Marketers often neglect one of the most essential ingredients to success.

They don't take the time to put together their plan. They know where they want to go, but they never sit down and map out how they're going to get there... They're like football teams without a game plan. Sometimes they fluke a victory but most of the time they play with chaos. If you want to continue to grow your business: You must have a plan. Your business should be planned like a well thought out sporting match. You may lose the odd match but you will win by the end of the season. Just as the well honed footballer prepares for all possible occurrences, you must be prepared to last through the slow times, and be just as prepared to capitalise on the times when it appears you can do no wrong. The *first* step on your mission to success is to discover who you are: Know your strengths and know your weaknesses. You'll never be truly successful until you've first made an inventory of yourself. Once you've decided who you are and listed your strengths and weaknesses, the next step is to determine how much money you have to bring to the game. Only use money you can afford to lose. As any professional poker player will tell you, "Scared money never wins!" Don't mortgage your house because you've got the million dollar sure-fire winner. You'll be worrying so much you will not think straight Take little bits of money you won't miss and test all the time. You will be less stressed and when your testing hits on the secrets to success you will be ready to capitalise. Once you have a winning formula invest as much of your money as you can into the business. If you're only using money you can live comfortably without, you should place 100% back into marketing, you'll have plenty of time to enjoy the fruits of your labors! The *final* step in your plan is to record everything. As all the top football coaches know the more you record the results and study, the better your future results will be. Don't rely on your memory, it does not work. Put some thought and effort into your plan and you'll be a step ahead of the competition.