If you were going on a road trip by car in unfamiliar territory and you had a specific destination in mind, and limited time and resources to get there, most people would not argue the wisdom of taking a roadmap on the trip, with specific directions on how to get from where you are now to where you are going. Ideally that roadmap would not only give you the big picture and directions for the trip, but would also tell you the quickest way to get there and provide important information that you need along the way - like the location of gas stations.

A helpful roadmap would tell you where to expect traffic jams and major construction, and let you know the best times to travel to avoid delays. If you did have to take an unexpected detour, such a roadmap would be malleable and tell you the quickest way to get back on your intended route from wherever you are. It would serve as a travel guide and highlight special sights and places that you are interested in visiting along the way. A smart roadmap would show you where you could find mandatory provisions en route - accommodations, food, car repairs, medical services, etc. If it was a very smart roadmap, it would provide the relative costs of those essential services and supplies at key locations, so you could plan ahead and make smart decisions on where to stop and what to buy there in order to minimize your expenses.

In short, a smart roadmap would provide the tools and guidance necessary to make your trip enjoyable, ensure that you do and see everything that you want to experience, and give you the direction necessary to end up at your desired destination, on time and within budget.

While few would argue the good sense of having a smart roadmap on such a trip, many companies do not take the time to put together a successful Master Marketing Plan for their business trip to success, believing that it is a waste of time, or that the company’s limited resources are better spent on activities that are directly related to daily operations. Small businesses, in particular, seem to find it hard to allocate the resources and time necessary to create a Strategic Master Marketing Plan, even when that plan is the key to the success or failure of the business. As a small business owner, I know only too well how difficult it is to step back for the big picture when you are busy fighting forest fires on a daily basis. No matter how hard it is to see the forest for the trees, it is imperative that you do so.

A sound Master Marketing Plan (MMP) is the smart roadmap for your business, and the key to business success. It is a chart to your destination, and your guide in strange lands. If you do not know where the business is now, where it is headed, and what to expect along the way, not only will you have a hard time getting to your desired destination before your resources run out, you will have a hard time knowing if and when you have arrived.

In our next blog entry we will take a look at the benefits of having a well thought out Master Marketing Plan in place, and show even the most entrenched fire fighter that an aerial view can make all the difference in the world.

Stay tuned for more opinionated blog posts by Anna Porter and George Porter at Lake Oswego Consulting Group!

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