A marketing plan gives you a basic guide for your marketing for the year.

By looking at your marketing 12 months at a time you can plan for seasonal and holiday promotions, work to combat any traditionally slower times for your company, and keep your business supported by always having at least one or two forms of marketing working for you.
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There are so many options for marketing your business.

Should you write articles?  Publish an ezine?  Blog?  Get on Twitter?  Facebook?  LinkedIn?  Distribute flyers?  Mail out postcards?  Hold workshops?  Present workshops or speeches?  Do in person networking?  Network online?  Do joint ventures?  Radio ads?  Contests?  Teleclasses?  Work with charities?  Write a magazine column?

It’s important to know yourself and to acknowledge who you are and what you enjoy when you create your marketing plan.

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Your mindset towards marketing has a direct impact on:

* your satisfaction with your business

* the number of clients you find and keep

* the quality and quantity of the products and services you offer

* your sales – your bottom line

* how fast your products “fly off the shelf”

* how prospective customers and current clients view you, your business and your products and services

* whether you meet your sales targets and objectives

* your personal growth and lifestyle

* your opportunities for having affiliate and joint venture partners

* how fast you grow and your company grows

Like anything in life, your attitude shapes your actions and therefore affects your results.

Read these statements and see how many have crossed your mind or passed your lips:

* I’m not smart enough to learn that marketing tactic

* My business isn’t very special

* Who am I to think people will want to listen to me

* I doubt that I’ll be a very big success

* It’s too hard to market

* I don’t think I’m going to make enough money

* I’m not a good enough speaker, writer (fill in the blank)

* People won’t like my products or services

* I don’t want to be a pest

* I can’t sell

* There isn’t enough time to market

If you have a negative attitude towards marketing, don’t understand it, don’t feel confident about marketing, it will definitely impede your ability to attract and retain clients, and ultimately make money.

There is a chain reaction that occurs:

…if you have a negative attitude toward marketing, chances are you will market poorly or not at all

…if you don’t market, people won’t know about you, your products or services

…if they’ve never heard about you, you can’t sell them your services

…if you’re not selling anything, your business isn’t going to be successful

…if your business doesn’t succeed, where does that leave you?

You need to have a positive attitude towards marketing, or at the very least you must have a willingness to market yourself and your business.

With willingness you’ll start marketing and from there you will gain confidence and comfort in marketing by being able to see positive results such as recognition, money, the phone ringing, people signing up for your newsletter, etc.

You’ll move from willingness to actually wanting to market and maybe, just maybe, even enjoying marketing!

Jody Gabourie Marketing Plan Queen helps small business owners get into marketing action fast with done-for-you products and services such as her Ready Made Marketing Plan ebooks. To learn more about how she can help you attract more clients and grow your business, and to sign up for her FREE ezine, articles, and special report: 5 Massive Mistakes Businesses Make with Their Marketing Plan, visit her site at http://www.MarketingPlanQueen.com