Creating Objectives for the New Year from SPAN's Marketing Plan Workbook
by Scott Flora

Objectives are what you want to accomplish, and by when. Objectives have two parts. The first is a clear and quantifiable task. The second is a deadline. Objectives can be big, such as “I want to retire in ten years with the same income I have now.” Or they can be smaller, like “I want to buy stamps at the post office before lunch.”

Many times in the planning process you will create objectives, large and small. In this section you are being asked to develop objectives for your sales, profits, and budgets. Although these objectives should be specific with an outcome and deadline, it is important to realize they can (and probably should) change as you move through the planning process.

Note: In this workbook, the concepts “objectives” and “goals” will be considered interchangeable.

Develop Objectives

Develop objectives in the general categories of sales, profits, and budgets. In a later chapter, you will develop objectives for specific marketing projects.

Complete these sentences (or write your own):

Sales

I want to sell __________________ units

by ______________ (date).

Profits

I want to generate $ ______________ in profit

by _______________ (date).

Budget

I want my marketing budget to be $ ________________

during this time period _______________ .

Write additional objectives pertaining to your specific situation
(sales, profit, and budget).

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Get the Word Out

It's important that your team members are all on the same page. Print up your objectives and discuss. Plan your year toward meeting these objectives.