Identifying and meeting market needs is critical for your venture to succeed.  The ability to communicate the existing market opportunity is necessary in attracting capital.  Also, identifying the competition and determining your position in the market facilitates go or no-go decisions. The SBTDC can help you estimate the potential size of your market, describe its characteristics, define key market segments, identify ways to approach the market, and help you to clarify the direction for your marketing efforts. The staff can provide an array of marketing services including:

Market Research and Analysis

Planning is the foundation of any successful business. In fact, strategies such as market segmentation (identifying specific segments within a market) and product differentiation (creating an identity for your product or service that separates it from your competitors) is impossible to develop without a thorough understanding of your customers, competitor activities and market trends. We have the tools to assist you in performing this critical step in the business planning and commercialization process.

Marketing Plans

Marketing plans identify your key market segments and define the work that will be done in order to create sales. This plan should provide you with a clear direction for your marketing efforts in the near- and long-term.  Your marketing plan should research your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, (i.e., a SWOT analysis).  This process can be challenging and most often requires an outside view to fully assess.  The SBTDC can provide that perspective as well as develop the necessary research information and recommend a marketing direction.

Service Fees

Typically, the SBTDC staff members coach clients who are preparing their own marketing plans.  However, should you decide to have SBTDC develop and write the plan for you, fees are as follows:

First draft of plan (up to 12 man-hrs)........................   $500 (secondary research only; terms as specified in letter of agreement)
Hours in excess of first draft of plan (per man-hr).......    $50

Counselors monitor the hours and apprise the client periodically of various charges to ensure there are no surprises at the completion of each project.

For more information concerning marketing plan development and review services, please contact Barry White at (573) 341-4562 or e-mail us.