
well-crafted cover letter and
professionally written resume is all
they need to secure a job. Do you
agree? If so, why? If not, why not?
4. What is the difference between
a strategy and a tactic? Give
concrete examples of strategies
and tactics for the following:
Securing a job in the
pharmaceutical industry
Introducing a personal shopping
service for high-income
individuals
Building a client base for a
recently graduated psychologist
Creating demand for
a professional fashion
photographers services
Module 2
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product
NOW WHAT? for your reading pleasure and
At this point you may be to complement your learning
thinking: Wow, theres so experience.
much that needs to be included
in my marketing plan! Dont be Winning, by Jack Welch. (2005).
overwhelmed. In the modules to New York: Harper Business.
come, well take you step by step In this book, the former CEO
through the key concepts youll of General Electric outlines
need to understand to create your the leadership principles and
plan, and well provide you with management philosophy that
the tools youll require to complete have made him one of the most
each step. In the next module, successful business leaders in
well discuss the importance of recent history.
conducting a thorough situation
analysis. You should now have What Color Is Your Parachute? 2012:
a clear sense of what goes into A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters
a marketing plan and have an and Career-Changers , by Richard N.
appreciation of the value of Bolles. (2011). New York: Ten Speed
gathering key information about Press.
your chosen field. This book offers practical advice
for job seekers and also advice
ON THE BOOK SHELF on figuring out who you are as a
These books are suggested person.
Check it out
These websites and online resources are intended to complement your learning
experience and to address specific topics and concepts covered in this module.
www.businessdictionary.com Provides a comprehensive dictionary of business-
related terms for beginners.
www.helpself.com Provides an extensive inventory of personal health and
self-help resources.
Module 2
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product 15

Marketing Plan Templates
Below are generic marketing plan
templates to help you begin the
process of assembling your own
personal marketing plan.
Template for
Entrepreneurs,
Professionals, and
Artists
If you choose the career
path of an entrepreneur,
professional, or artist,
the templates for your
marketing plan will be
virtually identical to
those used by businesses. For
entrepreneurs and artists, the
product could be a physical good,
such as line of womens clothing
or a piece of sculpture. As is
the case with professionals, the
product could also be a servicefor
example, house painting, live music
performances, or consulting. While
you are the producer of the product
and may be an integral component
of it, the product is a separate entity
and needs to be viewed as such.
The primary focus of your marketing
plan will be on your product, and the
secondary focus on you. The steps
and process that you should follow
in preparing your plan are as follows.
1. Executive Summary
The executive summary, in a page or
two at most, contains the essence of
your marketing plan.
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product
Consider the following:
What are the crucial elements of
your plan?
Can eventual partners, employees,
bankers, and investors easily
understand what you want to do
and how your idea stands out from
competitors ideas?
2. Analysis of the Current
Marketing Situation
The goal here is to help you identify
and comprehend the dynamics
of the market in which you will
be operating. By the end of this
section, the reader (whether thats
your Teaching Assistant, a bank
loan officer or an eventual investor)
should come away with a sense that
you really understand what you are
getting yourself into.
As will be covered in detail in Module
3, some typical questions that need
to be addressed in this section are as
follows:
Which types of companies,
organizations, and people make up
the market? How many are there?
Who are the actors/players that
shape and define the market, and
how so?
What are the major overall market
trends? Is the market declining or
growing? By how much annually?
What factors have a strong
influence on how the market
performs?
Who are the key competitors in
the market, and how are they
performing?
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product
Module 2
What are your products strengths
and weaknesses?
What are the key opportunities and
threats that you should take into
consideration when setting your
objectives and developing your
strategies?
3. Marketing Objectives
Based on the foregoing analysis,
your resources, your needs, and
your ambition, the next step is to
set revenue and market position
objectives. These should be both
challenging and attainable within the
timeframe of your marketing plan.
What are your sales goals in terms
of dollars, units, hours billed, and
number of customers or clients?
What, if any, are your goals with
respect to market share and market
position?
What would you like to be known
for? When your name (or the name
of your company, or product) comes
up, what would you like customers
(potential and existing) to think?
4. Target Market
The clearer the picture that you have
of your target market, the more
potent your marketing strategy will
be. In this section, you lay down the
broad outlining strokes.
Who are your current and potential
customers?
What are their key characteristics,
including geographic location,
lifestyle, and media usage, spending
habits, and buying behaviour? What
Module 2
16

