Week 3 Project

Implementing the Marketing Plan

Even the best written marketing plan in the world will be a failure if it is poorly implemented. In fact, the effective implementation of a marketing plan is as important as its design. This is the reason why the implementation strategy, often referred to as the action plan, needs to be designed as a part of the marketing plan from the start. To do so, it is essential to identify the people who will actually be responsible for the plan's implementation and include them in the development of the plan as early as possible. There are actually three reasons for doing so.

The �rst reason for including the people who will �nally implement the plan has to do with the fact that these individuals are very aware of the organization's current business environment and opportunities because usually they are already working with suppliers, retailers, advertisers, and customers. Thus, they are very aware of the organization's current business environment and opportunities. This ensures the plan will be grounded in reality.

The second reason for including the individuals who are going to implement the plan in its development is because doing so provides them with the bigger picture of what the plan is trying to accomplish so they better understand their speci�c part and its importance. This insight becomes critical in the implementation since it makes them sensitive to any changes in the business environment that may impact the success of the plan and enables them to quickly adapt the plan to those changes.

The third reason for including these individuals is it results in "buy-in" to the plan. Since these people have had an active role in the development of the plan, they will be more motivated to make it succeed.

Choosing and implementing a rock-solid marketing strategy is probably the single most important factor contributing to the long-term sustainable success of any business venture. Yet, most businesses don't have one. Even businesses that do have a strategy often do not implement it one hundred percent. Small businesses that have the vision to create a dynamic, customer-focused marketing strategy, and the determination to put it into practice, usually have the competitive edge.

Read more at this link implementing-a-marketing-strategy/ ( http://www.cbsnews.com/news/implementing-a-marketing-strategy/)

Additional Materials

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