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Global Business Plan, 2010
By Julian M. Combs
Global Strategy – 484
Dr. Miro Smriga
Contributors:
Alcatel-Lucent [Contributor 4 Title]
Hewlett-Packard [Contributor 5Title]
Juniper Networks [Contributor 6 Title]
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Table of Contents
Page 1
1.0 Marketing
Vision.....................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Gap
Dashboard .............................................................................................................................1
2.0 Ideal
Customer .......................................................................................................................................2
3.0 Remarkable
Difference ...........................................................................................................................2
4.0 Product/Service
Innovation .....................................................................................................................2
5.0 Lead Conversion
Plan............................................................................................................................2
5.1 Lead Generation
Plan ...................................................................................................................2
6.0 Service
Experience ................................................................................................................................3
6.1 Loyalty Product/Service
Offerings .................................................................................................3
7.0 Critical
Numbers .....................................................................................................................................3
7.1 Sales
Forecast ..............................................................................................................................3
7.2 Marketing Expense
Budget ............................................................................................................5
7.3 Key Marketing Metrics ...............................................................................................................
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1.0 Marketing Vision
Software Company has embarked on an ambitious plan to create new software products,
eCommerce Solutions Platinum eCommerce Solutions-scalable inventory software products.
The new products are scheduled to be released in Setember.
The product will reasonably price for the medium-sized businesses, and still be within the range
of entry level e-sellers. Software will receive 90% markup on each unit sold. It is projected that
Pursuit Solutions will sell 250 units by Month 2. It is projected that Software Company will
gross $1.5 million from sales the first year.
The objectives of Software Company are:
Establish the company as a leader in inventory software products.
Sales of $1.5 million in Year 1
Increase sales by 20% each year.
1.1 Gap Dashboard
We've set some goals for the company and our new products. They have been loosely
quantified in the following table. Each month we will see how if we have made steady progress
toward our goals, or perhaps followed a foxtrot path; slow-slow, quick-quick. The gap is
between planned and real results will help us direct future efforts.
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Table: Gap Dashboard
Gap Dashboard
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
Personal
Add Health Insurances to benefit package 0 yes yes
Hire Two Additional Employees 2 2 2
Personal 3 0 0 0
Business
Product Release and Updates on Time 0 yes yes
Sales Revenue Meets Plan $1,595,000 $240,000 $288,000
Business 3 0 0 0
Tactical
Monthly Direct Mailings 12 12 12
Monthly Emailings 12 12 12
Onsite Seminar or Webinar 6 6 6
Strategic
Six tradeshows/conferences 6 7 9
Become a MS certified provider 0 Yes Yes
Strategic 3 0 0 0
2.0 Ideal Customer
Our ideal customer is a manufacturing or distribution company who has to maintain 1,000 or
more inventory items. They have a staff of at least five other people and know that to be
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successful, everyone must be involved. They want a system that can keep everything organized
and cut out the need for dual entry. The business intends on increasing its product availability on
the Internet by more than 10% in the next year. Our customer has one common problem: they
want to make managing their Web store easier and less time consuming. This means that they
need one product that combines all of their processes, so rather than switching systems, they
have one central portal to keep track of all of their records.
3.0 Remarkable Difference
We can maintain 1,000+ SKUs, with no double entry.
4.0 Product/Service Innovation
Suspect: free case study, webinar, reports
Prospect: webinars, talking with a sales guy
Client: $15k-$35k
Premium Client: $50k - $100k
Champions: Suggest us to work with other companies
5.0 Lead Conversion Plan
We contact our mailing list once a week with articles that show them why they need to
upgrade their Web store. We also send emails once a month letting the prospects know what is
going on in the business, and where they can find us. If we have their phone number, we call
them once every couple of weeks to invite them to watch a live webinar, participate in a demo, or
discuss possibilities with a sales manager.
5.1 Lead Generation Plan
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Our advertising plan focuses on the large Microsoft events that happen each year. We want
people to come meet with us so that we can show them all of the benefits of working with us.
We also send out direct mail and email, all of which are tracked by the websites that they go to,
or reports generated when emails are opened. All of our tracking systems integrate together so
we can look at all of them at the same time.
Pie in the Sky offers subscribers business/investment analysis from motivated MBA
business students via Internet forums and hard-copy publications. Our five year projected models
indicate over one million dollars in annual revenue. Additional value-added services and cross
marketing initiatives could become accretive to our bottom line beginning two years out.
