07 Marketing Sales Strategy

Marketing & Sales Strategy Skill

Overview

Generate Section 07 of the business plan: the marketing and sales strategy. Use this skill to show how the business will create demand, convert demand into revenue, and retain customers at sustainable economics.

Use When

• Use when drafting or revising the marketing and sales strategy section.
• Use when the business needs a concrete route from market awareness to repeat revenue.
• Use when customer acquisition, channel mix, pricing, and retention logic must be made explicit.

Do Not Use When

• Do not use without a clear offer and target customer baseline.
• Do not present a list of channels without conversion logic, budget discipline, or metrics.
• Do not rely on awareness tactics alone as a substitute for sales process design.

Required Inputs

• Product or service definition, target market, and competitive position
• Pricing model, channel constraints, sales model, and budget assumptions
• Country and audience context affecting buyer behaviour and media channels
• Any evidence on existing traction, acquisition costs, retention, or conversion rates

Workflow

1. Confirm the customer, offer, and commercial objective this strategy must serve.
2. Build the positioning, channel mix, and acquisition logic for the selected segments.
3. Define the sales process from lead generation to close, repeat purchase, and referral.
4. Attach budgets, KPIs, and expected economics to the plan.
5. Apply references/entrepreneurial-demand-and-brand-metrics.md when the plan needs a sharper demand-creation path, journey metrics, owned-audience logic, or first experiments.
6. If selling premium, high-ticket, luxury/affluent, executive, or enterprise offers, run meta-premium-go-to-market before finalising positioning, channel mix, lead generation, sales process, pricing, or retention.
7. If the strategy depends on a website, ecommerce, landing pages, SEO/content, online booking, portals, or web-based lead capture, run meta-website-investment-planning before finalising channel mix, website content, SEO, conversion assumptions, and budget.
8. When defining positioning copy, lead magnets, authority content, sales pages, outreach narratives, CTAs, or SEO/AI-search content, apply premium-commercial-writing.
9. Reconcile the strategy with capacity, pricing, and financial projections.
10. Flag where the plan depends on untested channel or conversion assumptions.

Quality Bar

• The strategy explains how leads are acquired, converted, retained, and measured.
• Channel recommendations fit the customer, budget, and country context.
• Sales logic and acquisition economics are commercially believable.
• The section supports the revenue model instead of sitting beside it.

Anti-Patterns

• Lists of social media channels with no buyer logic or budget.
• Sales strategies that assume demand appears without outreach, process, or ownership.
• Retention claims with no service, support, or loyalty mechanism behind them.
• Marketing costs or growth assumptions that conflict with the projections.

Outputs

• A finished or revised Section 07 marketing and sales strategy
• Channel, funnel, retention, and KPI logic tied to revenue assumptions
• Explicit commercial assumptions and follow-up questions for testing

Required Elements

Build the section from the compact checklist in references/section-07-output-checklist.md. Load deeper references only for the parts the plan actually needs:

• Use references/channel-budget-and-growth-frameworks.md for marketing evolution, pricing options, AARRR, channel selection, guerrilla tactics, small-business tactics, budget allocation, and growth-system discipline.
• Use references/sales-process-and-messaging-frameworks.md for gap selling, B2B/B2C sales process, founder-led sales stages, sales velocity, core dashboard metrics, and StoryBrand messaging checks.
• Use the specialist references below when the situation requires deeper method detail.

