 YOU’VE BEEN WORKING FOR MONTHS ON YOUR MARKETING PLAN.
It’s polished to perfection. Now all you need is the green light. The meeting is set and you’re ready to wow — only you don’t. Your CEO became a CE-NO yet again. Sound all too familiar? That’s because it takes more than just a solid plan to sell to the corner office.
Know the big objective
What is your company trying to accomplish this year? Major revenue growth? Customer retention? Margin improvement? Get a firm grasp of your company’s main objective and start building around that. Also, consider what the CEO’s perceptions may be. If he/she is
a big proponent of one particular strategy or medium, be sure to make a note of it. It may be harder to convince him/her to choose a new approach.
Create a plan based on results
Forget the fancy graphs and pie charts — what C-level executives care about are ideas that drive results. Proven results. Measurable results. So before you even begin your plan, ask yourself these basic questions: Has it worked in the past? Will it have a direct impact on the bottom line? Can you measure it? Does it reflect the customer?
Get buy-in from the top
New information and ideas can be intimidating to a CEO, especially when there’s a cost associated. So, if possible, try to schedule an informal meeting a few weeks ahead of time to introduce any new concepts you may have. You’ll be able to gauge a reaction and tweak your final plan accordingly. Plus, you’ll also gain more
of a comfort level discussing the plan when it moves to the more formal stage.
Appeal to the background
Not every CEO is the same. Your approach shouldn't be either. If the CEO is more technical, you need to be more detailed.
If he/she is more financial, be sure to have all your numbers in order. Get to know your CEO’s background and discipline
and appeal to it.
Own it
Of course you want to be flexible. Of course you’d be willing to make changes. But in order to get CEO approval, or anyone’s for that matter, you have to
be confident and sure of what you present. After all, you’ve invested the time, research and energy to make this plan come to life. Now’s not the time to doubt it. |
| More money for measurable marketing |
Companies are increasing budgets for direct marketing, according to Blackfriars Communications, Inc. Two recent reports from the research consultants highlight this trend toward measurable marketing methods:
Marketing 2005:
Sizing U.S. Marketing
Firms plan to spend more than $200 billion on direct mail, telemarketing and e-mail marketing in 2005 — second only to advertising with $267 billion.
Blackfriars Marketing Index
First quarter 2005 indicates that advertising spending already fell to 24 percent from an anticipated 33 percent of budget.
In contrast, direct marketing exceeded its anticipated budget spending for first quarter, with 21 percent of budget.
For more information and to purchase these reports, visit www.blackfriarsinc.com.
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