6.0 Service Experience
All of our current clients have an open line of communication with us. If they have any
questions or concerns, we are always available. One of the best ways to keep customer loyalty is
showing them why they should be loyal. If we provide great service and a great product, there is
no reason for them not to be loyal. We also have a great referral program for those who are so
happy with our results, that they refer another company to us.
6.1 Loyalty Product/Service Offerings
Loyal customers, especially ones who give us testimonials and word-of-mouth referrals,
receive either monetary rewards, or invitations to the events that we host for free. We also
recognize our larger clients at our Microsoft events.
7.0 Critical Numbers
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Our sales will be tracked using the same system that tracks our website visits and contact
requests. Since we tend to have a limited customer base with large buy-ins, the individual service
representatives will be responsible for reporting on transactions per customer and Platinum
versus standard solution ratios.
7.1 Sales Forecast
We project sales of the standard eCommerce solution and the Platinum eCommerce solution wil
remain roughly equal throughout the first year, with both categories rising from $30-50k per
month at the beginning of the year to $75k-$100k per month by the end of the year. We have
little direct cost of sales, since development and maintenance costs for the solution are accounted
for as personnel operating expenses and equipment purchases.
Table: Sales Forecast
Sales Forecast
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
Sales
eCommerce Solution $835,000 $1,002,000 $1,202,400
Platinum eCommerce Solution $760,000 $912,000 $1,094,400
Other $0 $0 $0
Total Sales $1,595,000 $1,914,000 $2,296,800
Direct Cost of Sales Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
eCommerce Solution $83,500 $100,200 $120,240
Platinum eCommerce Solution $76,000 $91,200 $109,440
Other $0 $0 $0
Subtotal Direct Cost of Sales $159,500 $191,400 $229,680
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Software Company Marketing Plan
Page 5
7.2 Marketing Expense Budget
There will be a monthly expenses associated with each month's direct mailing; the majority of
this expense goes into purchasing the mailing lists we need to target our suspects effectively. In
addition, we have irregular expenses related to preparing for and attending the conferences which
our prospects are likely to attend, and for rewarding customer loyalty.
Table: Marketing Expense Budget:
7.3 Key Marketing Metrics
Our goals are predicated on achieving a high conversion rate of our sales leads. We see the
first time, entry level buyer as our prime customer prospect so we will need to generate lots of
leads. If we can surpass our goals in sales leads we can, theoretically, convert a lower
percentage into customers as still meet our revenue goals.
Eliciting testimonials and encouraging word-of-mouth referrals will be important in generating
new leads.
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Table: Key Marketing Metrics
Key Marketing Metrics
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
Revenue $1,595,000 $1,914,000 $2,296,800
Leads 38,100 50,000 80,000
Leads Converted 40.00% 40.00% 40.00%
Avg. Transactions/Customer 1 1 1
Avg. $/Customer $1,500 $1,500 $1,500
Referrals 127 130 130
PR Mentions 6 0 0
Testimonials 21 25 25
Other 0 0 0
Mailing Lists
Direct Mailings
Conferences & Shows - booth an Customer Loyalty Rewards Other
$0
$10,000
$20,000
$30,000
$40,000
$50,000
$60,000
$70,000
$80,000
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$90,000
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3
Annual Expense Budget
Appendix
Table: Sales Forecast Sales Forecast
Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9 Month 10
Month 11 Month 12
Sales eCommerce Solution 0% $30,000 $40,000 $50,000 $55,000 $65,000 $70,000 $75,000
$80,000 $85,000 $90,000 $95,000 $100,000
Platinum eCommerce Solution 0% $30,000 $35,000 $40,000 $45,000 $55,000 $60,000
$65,000 $75,000 $80,000 $85,000 $90,000 $100,000
Other 0% $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Total Sales $60,000 $75,000 $90,000 $100,000 $120,000 $130,000 $140,000 $155,000
$165,000 $175,000 $185,000 $200,000
Direct Cost of Sales Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8
Month 9 Month 10 Month 11 Month 12
eCommerce Solution $3,000 $4,000 $5,000 $5,500 $6,500 $7,000 $7,500 $8,000 $8,500 $9,000
$9,500 $10,000
Platinum eCommerce Solution $3,000 $3,500 $4,000 $4,500 $5,500 $6,000 $6,500 $7,500
$8,000 $8,500 $9,000 $10,000
Other $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Subtotal Direct Cost of Sales $6,000 $7,500 $9,000 $10,000 $12,000 $13,000 $14,000 $15,500
$16,500 $17,500 $18,500 $20,000
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Table: Marketing Expense Budget
Marketing Expense Budget Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7
Month 8 Month 9 Month 10 Month 11 Month 12
Mailing Lists $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000
$1,000
Direct Mailings $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000 $3,000
$3,000 $3,000
Conferences & Shows - booth and attendance $15,000 $0 $0 $0 $15,000 $0 $15,000 $0 $0 $0
$15,000 $0
Customer Loyalty Rewards $0 $2,000 $0 $2,000 $0 $2,000 $0 $2,000 $0 $2,000 $0 $2,000
