Analyzing Business Plan Presentation and Feedback: Insights on Marketing Strategies and MBA Standard

Generally, in the academics of any MBA postgraduate program, there is a scope for presenting a business plan. However, it is more complex to create a business plan. Here is my business plan that may assist you in making your own plan.

The company name is LAssoc, short for L-Associated Hard Drive. This product incorporates the latest technology and falls into the category of innovative products.

Take a look at it, and if you have any doubts, feel free to post them here.

Dear Mohan Shashank,

Neither have you given your marketing plan nor have you included sales/marketing costs in your price breakdown. How can any product be sold by itself? What about transportation? How will you sell the product? Through dealers? Then where is the dealers' margin? This is a major loophole in your business plan.

Thanks,
Dinesh V Divekar

Dear Dinesh Divekar,

Please note that this is just a sample and a glimpse of the business plan which is more useful to the people who are doing their MBA and cannot be taken as a whole plan that is going to be helpful for an entrepreneur.

Coming to the marketing/sales cost, please note that the cost of each device used to manufacture the product includes the marketing/sales cost. Also, please note that the company may have direct marketing or dealership which can be denoted under the post-sales tab.

Not mentioning the transportation costs does not mean that the product will be sold by itself. Please go through the PPT again so that you can find a fixed cost segment where you can find other fixed costs, including the transportation costs.

Please review the PPT again and let me know if there are any doubts.

Regards,
Mohan Shashank
Corporate HR Trainer and HR Associate Recruiter
Bangalore

Dear Mohan Shashank,

Before I wrote my comments, I had gone through the PPT that you had attached. Business planning subject is close to my heart. I have given consulting services to my client in the Gulf who wanted to make a business plan for selling hearing aid instruments. Please read my paragraph-wise comments in blue font.

Please note that this is just a sample and a glimpse of the Business plan which is more useful to the people who are doing their MBA and cannot be taken as a whole plan that is going to be helpful for an entrepreneur.

Whether sample or otherwise, the structure of the business plan does not change. The average business plan has the following components:

Part I: Foreword
Part II: - The Executive Summary
Part III: - Introduction to the Business
Part IV: - The Product
Part V: - The Market
Part VI: - Costing, Pricing and Sales Forecast
Part VII: - The Marketing Plan
Part VIII: - The Manufacturing Plan (Trading Plan if the product is not manufactured)
Part IX: - Organisation and Staffing
Part X: - Financial Forecasts - Revenues, Cost, and Profitability

Now I recommend you do an audit of your business plan with the above parts and find out what is missing in it.

Coming to the Marketing/ sales cost, please note that the cost of each device used to manufacture the product includes the marketing/ sales cost. Also, please note that here the company may have direct marketing or a dealer, which can be denoted under the post-sales tab.

No venture capitalist or financial institution will accept your plan if you include marketing expenses in the manufacturing itself!

Here by not mentioning the transportation costs, it does not mean that the product will be sold by itself. Please go through the PPT again so that you can find a fixed cost segment where you can find other fixed costs, including the transportation costs.

Where is the breakup of the fixed cost? On slide 12, what you have mentioned is a small component of the fixed cost. How can anyone assume that transportation cost is included under this heading? Is the word 'transportation' itself not there in your business plan? Secondly, in your business plan, 62% is "other fixed cost." How can it be so high?

Please go through the PPT again and let me know if there are any doubts about that again.

If I start raising my doubts, these could increase further, and we will get caught in its whirlpool. The basic requirement is market research. You have not done any market research to show that there is a need in the market for your product! What doubt can I have further?

These are my honest comments. You may not like them. However, whether to accept my feedback graciously or not is your call.

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar
+91-9900155394

Dear All,

I have read the discussion between Mohan Shashank and Dinesh Divekar with interest. As a retired academic who has supervised business plans of undergraduates (our MBAs did not have to produce a business plan), I totally agree with Dinesh Divekar's observations. Mohan Shashank should have added a note that the presentation was incomplete and does not meet the standards required of an MBA student's work. In one of the institutions where I worked, it would not even meet the standard required of an undergraduate.

Have a nice day.

Simhan

Dear Mr. Mohan Shashank,

It was an interesting presentation, but quite simple. After having gone through Mr. Dinesh's comments, I too learned a few more things about sales, though I started my career as a sales promoter and I am aware of this process, which is critical and all about numbers because it's a number game only.

No one is perfect in this world, and we all need to update our knowledge as learning is a continuous process. One thing is for sure, I have been following Mr. Dinesh for a long time, and I found his replies very practical, revealing his research-oriented activities, practical experience, and appreciable knowledge he has acquired.

The way Mr. Dinesh narrated with precision, any MBA student will digest the sales process, marketing plan, including business plan. Please share as much information as you can, with an aim to spread knowledge. Since learning is a continuous process, "learning to lead" should be every trainer's motive.

Have a nice day.

With profound regards

Dear Dinesh Divekar,

Thank you for the comments, and I will update the plan as you said and with the standards devised by the experts over here. Thank you for the precious suggestions and comments.

Yes, Khadir, I will do the same.

Thank you all.