Generation Process

1. Ask for: business model (B2B/B2C/D2C), price point, primary channels, budget range
2. Position on Kotler's marketing evolution spectrum
3. Define positioning statement, USP, and strap-line
4. Build complete marketing mix (4Ps or 7Ps)
5. Map the AARRR funnel with specific tactics and metrics at each stage
6. Design digital channel strategy with channel selection rationale
7. Include guerrilla tactics for budget-constrained scenarios
8. For small businesses: apply Jarvis's three growth levers, alliance strategy, PR plan, and communication calendar
9. Allocate marketing budget by channel with ROI expectations
10. Define retention and upsell strategy including customer review process and complaint handling
11. Define the gap for each customer segment (current state future state, quantified)
12. Design the sales process appropriate to business type (B2C funnel, B2B Schiffman four-step process, Jarvis service selling, Gap Selling discovery, or Wes Lee persuasion)
13. For B2B: define the PIPA first meeting structure, pipeline ratios, prospecting cadence, and relationship progression targets
14. For startups: identify founder-led selling stage, plan sales team scaling progression, define ICP
15. Set measurable KPIs for each channel and funnel stage (including sales velocity)
16. Include marketing evaluation system with test-and-measure discipline
17. For businesses with promotional budgets: apply Hahn's testing hierarchy (list offer headline format copy) to all paid campaigns; include break-even response rate calculation
18. For service businesses: include an inbound/pull marketing plan referral machine (4 steps), article/speaking loop, niche positioning statement, press release schedule
19. Create a StoryBrand BrandScript one-liner one clear sentence: "We help [character] who [problem] [achieve result]"
20. Write the messaging foundation confirm the BrandScript is complete: villain, external/internal/philosophical problems, guide empathy + authority, plan, direct + transitional CTA, failure stakes, success vision, and identity transformation arc
21. Position the strategy against the business and customer lifecycle, growth ownership model, and macro conditions
22. Specify the attraction engine, conversion sequence, retention cadence, and referral trigger rather than stopping at channel selection
23. For product-led, SaaS, AI, platform, or digital businesses, define the growth loop, event data model, experiment cadence, activation metric, retention cohort, and product-qualified lead logic before accepting revenue assumptions.

Quality Criteria

• Strategy is specific to this business, not generic marketing advice
• Marketing evolution stage is identified with trajectory
• USP is specific, measurable, and differentiated from competitors
• Budget is realistic and allocated with ROI expectations per channel
• Sales process is defined step-by-step with conversion targets and pipeline ratios
• B2B sales includes PIPA first meeting framework, prospecting cadence, and relationship level targets
• AARRR funnel has specific tactics and metrics at each stage
• Online and offline channels are both considered
• Guerrilla tactics are included for budget-constrained scenarios
• All three growth levers are addressed (new customers, spend per customer, purchase frequency)
• Customer retention includes communication calendar, review process, and complaint handling
• Alliance and referral strategies are included for small businesses
• PR and expert positioning plan is defined for profile building
• Marketing evaluation system includes test-and-measure processes
• Metrics dashboard covers acquisition, retention, and revenue
• Attraction, conversion, retention, and referral logic are all explicit and commercially believable
• Gap analysis quantifies the current state future state gap for each customer segment
• Startup sales plans show stage-appropriate team scaling (not jumping from founder to VP Sales)
• Sales velocity formula is calculated for pipeline forecasting
• Lifecycle fit, growth ownership, and macro-condition adaptation are explicit
• Growth is presented as a system of loops, tests, metrics, and owners, not as a pile of campaign ideas
• Product-led or AI-enabled growth claims identify the user behaviour, data signal, experiment, and metric that will prove the claim
• All cost assumptions are stated and traceable
• StoryBrand one-liner is present and passes the 30-second repeat test
• Brand is positioned as the guide, not the hero customer is the hero
• BrandScript covers all three problem levels (external, internal, philosophical)
• Marketing copy identifies the villain and speaks to the internal frustration, not just the external fix
• Identity transformation arc is defined (From To)
• Any advertising copy uses the Benefit-Feature-Proof structure never leads with a feature
• AIDA + Conviction hierarchy is applied: attention interest desire conviction (proof) action
• Promotional plan includes inbound/pull tactics (referrals, speaking, articles, press releases) not only paid advertising
• For service businesses: a referral system and niche positioning statement are included
• Direct response elements (direct mail, WhatsApp broadcast, SMS) follow tested architecture: list, offer, letter, reply device

Book-derived additions

For institutional or public-health communication, load institutional health trust communication and retain qualified review for health claims.