Other $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Total Sales and Marketing Expenses $19,000 $6,000 $4,000 $6,000 $19,000 $6,000 $19,000
$6,000 $4,000 $6,000 $19,000 $6,000
Percent of Sales 31.67% 8.00% 4.44% 6.00% 15.83% 4.62% 13.57% 3.87% 2.42% 3.43%
10.27% 3.00%
Appendix
Table: Key Marketing Metrics
Key Marketing Metrics
Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9 Month 10
Month 11 Month 12
Revenue $60,000 $75,000 $90,000 $100,000 $120,000 $130,000 $140,000 $155,000 $165,000
$175,000 $185,000 $200,000
Leads 100 200 400 800 1,600 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000
Leads Converted 40.00% 40.00% 40.00% 40.00% 40.00% 40.00% 40.00% 40.00% 40.00%
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40.00% 40.00% 40.00%
Avg. Transactions/Customer 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Avg. $/Customer $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500 $1,500
$1,500 $1,500
Referrals 0 0 1 2 4 8 16 16 16 16 24 24
PR Mentions 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0
Testimonials 0 0 1 0 2 0 3 0 4 0 5 6
Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Appendix
Table: Gap Dashboard
Gap Dashboard
Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 Month 4 Month 5 Month 6 Month 7 Month 8 Month 9 Month
10 Month 11 Month 12
Personal
Add Health Insurace to benefit package 0 0 0 0 yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes
Hire Two Additional Employees 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
Personal 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Business
Product Release and Updates on Time yes 0 0 yes 0 0 0 yes 0 0 0 yes
Sales Revenue Meets Plan $60,000 $75,000 $90,000 $100,000 $120,000 $130,000 $140,000
$155,000 $165,000 $175,000 $185,000 $200,000
Business 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Tactical
Monthly Direct Mailings 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
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Monthly Emailings 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Onsite Seminar or Webinar 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0
Strategic
Six tradeshows/conferences 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 0
Become a MS certified provider 0 0 0 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Strategic 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1.3 Mission
Our mission is to tap into the brightest young minds of today and tomorrow by empowering them
to research the trends, themes, and technological advances that are prevalent among
college students and decipher how these phenomena translate into the investing dynamics of the
stock market.
1.4 Keys to Success
The following is a list of crucial steps in which we will take:
1. Recruit qualified college students from around the country and properly integrate their
research into our services.
2. Ensure that the content we publish is truly original and unique in all aspects.
3. Convince investors and interested readers of the quality and differentiated content of
our service.
4. Market our concept to institutional interests at the collegiate level and in business
to ensure that more than just individual subscribers endorse it.
5. Retain existing subscribers and persuade them to recommend our service to others.
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6. Keep our costs minimized to ensure self-sufficiency and longevity in all operations.
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Executive Summary
Our Mission:
Our mission is to tap into the brightest young minds of today and tomorrow by empowering
them to research the trends, themes, and technological advances that are prevalent among
college students and decipher how these phenomena translate into the investing dynamics of the
stock market.
Description of the Business Concept:
We will offer bright, motivated college students who are passionate about business and
investing a forum to gain real business experience by empowering them to analyze trends,
themes, and companies and write about them outside of the classroom. The original thoughts and
ideas of these business-minded Pies in the Sky will be available on the Internet at our website:
[Link] in the [Link] and in a hard copy newsletter printed quarterly and mailed to
subscribers. We are an informational publishing company which provides analysis citing key
trends in various industries to our subscribers. The Pie in the Sky's focus allows students to
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discuss business matters most relevant to them and their Wall Street analyst counterparts’ current
market and product trends, social issues, and general stock market dynamics and decipher how
these phenomena translate into current investment opportunities. Our analysts are independent
from the biases created due to the investment banking relationships between traditional Wall
Street firms and their clients. Interested readers from across America will be able to access the
collaborative findings of The Pie in the Sky by subscribing via the website for a monthly fee of
$12.95 or $129.95 per year. This flat fee includes unlimited access to our online database,
including email interaction with our analysts, as well as our quarterly newsletter, which provides
the top articles and analyses in a printed form.
