ABSTRACT
When the decision has been made to adopt the Marketing philosophy and the necessary research and realignment has been carried out, the next step is the preparation of the Marketing Plan which is to form the basis of one's operations. This chapter emphasizes the necessity for the Marketing Plan to be fully and completely worked out and written down. In order to ensure that the implementation of the Plan is efficiently carried out, and soundly judged, it is very desirable that there be incorporated as an integral part of it an automatic checking system. In other words, there should be written in as the Plan is being prepared such actions and provisions as will result in a steady flow of data being received from the moment that the Plan goes into action. In preparing a marketing plan, it is important that aims are set in concrete terms, rather than in general concepts such as 'increasing sales'.