References

• Marketing metrics and formulas: See references/marketing-metrics.md for comprehensive marketing measurement formulas, ROI calculations, channel attribution, and performance benchmarks from Farris
• Growth and digital strategy: See references/growth-strategy.md for AARRR funnel deep-dive, growth loops, digital channel playbooks, content strategy frameworks, and social media marketing approaches
• Guerrilla and small business tactics: See references/guerrilla-tactics.md for Levinson's guerrilla marketing weapons, fusion marketing, education-based marketing, guarantee strategies, and low-budget high-impact approaches
• Persuasion and sales process: See references/persuasion-sales-process.md for Wes Lee's 10-step professional persuasion sales process, 3-phase sales framework (Involvement/Qualify & Magnify/Urgency), WPNID qualification framework, 11 client thought patterns, 5-step objection transformation process, test closing techniques, closing strategies, referral systems, and customer psychology/buying triggers
• Small business marketing tactics: See references/small-business-marketing-tactics.md for Jarvis's 9-step marketing plan framework, three growth levers, niche selection criteria, USP development process, alliance and joint venture strategy, referral systems, PR and press release formula, expert positioning, cold call framework, proposal structure, communication calendar template, CRM discipline, marketing evaluation checklists, and low-cost high-impact tactic rankings
• Sales strategy and methodology: See references/sales-strategy-schiffman.md for Schiffman's four-step sales process, PIPA first meeting sequence, do-based questioning framework, prospecting and cold calling methodology (nine principles), pipeline ratio tracking, relationship selling levels (seller/supplier/vendor/partner), fallback prospect recycling, verification step, preliminary proposal technique, "does this make sense" closing approach, and sales process checklists
• Gap selling methodology: See references/gap-selling-methodology.md for Keenan's problem-centric selling framework, nine truth bombs of selling, current state/future state gap analysis, five-layer discovery question framework, gap equation, objection reframing through discovery, gap prospecting message templates, and sales forecast validation using gap analysis
• Startup sales playbook and scaling: See references/startup-sales-scaling.md for Kazanjy's four founder-led selling stages, Goliger's ICP definition framework, buyer psychographics, sales model selection (direct/inside/channel/self-serve), sales narrative structure, prospecting sequences, demo best practices, sales velocity formula, sales team hiring sequence, compensation structures, scaling stages from zero to UGX 5B+, customer success as revenue driver, health scoring, and sales outsourcing decision framework
• Customer acquisition and growth: See references/customer-acquisition-growth.md for Get/Keep/Grow customer relationships framework, Sales Roadmap (who influences/recommends/decides/sabotages), Organisation & Influence Maps, Product Positioning Statement (Moore template), Content Circle Framework, Five-Question Marketing Plan, Experiment-Based Marketing with 30-day cycles, email list building progression, and Law of 100 from Blank & Dorf (2012) and Kagan (2024)
• Social business and brand content strategy: See references/social-business-brand-strategy.md for the three-media model (paid/earned/owned), Hero Content Narrative framework, content channel strategy and tiers (Uganda context: Facebook/WhatsApp/Instagram/YouTube/radio), brand story inputs (9-factor model), content governance workflows, crisis escalation matrix, Social Business Value Creation Model, editorial governance checklist, employee advocacy principles, and content organisation structures from Brito (Pearson, 2013). Read when building a digital marketing strategy, brand story, or content plan for any Uganda business.
• Unconventional small business strategy: See references/small-business-unconventional-strategy.md for the Underdog Principles framework (Positioning/Proximity/Purpose), differentiation through experience (aesthetic/social/boundary interactions), value-based pricing step-by-step, Customer Decision Journey mapping, CAC analysis, Trust Equation (credibility/reliability/intimacy/self-orientation), Land and Expand upsell/cross-sell framework, bottleneck analysis, capacity utilisation, and redefining success from Kaza (Ideapress, 2025). Read when advising on differentiation strategy, pricing, customer loyalty, upselling, or operational efficiency for small businesses.