Opportunity and Strategy:
The founding partners will rely upon their own investment wisdom and perspicacity as well
as that of their network of peers from other schools from across the country to create the initial
knowledge base. This foundational base will be used as a marketing tool to encourage motivated
students from any university to submit their own original investment ideas to be considered for
publication on the website and newsletter of The Pie in the Sky. We believe that motivated
students will flock to this opportunity to gain exposure and honor through publication on the
website as well as in the quality periodical without the need for other monetary compensation.
Judging from the quality of investment analyses submitted we would look to recruit additional
full-time writers and compensate them accordingly. As our subscriber base continues to grow, so
will the number and quality of articles submitted by students.
The Pie in the Sky has a range of possible recruitment and implementation methods including
the Internet; promotion via official college and university newsletters and magazines; with
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business and entrepreneurial departments at other schools; and lastly, through friend and family
networking and support.
Target Market:
Subscribers of The Pie in the Sky will be motivated to gain exposure to the pulse of
collegiate America. The Pie in the Sky's target market consists of:
1. Business professionals who enjoy a multitude of information sources.
2. College students with business, finance, or marketing interests.
Competitive Advantage:
Our competitive advantage is twofold:
1. There is currently no other investment publication that taps into the collective collegiate
intellect.
2. We will appeal to motivated college students who are frustrated with the lack of response
and organization of internship programs at large corporations.
• Our internship would be offered during the school year as well as during the summer.
• Because our internship would be performed electronically, students will not need to
relocate nor arrange for lodging.
The Pie in the Sky's uniqueness stems from its planned creation of an elite team of
college students who embody America's most technologically savvy and dynamic generation of
youth. College students of today command more respect from business professionals and society
at large than ever before. With the incredible success stories of college entrepreneurs such as Bill
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Gates, Michael Dell, and Sean Fanning, everyone seems to have an interest in the pulse of the
collegiate America.
Economic Potential:
Our five year projected models indicate over one million dollars in annual revenue.
Additional value-added services and cross marketing initiatives could become accretive to our
bottom line beginning two years out.
Management:
Both founding partners, Julian Combs and Dr. Miro Smriga have unique resumes and
background experiences. They each bring to the table distinct personal qualities that will
complement one another as they manage and grow their business.
Dr. Miro Smriga is majoring in finance and is ranked in the top 5% of his class. His past
experience includes being mentored under the guidance of two hedge fund managers in Japan.
Dr. Miro currently serves as the Co-fund Manager of the Investment Club at school responsible
for approximately $400,000 in assets. Dr. Miro has been managing his own personal funds in the
equity markets since the age of 14. His future plans after graduation entail working in the
Investment Banking industry for a short duration and then attending graduate school.
Julian Combs is on track to receive a dual degree in finance and government. Julian, enrolled
in the Honors Program, scored a 1500 on the SAT exam and is currently ranked in the top 10%
of his class. While at school, Julian has been extremely active in the business arena and has
directed business-consulting presentations to the Credit Suisse First Boston investment banking
firm as well as BT Company and Iona Company in Ireland consulting firm already. Julian has
received over 30 prestigious awards in academics and athletics over the past few years. Julian
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currently serves as the Co-fund Manager of the Investment Club responsible for approximately
$400,000 in assets.
The Offering:
We propose to offer a large minority stake in The Pie in the Sky in exchange for our desired
financing to cover start-up costs associated with promotion of our services, and business
infrastructure. We are open for negotiations.
Risks:
While any start-up company investment necessitates a high degree of risk, we are committed
to using any funds received conservatively and wisely. However, The Pie in the Sky is an
Internet company. We are an informational publishing company which provides services citing
key trends in various industries to our customers. We have decided to utilize the Internet for
distribution purposes because it is the most cost efficient method.
