Three Steps to Special-Sales Planning
Brian Jud
There are many ways to make a publishing firm succeed, but there is one sure way to make it fail — conducting business without a marketing plan. That is especially true when operating in the special-sales arena, since this is usually foreign territory for most independent publishers. Here, a strategic plan is like a compass, constantly pointing the way to profitability.
First, put the planning sequence in perspective. It begins with your business plan, the overall document that is comprised, among other things, of your financial plan, facilities plan, personnel plan and marketing plan. Your marketing plan contains your general strategies and specific tactics for product development, distribution, pricing and promotion. Your special-sales plan is simply a subset of your marketing plan.
A special-sales plan is made up of three complementary sections that are not mutually exclusive, but mutually dependent parts of the total planning process. The first sets direction, the second describes overall strategy, and the third lists the actions you will take to implement your strategies and reach your objectives.
Brian Jud is the author of Beyond the Bookstore (a Publishers Weekly book) The Marketing Planning CD, a series of booklets, Proven Tips for Publishing Success, and the Marketing Wizards. You can reach him at P.O. Box 715, Avon, CT 06001; (800) 562-4357; brianjud@bookmarketing.com and http://www.bookmarketing.com