• Growth strategy framework Seven Degrees of Freedom (Umbrex, 2025): See references/growth-strategy-playbook.md for the complete Umbrex Growth Strategy Playbook growth mandate archetypes (protect/accelerate/expand/transform), time horizons (now/next/later), growth ambition scorecard (North Star + KPI tree), growth engine diagnosis (baseline decomposition, unit economics heatmap, cohort analysis, customer journey mapping, competitive context, constraint heatmap), McKinsey Seven Degrees of Freedom framework with degree briefs and proof standards, structured option generation methodology (ideation session design, mini-option format, one-page option memo template, confidence labels, quality gate), core growth options (pricing/packaging/leakage removal, lifecycle NRR levers, channel performance, commercial productivity), adjacent growth options (segment/channel adjacencies, geographic expansion, offer extension), option evaluation framework and portfolio design principles, test-and-learn stage-gate model, growth operating system governance, stakeholder alignment, and Uganda/EA adaptations (pricing architecture, mobile money, EAC regional expansion). Read when building a growth strategy, generating growth options, evaluating which markets/segments/channels to pursue, or designing a growth-led business plan section.
• Lifecycle-aware growth marketing: See references/growth-marketing-lifecycle.md for Rose Jia's growth marketing discipline business lifecycle fit, customer lifecycle fit, growth organisation design, resource allocation, and adapting growth strategy for downturn, boom, or stable economic conditions. Read when turning scattered tactics into a durable growth system or when a client wants long-term growth rather than one-off campaign ideas.
• Customer retention strategy and economics (Umbrex, 2025): See references/customer-retention-playbook.md for the complete Umbrex Customer Retention Playbook retention economics (GRR, NRR, LTV/CAC, CAC payback, logo churn), 10-step stakeholder alignment, 5-tier retention segmentation (structural/economic/behavioural/relationship/strategic), Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) 5-pillar framework, High-Value Account (HVA) template, 22 prioritisation matrix (Grow/Protect/Nurture/Streamline quadrants), customer journey mapping (5-stage spine), onboarding best practices, NPS/CSAT design, health score model, early warning indicators, 3-tier risk playbook (Watch/At-Risk/Critical), escalation path (Stages 14 with SLAs), Value Realization Framework, SMART KPI and Success Plan template, QBR 10-step guide, account coverage models (Pod/Named Portfolio/Tech-Touch), renewal pipeline process, upsell 11-step guide, cross-sell playbook, customer advocacy programme framework, and Uganda/EA adaptations. Read when designing retention strategy, onboarding processes, renewal management, account segmentation, customer health scoring, or cross-sell/upsell programmes for any business plan.
• StoryBrand SB7 Framework: See references/storybrand-framework.md for the complete BrandScript (character/problem/guide/plan/CTA/failure/success/transformation), one-liner formula, villain framework, three levels of conflict (external/internal/philosophical), guide positioning (empathy + authority), identity transformation table, before/after grid, StoryBrand Marketing Roadmap (website 5-step, lead generator, email nurture + offer sequence, transformation testimonials), Uganda/EA villain and aspirational identity examples, and 5 blog angles from Miller (HarperCollins, 2017). Read when building any marketing message, brand positioning, website copy, email campaign, or one-liner for any business.
• Sustainability marketing and green positioning: See references/sustainability-marketing-positioning.md for three sustainability marketing archetypes (Communicative/Opportunistic/Transformational), the three-layer purpose test, anti-greenwashing patterns table, five Uganda/EA green market segments (premium urban, institutional buyers, export markets, development partner supply chains, mass market), sustainability marketing channels, premium pricing framework (organic 2040% premium evidence), and EUDR export compliance alert (deforestation-free requirement for coffee, cocoa, timber exporters from December 2025) Source: Leleux & van der Kaaij (2019) and Sustainability Today (2022). Read when building a sustainability-differentiated brand, targeting premium or export markets, or verifying green marketing claims against greenwashing standards.