1.1 100 Word Summary of Business Venture:
The Pie in the Sky is an informational publishing company whose focus allows exceptionally
bright students with business/investing interests to discuss business matters most relevant to
them and their Wall Street analyst counterparts’ current market and product trends, social issues,
and general stock market dynamics and decipher how these phenomena translate into current
investment opportunities. Our analysts are independent from the biases created due to
the investment banking relationships between traditional Wall Street firms and their clients.
1.2 Objectives:
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We will offer bright, motivated students who are passionate about the stock market a forum to
gain real business experience by allowing them to analyze companies and write about them
outside of the classroom.
Our objectives for growth in our subscriber base are as follows:
Year: 1 2 3 4 5
Service Subscribers: 500 1,500 4,500 6,000 7,500
1.3 Mission:
Our mission is to tap into the brightest young minds of today and tomorrow by empowering
them to research the trends, themes, and technological advances that are prevalent among
college students and decipher how these phenomena translate into the investing dynamics of the
stock market.
1.4 Keys to Success:
The following is a list of crucial steps in which we will take:
1. Recruit qualified college students from around the country and properly integrate their
research into our services plus college student already in Anyplace in Ireland.
2. Ensure that the content we publish is truly original and unique in all aspects.
3. Convince investors and interested readers of the quality and differentiated content of
our service.
4. Market our concept to institutional interests at the collegiate level and in business
to ensure that more than just individual subscribers endorse it.
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5. Retain existing subscribers and persuade them to recommend our service to others.
6. Keep our costs minimized to ensure self-sufficiency and longevity in all operations.
Also a business must consider these things below in order to have success business.
“Getting the product in front of the customer once you get the product into the right country is
another piece of the puzzle to be solved. Following is a list of considerations the business must
consider when working on getting its products in front of potential customers: As Paul Rux has
stated in his book and college work the below items are example for you to get a business going.
• Distributor Does the business hire an independent distributor? If you do hire an
independent distributor, you must ensure that you get a reliable distributor that will do
exactly what you wish to have done regarding getting your product in front of the
customer.
• Sales Representative Does the business hire a sales representative in the country where
it plans to conduct business? If your answer is “yes,” be sure to find a reliable sales
representative who doesn’t have a conflict of interest between your product and another
product he represents. Very few sales representatives represent only one product.
• Exclusive Agency Does the business hire an exclusive agency to move only its product
excluding any of the current or potential competition? You really need to be a large
company or have a huge market for your products in order to handle the expense of an
exclusive agency. Very few companies use exclusive agencies.
• Non-Exclusive Agency Does the business hire an agency that specializes in a specific
industry? This type of agency will distribute many products to the same or different
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locations. Again, you need to be certain the agency doesn’t have a conflict of interest
between your products and another company’s products.
“The business must consider in its business plan which of these distribution channels is
the most appropriate for distributing its products. Each must be carefully considered in
order for the business to choose the most cost-effective distribution channel.”(Paul Rux,
2010).
“Choosing the most effective method to trend is no easy task. There are many reporting
agencies producing trends in almost every industry known in business. There are trending
agencies advertising in magazines, others who publish articles that “sell” their methods, and
experts who almost always for “a small fee” are willing to share their insight in this complicated
business. A business plays a guessing game when choosing the best way to monitor trends.”
(Paul Rux, 2010).
References:
Vantage Point (August 11, 2010); Vantage Point Intermarket Analysis Software
[Link]; Retrieved on August 11, 2010 from website:
[Link]
siteurl=tradertech&service=1&main_url=%2Fmc0805lb%2Fmeetingcenter%[Link]
%3Fsiteurl%3Dtradertech%26main_url%3D%252Fmc0805lb%252Fmeetingcenter
%252Fmeetingend%[Link]%253Fsiteurl%253Dtradertech%2526ishost
%253Dfalse%2526NM%253DJulian%252BCombs%2526AD%253Djuliancombs
%[Link]%2526STD%253D1
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Paul Rux, August 11, 2010; Theme 1: Alignment of Cultures and Value Systems with Planning
And Managing Global Strategy Retrieved on August 11, 2010
[Link]
Paul Rux, August 11, 2010; Theme 2: Universal Values--a Basis for Business Cooperation
Across the Globe, Retrieved on August 11, 2010 from website
[Link]
Paul Rux, August 11, 2010; Theme 3: Techniques for Using Culture as a Basis for Planning and
Managing Global Strategy; Retrieved on August 11, 2010 from website
[Link]