SWOT analysis as a strategic planning tool was described in 4 easy steps in the previous post  SWOT Analysis in 4 Steps. The steps described in that post are:

• Step 1: Scanning External and Internal Environment
• Step 2: Internal and External Analysis
• Step 3: Constructing SWOT Matrix
• Step 4: Defining Strategies.

Every business is different and because of that there are different needs in implementation of every type of analysis. This template for SWOT analysis is two sheet template.

On the first sheet as on photos below are first three steps: scanning environment, classifying the external and internal factors into strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats and constructing the SWOT matrix. Internal factors go to strengths and weakness whilst external factors go to opportunities and threats. In the SWOT Analysis – 4 Steps I have noted the basic questions that will guide you through this process of first two steps in the SWOT Analysis process.

SWOT Analysis Template - The Matrix

On the second sheet, we make the last step of this process – defining strategies. As we noted in the previous post, there will be four different strategies:

• S-O Strategies (Strength-Opportunities Strategies). These strategies should take advantage of opportunities that fit the strengths of the business.
• W-O Strategies (Weaknesses-Opportunities strategies). These strategies should enable it to overcome the weaknesses of the business while we utilize the opportunities.
• S-T Strategies (Strength-Threat Strategies). These strategies should allow the use of strength sides, while eliminate or reduce the threats from the environment.
• W-T Strategies (Weaknesses-Threats Strategies). These strategies should allow the elimination of weaknesses and preventing external threats to reach exact those weaknesses of the business.

SWOT Analysis Template - The strategies

You can download this template: SWOT Analysis Template (Right Click and Save Target As).

One of the rules of entrepreneurs is to manage current business operations and prepare for the future business operations. This preparing, include some predictions or forecasting the future trends where the business will operate. Sales forecast is a simple prediction of the future sales of products or services that offer some business. This sales forecast is a starting point of financial projections. Sales forecast is based on past selling performance of the products or services and other factors that can have influence on the selling as unemployment, inflation rate, market trends, interest rates, spending patterns of customers and potential customers…

Sometimes one of the most important things of the businesses that differentiate one successful business from another average is a good prediction of the future. However, forecasting the future is not a simple process because it is something that has not happened or something that should happen in some next period of time. Therefore, we must compare our predictions with the actual situation to be able to make corrections in the other business elements based on the sales forecast. This is because most of our future decisions will be based on this forecast.

With precise sales forecast for the next year entrepreneur:

• Can know customers demands for specific products in the next period of time;
• Can make better allocation of financial and other resources;
• Can use it as a starting point for business planning;
• Can use it in marketing planning;
• Can create real budget for the next year;
• Can plan next business investments;
• Can use it in the cash flow calculation;
• Can plan future employment;
• Can plan costs to be less than sales income;
• …

Here is one sales forecast template that can be used for this purpose. It is designed so that we can see sales about specific products or services in the current year and use them to predict sales for next year.

You can download this template: Sales Forecast Template (Right Click and Save Target As).

In one of our earlier posts, we write about a marketing calendar. A marketing calendar must be part of any successful marketing plan. Simply, a marketing calendar is a 12 month description of what you plan to do about your marketing efforts as an entrepreneur.

As we say in that post:

The marketing calendar is important because it:

• helps you to measure every marketing effort for the period,
• helps you to track marketing costs,
• helps you to improve your marketing efforts
• helps you stay focused.

The template that you can download from this post obtains all important elements of a marketing calendar that will help you to measure efforts, track costs, improve marketing efforts and to stay focused.

The template has seven columns that comprise:

• Marketing activity. Put all marketing activities that you plan to perform for your business.
• Target market. How much persons has that target market? Put the number. For example, 1,000.00 persons or 10,000.00 persons.
• Costs. How much will be costs for that marketing activity?
• Period of time for the specific marketing effort.
• Number of potential customers. How much persons you touch with that activities. Put the number. For example, 100 persons or 1,000.00 persons.
• Results. What are the results for that marketing campaign? Put the number. For example, 10 customers or 100 customers.

With this marketing calendar, you will be able to measure all your marketing weapons that you use for attracting new customers. On the other hand, you can improve them because you will exclude all activities that don’t bring the results – customers.

You can download this template from here.

Analysis of your competition is something that must be performed on constant basis. You must know what is positions of your business in relations to crucial competitors. That analysis must result in concrete steps for improvement of your business. With right analysis and concrete improvements of your business in correlation with your competitors you can constantly add fresh business potential energy into your business.

What is competitive analysis?

Competitive analysis is identifying of your most important competitors and then evaluating their positions according to different business factors. After that, you must compare their positions in correlation with your businesspositions and produce concrete future steps to improve your business.

