By Tracy Schneider On paper, marketing may be just one of many elements of a company's plan, sandwiched between sections on financing and management. But it carries a weight all its own.
Marketing is the heart of the organization.
It's what keeps it alive. Small business owners, so strapped for time, often find it difficult to sustain marketing strategies they initially adopted-attending professional association events, meeting with colleagues for lunch and keeping track of sources when they change jobs. Always on the phone dealing with one problem or another, they rarely make an effort to reach out to current clients or prospects, relying entirely on them to maintain contact. And though these tactics take time, without marketing there may be no business at all. Here are six steps to putting together a foolproof marketing plan.