Marketing and sales are critical to the success of a new firm since the firm normally starts without any customers. A new business must create a marketing and sales plan, which describes its target customers for its product offering. The plan should include a product position and a mix of price, product, promotion, and distribution channels that will attract and satisfy the customer. Gaining recognition and acceptance in a target market requires the following steps in sequence:
- Describe the product offering
- Describe the target customer
- State the marketing objectives
- Gather information through market research
- Create a marketing plan
- Create a sales plan
- Build a marketing and sales staff