When you first set out on a journey with a map, you need to know where you are. If you don?t know where you?re starting from, you can?t work out the best route to your destination and you can?t determine how long it?s going to take you to get there.

The first thing you need to think about when you?re creating a Marketing Plan for your business is where your business is now. Knowing where you are at the start of this journey will help you plan the best route to your goals. It will also help you set your goals so that you can see the distance you?ve got to travel between where you are now and where you want to be. You might think that you?d like to take on 100 new clients in the next twelve months, charging each one £1000 per day for consulting or coaching. However, if you?ve only got two clients right now and you?re only charging £300 per day, you?ll have a lot of work to do to reach your goal. (Of course, if that?s the goal you really want to aim for, that?s great and knowing your starting point will help you plan the most effective way of getting there.)

So what is your business? What resources do you have at your disposal, to deliver your services to your clients? How long have you been doing what you do and what sort of reputation and experience do you have?

You also need to think about the products and services that you currently provide and be clear on what you offer, to help you decide the best direction to take. Are you delivering what your clients actually want and are you doing what you really want to do? Is there a demand for what you want to offer or are you doing something you only think people might want?

Who are your clients? What sort of people and businesses do you work for? Where are they and why do they need your help?

Finally, what about your competitors? Do you know who your main competitors are and what they do? How much do they charge and what makes you different from them?

Take the time to think about all these questions and the answers as they apply to your business and make sure you know the starting point of your business journey.

This is an excerpt from my new book about Marketing Planning, which will be published on 16 November 2011.  Pre-launch orders now being taken ? click here to reserve your copy.