Frequently Asked Questions
eAre there updates for the license or an annual charge?
There are no annual fees. Licenses are for a perpetual term. A short-term trial is also offered that only opens five times. Although it is a trial, it is full featured and can create any number of plans.
Are there support fees?
MPP is constructed to be simple and is very robust. There is nothing we know of that can disable it. So, we do not provide extended support. But if you encounter any issue, simply send us an email and we will respond quickly, Email service at marketing-profit-plans dot com.
If Excel comes out with a new version, will MPP still work?
Since Excel 2019, Excel 2021 and Office 365, Microsoft no longer releases Excel in discrete versions. MPP requires the 64-bit version of Excel, which started with Excel 2010, so any version after that will work. Going forward, MPP should be compatible with any Excel changes as it was built on Office 365.
Is there an Apple Macintosh version?
Sorry, no.
How complex is the setup of MPP?
You can be planning in just a few minutes after you download MPP. The software program, glossary and a Quick Start doc are in the download zip file. Just click on MPP and it will open using Excel. It’s that simple. Quick Start shows you how to be sure you have enabled Macros in Excel so MPP can run. Quick Start also recommends you start a new folder for MPP and give thought to folders below MPP in which to store new plans.
What happens to Excel when MPP runs?
When MPP starts, the traditional ribbon and other controls are hidden. This is to protect the formulas and operations. This also makes MPP very fast and easy to use. Note: If you want to use Excel at the same time you have MPP open, you must open a standard Excel workbook first.
Must I complete every field in a plan for calculations to work?
No, some fields, like Plan Number, Description, Group Number, Product SKU, are descriptive and for keeping plans organized. Also, not all cost inputs are needed to calculate Income, as some cost factors might not apply. For example, if your product has no packaging cost that field can be left empty.
The fields that are needed to create a sale are numbered and shown below for Direct Marketing and Pay Per Click.
s?
Does MPP handle services as well as products?
Yes. You simply use “Product” as a service. Other key drivers can be used in the same fashion. Be careful though, as Returns impact heavily on the Income, especially if returns are high. This is because many outbound sale costs still apply to all the returned sales and are not deducted from Income on a return. Examples are credit card fees. The fees paid to your processor are not refunded so those costs still apply. Same for distribution expense and others.
We recommended that if you think your product (or service) may have high returns, that you “what if” the various levels of impact on the P&L. MPP will tell you!
How can I know the correct cost and other numbers to input?
It is important to input numbers that are as accurate as possible to calculate an accurate Income Statement. But it is OK to start with estimated numbers or assumptions. Especially when doing preliminary planning. If the results have potential, then the inputs can be researched to make the Income Statement more accurate.
Does MPP replace other Pay Per Click management software?
No. Marketing Profit Plans comes before Pay Per Click management bidding and management. Those are tools like SEMRUSH, Google Ads, SerpStat and the like. They are useful for traffic counts, key word checking, competitive activity and managing bidding.
MPP what-iffing can tell you the maximum you can afford to pay for a click given a specified conversion rate from click to sale and the underlying key cost inputs that determine profit. The Multi template goes further. In PPC advertising it is rare that someone clicks to order on the first visit. Usually, there is a lead generation follow-up process that follows after the first click is captured. MPP Multi allows you plot up to 14 steps in follow up efforts with cost and conversion results for each to forecast each step and how it affects the combined bottom line.
It’s been our experience that PPC leads – and direct response leads – come in widely varying quality depending on the source quality, offer and other details. That is why it is important track leads using key codes that track back to the original source/offer.
Can you provide guidance on how to use MPP?
The “Guidance” tab leads to the start of a collection of posts we are building. Be sure to add yourself to the update list to be notified as new posts are added. We are expanding the information base continually.
We also provide Consulting Services through our sister site, https://stuartdm.com
How many users can MPP serve at a time?
Since MPP runs on top of Excel, only one user at a time can use it. You can order additional copies if your operation is a complex enterprise and run different segments on separate PCs. The structural design of MPP can be converted to use a SQL Server back end to drive multiple front ends and store all data in a SQL database.
How many plans can one person make on MPP in a day?
MMP runs extremely quickly. One person can easily create dozens of plans a day. Any bottlenecks might come from researching true product and operational costs, but once those are established the input is fast. Similarly, advertising expenses need to be researched but when those variables input quickly also. The most time spent comes in strategy development of new approaches and creatives to test.
Do you offer customized versions of MPP tailored to our needs?
Yes, we can do that but need details of what you want to give you an estimate. Please fill out the below form to get the conversation started.
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