benefits do they seek?
How many of them are there?
5. Marketing Mix Strategy
With your marketing objectives
uppermost in mind, at this critical
stage of your marketing plan you
map out how you will go about
achieving them. The marketing
strategy is made up of two key
elements: a detailed description
of your target market and the
marketing mix.
It should answer the following
questions:
What market segments offer the
best revenue and profit potential?
Describe them in detail.
How will you position your product
to take maximum advantage of this
potential?
What will your marketing mix be?
In your marketing mix, you set
objectives for each of the four
Ps (Product, Place, Price, and
Promotion), and these objectives
should get you closer to your
overall marketing objectives listed
in step 3 above. Then you spell out
strategies of how you will attain
your product, place, price, and
promotion objectives.
6. Marketing Tactics
For each of the strategies that
you have devised, you need to
set out the activities to be used
to put them into action, along
with the associated costs, timing,
and assignments of responsibility
for making them happen. The
marketing tactics section of
your plan should answer these
questions:
ProductWhat changes, if any, will
be made to your product?
PlaceWhere will you make your
product available to customers and
how will you get it there?
PriceWhat price changes, if any,
will you be making?
PromotionWhat promotion tools
will you be using to create awareness
for your product and to persuade
potential customers to buy it?
7. Implementation and Control
Here you list and describe the
specific actions to be taken to put
the marketing tactics into action.
Additionally, this is where you
identify the controls you will use to
track the performance of your plan.
How will the product, place, price,
and promotion tactics be executed?
What checkpoints will be used
to monitor performance, and
how often will performance be
measured? (e.g., sales, customer
inquiries, surveys)
When and how will your plan be
adjusted?
Template For Job
Seekers
If your career goal is to be
an employee of a company or other
organization, then youll choose the
path of a job seeker. In this case,
the product is you, and everything
Module 2
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product
that you have to offer to satisfy
the needs of potential employers.
While the titles for the template for
the job seekers marketing plan are
identical to the previous one, there
are several important differences in
the content.
1. Executive Summary
In less than two pages it can
communicate the essence of your
marketing plan to the person who
will be implementing ityou. This
serves to remind you, from time to
time or when the going gets rough,
of what you are trying to achieve
and how.
2. Analysis of the Current Marketing
Situation
The market in which you will be
operating is comprised of potential
employers in your chosen industry.
The objective here is to create
an overview of the market and to
develop an understanding of the
markets dynamics and size.
The key questions in this section are
as follows:
Which types of companies and
other organizations are there
currently in the market?
How many are there in the
geographic area in which you would
like to work?
What are the major market
trends? Is the market for jobs in
the industry declining or growing?
What factors have a strong
influence on how the industry and
Module 2
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product 17

market perform?
Who will your key competitors be?
How many of them are there?
What are your products strengths
and weaknesses?
What are the key opportunities and
threats that you should take into
consideration when setting your
objectives and developing your
strategies?
3. Marketing Objectives
Based on the analysis of the
marketing situation, the next step
is to set well defined long-term and
short-term career goals:
Within three to five years, what
type of work would you like to
be doing? What specific job or
position would you like to have?
Assume that within one month of
completing your marketing plan
you have landed the job you want.
What would it be?
4. Target Market
The objective here is to get a clear
idea of the size and nature of your
target market by answering the
following questions:
Who are the potential employers in
your market?
How many of them are there?
What are their key characteristics,
including geographic location,
hiring trends, and size?
How do they find and hire new
employees to fill the type of
position that you would like?
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product
5. Marketing Strategy
This is where you outline how
you will go about achieving your
marketing objectives. The marketing
strategy is made up of two key
elements: a detailed description
of your target market and the
marketing mix.
It should answer the following
questions:
What market segments offer the
best short-term and long-term
employment potential? Describe
them in detail.
How will you position yourself (i.e.,
your product) to take maximum
advantage of this potential?
What will your marketing mix
be? In your marketing mix you
set objectives for each of the
four PsProduct, Place, Price,
and Promotionand then outline
strategies for each. These strategies
are how you will attain the product,
place, price, and promotion goals.
6. Marketing Tactics
For each of the strategies that you
have come up with, you need to set
out the activities that you will use to
put them into action along with the
associated costs and timing.
The marketing tactics section of
your plan should answer these
questions:
Product: What changes, if any, will
need to be made to your product?
Place: In which geographic areas
countries and citiesdo you want
to work?
Marketing Planning & Getting to Know Your Product
Module 2
Price: What is your income goal,
including benefits, upon securing
the job that you want? Within one
year? Five years?
Promotion: What promotional
tools will you be using to create
awareness for your product and to
persuade potential employers to
interview and hire you?
7. Implementation and Control
Here you list and describe the
specific actions that you will put
the marketing tactics into action.
Additionally, this is where you
identify the controls to use to track
the performance of your plan.
How will your product, place, price,
and promotion tactics be executed?
What checkpoints will you use
to monitor performance and
how often will performance
be measured? (e.g., number of
companies contacted by telephone
and number of first and second
interviews)
When and how will your plan be
adjusted?
Module 2
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