Ag Sales & Marketing Name _____________________________

Mrs. Sanchez Date ________________ Period _______

Marketing Plan Project Guidelines

Objective:
Students will be selecting an agriculture business and then creating a new product, supply or
service for that business to market. There are two portions of the project – (1) written plan and
(2) oral presentation. This project will be completed in groups of 2-3 individuals as determined by
your teacher.

Purpose:
This project is designed to help students with developing practical skills in the marketing process
through the development and presentation of a marketing plan.

Due Date: (written plans AND presentations due that day)

To Get Started:
1. Select an agricultural business that serves the community and decide on the product,
supply or service that you will focus on for your marketing plan.
2. Emphasis should be placed on the “value added” concept using marketing techniques too
increase the value of products or services.
3. A marketing plan deals with the future. Historical information is very valuable, but the
actual plan must be a projection. Marketing plans may vary from 1-10 years, depending on
your client and type of product or service.

Written Plan Outline:

1. Analysis of Market – “Where are we now?” “Why were we hired?”

 Industry trends
 Buyer behaviors
 Competition’s strengths & weaknesses

2. Business Proposal – “Where do we want to be?”

 Goals – must be measurable, attainable, specific and have completion date
 Target Market – identify specific market segments to target to reach goals

3. Strategies & Action Plan – “How and when will we get there?”
 Product attributes – size, quality, service, etc.
 How will you distribute and sell?
 What will be the price structure?
 How will you promote your products? Which promotional activity or combinations
of activities are appropriate for your product or service? How much promotion can
you afford?

4. Projected Budget – “How much will it cost to get there?”

  What will the strategies cost?
 Calculate the financial return of the marketing plan

5. Evaluation – “Did we get there?”

 Specific measurement tools to measure the accomplishments of the goals at the
end of the time period
 Recommendations for future action

Format of the Written Plan:

 Title page – project title, team members’ names, class/period, date
 Marketing plan – minimum of 4 pages; maximum of 7 pages
 Appendices – graphs, promotional pieces, etc. not to exceed 3 pages
 1 inch margins on all sides
 12 point Arial font

Oral Presentation Guidelines:

 Each team will be allowed 5 minutes to set up.

 A presentation between 10-15 minutes should be planned and given.

 The presentation will be followed up by 5 minutes of clarifying questions, with at least one
question for each member of the team.

 The audience of the presentation will be the top management of the agribusiness. The
team should assume the role of a marketing consultant.

 Visual aids are only limited by your imagination. Scoring will be based on how effectively
visual aids are used, not how elaborate they are. Remember that visual aids should
enhance and clarify what the speakers are saying; not replace them.

Points Possible:

Written Plan – 60 points possible Presentation – 50 points possible

Analysis of Market – 15 points
Business Proposal – 10 points
Strategies & Action Plan – 15 points
Projected Budget – 10 points
Evaluation – 10 points
Marketing Process – 20 points
 Demonstrate understanding of the 5 parts
of the marketing plan
Effectiveness of the Presentation – 20 points
 Organization, professionalism, effectiveness
of visuals, adherence to guidelines
Questions & Answers – 10 points

My partner for this project will be: ____________________________________________________