From Business Plan Essentials: How to Write a Business Plan
Start with Purpose
Marketing exists to create qualified demand at a cost you can afford; sales exists to convert that demand into revenue at acceptable margins. Your plan should show how these two functions align with your model (Chapter 4) and market realities (Chapter 3).
Define Target Segments & Positioning
- Segments: who buys, why they buy, and what triggers purchase.
- Jobs-to-be-done: the outcome customers want, not just features.
- Positioning: the specific space you own in their mind (price, speed, quality, niche expertise).
- Messaging: 3–5 proof-backed claims you can defend with evidence.
Message frame: “We help [segment] get [outcome] by [unique mechanism], proven by [evidence], so you [business benefit].”
Choose the Right Channel Mix
| Channel | Strength | Core Metric | When to Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEO / Content | Compounding, high-intent | Organic leads / MoM | Considered purchases | Pillar pages, internal links, schema |
| PPC (Search) | Immediate, intent-led | CAC / Conv. rate | Proven keywords | Start with exact/phrase, negatives |
| Social (Paid) | Audience reach | CPL / CTR | New offers, retargeting | Creative testing, frequency caps |
| Email / Lifecycle | Nurture & retention | Open/Click/Reply | High LTV models | Segmentation, drip sequences |
| Partnerships / Referrals | Trust transfer | Referral rate | B2B & services | Rev-share, co-marketing |
| Events / Webinars | Authority, demos | Show-up → SQL | Complex sales | Lead capture + follow-up SLAs |
Set Budgets & CAC Targets
- Top-down: % of revenue for marketing (by stage/industry) to set guardrails.
- Bottom-up: channel forecasts using CPC/CPM, CTR, CVR to pipeline.
- CAC payback: target months to recover CAC from gross margin (e.g., <12 months).
- LTV:CAC ratio: aim for ≥3:1 where retention supports it.
Design a Repeatable Sales Process
- Lead → MQL: qualification criteria (ICP fit, intent signal).
- MQL → SQL: discovery questions, BANT/MEDDICC fields in CRM.
- Proposal / Pricing: option tiers, value proof, expiry dates.
- Close / Win–Loss: objection library, approvals, and sign-off flow.
- Onboarding: kickoff, SLAs, milestone plan; seeds retention & referrals.
Pipeline math: Revenue target ÷ ASP = deals needed. Deals ÷ close rate = proposals. Proposals ÷ SQL rate = SQLs. SQLs ÷ MQL rate = MQLs. MQLs ÷ lead rate = leads required.
Measurement & Governance
- Weekly: MQLs, SQLs, pipeline coverage, win rate, sales cycle.
- Monthly: CAC, payback, channel ROI, churn/retention.
- Quarterly: positioning tests, pricing experiments, new channels.
Brand & Creative Guardrails
- Consistency across website, deck, proposals, and onboarding docs.
- Proof-first copy: testimonials, case stats, logos, sample deliverables.
- Accessibility and mobile-first UX for all landing pages.
Download the Marketing & Sales KPIs Sheet
Track MQL→SQL→Win, CAC, payback, and channel ROI.