Workshop Participants Learn the Role a Marketing Plan Serves in Running a Competitive Business

Participants of Clay Nelson Life Balance's upcoming "What's Next" Workshop will have a unique opportunity to examine the value of having a marketing plan and take stock of the costs of running a business without one.

Santa Barbara, CA (PRWEB) August 10, 2007 - For many business owners, marketing is one of those business issues that we would often rather not bother with. Sometimes it may seem that marketing books are just chock full of nebulous theories and principles, and venues for marketing can be expensive, or doubts can arise over their return on investment (ROI) value. Clay Nelson Life Balance is pleased to announce the availability of the Marketing Workbook, a set of tools designed to break down these preconceptions, and make writing a marketing plan an enjoyable, eye-opening and rewarding process.What are the costs of not having a marketing plan?Without a written, up-to-date marketing plan, a company will waste valuable time and resources struggling to find the answers to key areas of business intelligence such as knowing where one stands with the competition, what makes their products and services popular with customers, and trying to figure out why they sometimes fall short.

• It doesn't matter how good a company's product or service is. If people do not know it exists, how can they be expected to purchase it?
• A marketing plan is not just a look at where and how to advertise and what to spend advertising. A good marketing plan will examine target markets, size up the competition, highlight strengths and weaknesses, and perhaps most importantly define what exactly it is that the company produces or provides, and what it wants to get from marketing.
• Without a written marketing plan, a company and its team will be lacking guidance in nearly every aspect of running a business, from managing cash flow to research and development to production.

The good news is, when it gets right down to it, marketing a product or service is really a common sense venture brought together with creativity, ingenuity, and fun."There is no better way to get your creative juices flowing than to have fun using your imagination when writing your marketing plan," business coach Clay Nelson explains. "This is your marketing plan, after all--a plan that, when complete, will provide you and your team the direction it needs to get what you want from your marketing efforts."Taking on a 'life is hard' approach to marketing is no way to gain support from your team. Don't be staring down a dark tunnel when it comes to designing your company's future--think BIG, and have fun doing it!"Nelson is often asked by his coaching clients to assist them as they examine what are traditionally known as the Four P's of Marketing: Product, Price, Place and Promotion. Participants of Nelson's upcoming What's Next Workshop in Santa Barbara, California on September 29-30, 2007 will have access to the tools contained in the Marketing Workbook, as well as others addressing business planning and how to use the power of accountability to keep on track with goals and objectives, whether they be personal or work-related.The Marketing Workbook is available from the Clay Nelson Life Balance web site as a PDF download, or as a printed and bound edition. Two companion volumes, the Business Planning Workbook, and the Accountability Workbook are also available.Clay S. Nelson founded Clay Nelson Life Balance to teach individuals and businesses how to set goals, target what impedes their achievement and implement plans that attain extraordinary results. Understanding the desire to be more than just comfortable in this life, Clay Nelson Life Balance delivers innovative programs to assist companies and individuals in reaching the success they wish for.For more information on the What's Next Workshop, the Marketing Workbook and Clay Nelson Life Balance products and services, please visit https://www.claynelsonlifebalance.com/products.htmlSee the full version of this press release at http://www.prweb.com/releases/marketing/book/prweb543119.htm