I make one template that will help you in performing this analysis. There are 14 different factors for comparing with your business and 3 free fields about other factors that you think is important. The basic comparative factors included in template are:

• Years of existence
• Location
• Products or services
• Quality
• Price
• Additional services
• Warranty in years
• Business reputation
• Sales funnel
• Sales team
• Marketing
• Finances
• Credit policies
• Image.

The results of analysis you can use in:

• Business plan
• Marketing plan
• Decision making process
• Improvement activities.

Download free template!

You can download this template for free here.

Previous we have two posts about creating leads database and case study for the cosmetics store that create leads database. This database will help you to manage your leads and marketing activities connected with that leads.

I made one template that can be used as lead’s database. One sheet of this template is for one person that is a lead, a prospect or customer. You can look at this template here:

In the template is obtained all elements that we explain in the earlier post about lead’s database. Besides contact details in the form, you can record all previous, current and future marketing activities that are connected with that person. Also, there is one combo box for all marketing activities where you can measure an impression for specific marketing activity. You can choose one from three different options: Low, Average and Good impression. This field can help you with evaluation of each marketing activity that you do for a specific person. When you collect all that impressions from different leads you can see what is effects from some marketing effort. With this information, you can stop with marketing efforts that don’t give results. In this way, you can continuously improve your marketing calendar. This will bring continuously increasing of business potential energy of overall business.

You can download this template for Leads Database from here.

After one series of posts about sales funnels where you can read about the basics of sales funnel, improvements and metrics of the sales funnel, I want to present one template that you can use to plan the sales and marketing activities that will change the metrics of the sales funnel. I make one template that will calculate the results and will give directions for activities that you must accomplish to reach wanted income for the analyzed year. Sales funnel planning template will give you the number of customers that you must  have at the end of the sales funnel and the number of prospects that must have at the beginning of the sales funnel.

The input parameters in the template

Following parameters you can input into the form:

• Current year.
• Conversion rate of the sales funnels. This is the percentage of the buyers from prospects that enter the sales funnel.
• Average buying of one buyer. This parameter present average dollar that spent one buyer in your business.
• Planned Income. What income you want to have at the end of each year?

The output parameters

When you finished with input of the parameters you will get following metrics:

• How much customers you must have to realize the planned income?
• How much prospects must enter  the sales funnel to that will make an amount of customers that will bring planned income?

Examples

• The year is 2009. Conversion rate of the sales funnels is 3%. Average sales are $500 that will increase annually for $50. Planned income in the first year is $100.000,00 and want to increase 10% on annual level. The results that we will receive from the template are:

• Let’s see what will be the results if we improve the conversion rate from 3% to 5% and improve average buying to increase for $100.00 on annual level.

You can see that with improving the conversion rate for 2% and average spending of money from buyers you will obtain the same income results but with 50% smaller number of entered prospects into the sales funnels.

You can download this template for FREE from here. More FREE templates coming soon!

In previous post, I have written about a business idea book. This book is something that will make you to be more effective when you want to come up with more and more quality business ideas. This book, also present a basis for next step – analysis and choosing the best business idea to start.

I’ve made one template for a business idea book that will help you to be more organized when you’re trying to choose the best business idea. You can look at this template here:

As you can see the template contain 6 different fields that you must  fill out::

• The name of idea. Here you can place the name of the business idea that comes up in your brain. For example, Toys Shop. This name will differentiate this business idea from another one. You can have the second business idea as Web Toys Shop and so on.
• Description of the idea. One business idea is based on three questions – Which, What, How. First level of a business idea is which business you want to start. This can be retailing, wholesale, manufacturing, consulting, and so on. Second level of a business idea is about subject of the business. What you will sell. And third level of a business idea is how you will sell that products or services. Briefly answer on this question and place that answers into the form. For example, The business idea is starting retail store that will sell the best toys on the planet and will provide free shipping to home for every child.
• Current market practice. In this field, you must  take some considerations about market that will be covered with this business idea. You don’t must make big analysis to complete this field but simply answer on some questions about the target market and main competitors. The purpose of this field is to have some basic directions for market research if you choose this business idea.
• Future activities. In this field give some next step if you plan something about this business idea. This will make you more focused of the next task about each business idea that you will choose for the next level of a business startup process. You can leave this field blank, but if the next field – possibilities of realization are great I recommend to fill this field.
• Possibilities of realization. This is one combo box where you can choose three options: great, medium and low possibilities. Think about possibilities of realization of these business ideas. You can have business ideas that have low possibilities to start because of money that is needed for that startup. Don’t fill with great possibilities if you cannot start that business in some real period of time.
• Quality of idea. This field will tell you what business ideas must be improved before you go with future consideration. You can choose three different options: great, medium, lower quality of that business idea.

You can download this template from here.