Quick Start Guide

Overview

Marketing Profit Plans (MPP) is a versatile toolkit of Excel templates to build marketing plans focused on bottom line profits.

• Plans are created for two types of marketing:
  • Web Pay Per Click known as PPC
  • Direct Marketing: Direct mail, space advertising or special event programs.
• Plans can be setup three ways for both DM and PPC:
  • A single advertisement
  • A series or combination of up to 15 single plans
  • A plan of up to 199 segments with product and operational parameters all the same but each segment having unique parameters like DM response rates or Pay Per Click budgets.

To Install MPP

MPP runs on top of Microsoft Excel. Before starting MPP, be sure the Excel Options are set to allow macros to run. You do this at File /Options /Trust Center / Trust Center Settings/ Macro Settings/

Click the bottom choice: “Enable VBA macros (not recommended; potentially dangerous code can run)”

Before Starting

Create a new folder to contain MPP.xlsm

MPP plans can be printed or can be saved as new files or PDF’s. We recommend you place the MPP program in a new folder where you can add other new folders below it to store plans.

Create a few folders under the MPP folder to contain workbooks and PDF’s that MPP creates. A hierarchy of folder names based on how you manage campaigns or ads. Folder examples are Google PPC, Customer DM, Outside List DM, Publications, Dates, Tests, etc.

Start Up

Place MPP in the folder for it. Double click on MPP. It will open to a beginning tab. The second tab is DM Plan. Click that and you are off and running,

Once MPP is opened, if you open or create another Excel Workbook, it will not have all the controls on the ribbon and there will be no headings.

To use another Workbook side by side with MPP, open the other Workbook first.

Using MPP

The workbook sheet tabs and plan types MPP creates are:

DM Plan – Direct Marketing – a double page with plan and analytics based on response rates.

DM Plan Multi – Similar to DM Plan without analytics and up to 15 separate plans totaled. Note Multi is a large sheet and to help navigation and fitting screens has a toggle button to turn zoom on and off.

DM Group – Similar to DM Plan but with 3 to 199 rows for segment source codes. Note, the example sheet in MPP and the data in the sheet are for example only. To create a DM Group sheet, use the worksheet controls to choose how many rows (3 to 199) to set up a new external worksheet. The new worksheet name will end with a dash (–) so you can change the name. The process will also ask you to select the folder to hold the new worksheet. (That is why a folder organization plan will be helpful.)

PPC Plan – Web based Pay Per Click – single page.

PPC Plan Multi – Similar to DM Multi Plan but focused on PPC parameters.

PPC Group – The same style as DM Group but focused on PPC parameters.

On every plan, the first field is for a plan number. Because MMP is such a good what-if tool, you might use a prefix to the number like WF (for what-if) and FP (for final plan) as a prefix to a number. After you make a few plans and get used to the software you might want to make a hierarchy to plans organized.

Important: None of the plans are saved or stored internally when you close MPP. You can save Single and Multi plans as  PDF’s or print the sheets. Group sheets are set up as new Excel workbooks, so they are savable. But every time you start MPP, the templates are in a blank state.

Starting a new plan

On every plan, the first field to fill in is a plan number. Because MPP is such a good what-if tool, you might use a prefix to the number like P (for real, final plan) and WF 9 for a what-if. After you make a few plans and get used to the software you might want to come back to this topic to keep your work organized.

If a cost field is not appropriate for a plan, the field can be left blank or a zero can be inputted.

The basic structure of the plans is the input variables are all above the horizontal dotted line midway down the sheet. Everything below that double line are calculations that result in an Income Statement and other information.

The open input fields are white. All other fields are protected and light grey. The entire workbook is protected so the formulas and features like printing or creating a PDF cannot become corrupted. The Excel ribbon features are also disabled in MPP.

You close MPP by clicking the upper right corner X. There is no “File Save As.”

The Glossary

The Glossary is a sheet in the workbook and explains all the input field numbers and calculations. A separate PDF copy is included with the software zip file. This is for reference as you fill in the fields.

A word about accuracy.

The MPP Income Statement accuracy is completely dependent on the input numbers. You can use ball park estimates when you first start planning, but please start researching the actual cost and expense numbers to input in the data fields. We recommend starting that research as soon as possible. But before investing actual advertising money based on the MPP Income Statement calculations, be aware of the accuracy of the inputs.

To get a feel for how MPP works and how easy it is to create a plan, for your first plan we suggest you use ball park numbers.