Quite often I receive calls from new companies asking for advice. One of the first questions I ask the caller is "do you have a marketing plan?". In many cases the answer is a silence on the other end of the line... which tells me the answer is no!

I have found that many entrepreneurs think it costs a lot of money to develop a market plan... IT DOESN'T! You don't need a big staff or big bucks to create your plan. Often you will be able to devise a credible basic plan on your own with just a little bit of help.

The basic ingredients of any market plan are knowing your product and knowing who you want to sell to. Who knows the answers better than you? If you don't know you should stop here and go on to something else.

Once you have answered these basic questions there is much help available from books ( 12 Simple Steps to a Winning Marketing Plan, by Geraldine Larkin, Probus Publishing ,is a good one) that will guide you step by step in developing your plan to resources such as SCORE (Service Core of Retired Executives), community development groups, business incubators, and local college and university marketing classes. You might consider asking marketing classes to adopt your company's marketing plan and market research as a project. Most business schools are full of students looking for projects.

Check your local Chamber of Commerce for business building resources. Many of them sponsor a series of business building seminars at little or no cost.

Another good source of information comes from networking. Get involved in groups that consist of people who want to help entrepreneurs. The Southeastern Michigan area has a wealth of such groups. The New Enterprise Forum in Ann Arbor meets the third Thursday of each month at the Holiday Inn, US 23 and Plymouth road at 5:30 PM. The group consists of service providers and venture capitalists. The Southeastern Michigan Venture Capital Group in the Detroit area provides the same services.

Other groups that could be helpful are The Inventors Council of Michigan, 517-223-0573 and the Inventors Association of Metro Detroit, 810-772-7888. You should be able to get help in the form of ideas from all of these groups. You may even be fortunate enough to have your product and plans evaluated.

Don't forget community college continuing education programs or those sponsored by local school systems. Many have sessions on basic marketing.

I believe most persons are willing to help as long as you don't take advantage of the situation. Don't expect a full blown marketing plan in your lap. However, if you are willing to LISTEN you will be able to reap a harvest of valuable information.

Marketing consultants are an excellent source of help. Charges can vary from very reasonable to prohibitive. Rates are usually not an indicator of ability. If you use a consultant be sure to get agreement on exactly what you are getting for the fee? What services are included? Will the firm support you with additional services or will they give you a plan, take your money and disappear?

If you will take the time to do some basic research, you will find that a good marketing plan is affordable and within easy reach of anyone.