• DIY advertising and copy production: See references/diy-advertising-copywriting.md for Hahn's Advertising Contract (3 elements), Five-Step Message Hierarchy (AIDA + Conviction with failure-point diagnosis), Benefit-Feature-Proof structure, print ad and radio script production checklists (with Uganda FM station table), Direct Mail Package Architecture (5 components with WhatsApp/SMS equivalents), Direct Mail Letter checklist, Trade Show Booth checklist, Testing Hierarchy (list offer headline format copy; break-even formula), direct mail list strategy (RFM segmentation, hotline names), Yellow Pages / Google My Business display guide (Barry Maher's 10 Deadliest Mistakes), website copy principles, and Uganda/EA media mapping table (radio reach 73%, M-Pesa list, Facebook micro-testing from UGX 20,000) Hahn & Mangun (2003). Read when writing promotional copy, planning a direct mail or radio campaign, preparing for a trade fair, or designing any advertisement.
• Premium commercial writing layer: See ../premium-commercial-writing/SKILL.md, especially references/commercial-persuasion-patterns.md and references/seo-ai-search-visibility.md, when converting the strategy into positioning copy, premium messaging, lead magnets, sales pages, outreach, CTAs, blog angles, website content, or AI-search-friendly authority assets.
• Entrepreneurial demand and brand metrics: See references/entrepreneurial-demand-and-brand-metrics.md for demand creation, customer-journey brand metrics, owned-audience logic, and channel anti-pattern corrections. Read when the plan lists marketing channels but does not yet prove how customers become aware, interested, converted, retained, and referred.
• Competitive intelligence for marketing win/loss, shadowing, CSF, corporate reputation: See ../06-competitive-analysis/references/competitive-analysis-methods-fleisher.md for Win/Loss Analysis (structured post-sales debriefs to diagnose why deals are won or lost adapted for Uganda's relationship-based sales culture), Shadowing (competitor shadow market plan methodology), Critical Success Factors Analysis (8 identification techniques for CSFs that drive customer decision-making), Corporate Reputation Analysis (Reputation Quotient, media monitoring, stakeholder perception mapping), and Competitive Positioning Analysis Source: Fleisher & Bensoussan (FT Press, 2007). Read when diagnosing a declining win rate, building a competitive marketing intelligence programme, or establishing what customers actually value in this industry.
• Inbound marketing, PR, and self-promotion: See references/inbound-pr-self-promotion.md for Edwards & Douglas's Marketing Pyramid (pull model invest from word-of-mouth down), Referral Machine (4-step system), Networking Follow-Up System (card sorting, 90-day calendar), Article Marketing Loop (7-step write-publish-speak cycle), speaking as a marketing strategy (free-to-fee sequence with Uganda venues), press release inverted pyramid structure (5 paragraphs + newsworthiness criteria), feature story pitch (100-word letter rule, media kit contents), niche specialist positioning (generalist trap + positioning statement formula), special reports (5 "how-to" headline triggers), newsletter system (60/20/20 content formula), joint ventures and strategic alliances, relationship maintenance tactics, self-promotion identity tools (USP, naming, picture business card), daily marketing rhythm ("marketing hour"), Uganda/EA synthesis table, and combined 90-day low-budget promotion plan Edwards, Edwards & Douglas (1991); Pinskey (1997). Read when building an inbound marketing strategy, planning a PR or media campaign, designing a referral system, or creating a self-promotion plan for a service business.
• Kennedy/Brunson direct-response frameworks: See ../book-extractions/kennedy-no-bs-sales-success-extraction.md (23 Strategies, 6-Step Sales Process, Takeaway Selling, Positioning-Not-Prospecting, Lead Generation via "Welcome Guest Process"), ../book-extractions/kennedy-ultimate-sales-letter-extraction.md (28-step long-form, Power of a Sequence, Creative P.S., Hidden Benefit), and ../book-extractions/brunson-dotcomsecrets-ignite-extraction.md (Secret Formula, Value Ladder, 3 traffic types, 7 phases of a lead, Star-Story-Solution 35-beat script, Perfect Webinar, Soap Opera + Seinfeld email sequences). Read when building the sales section for a direct-response-driven business — info-products, coaching, masterminds, high-ticket services, info-marketing, e-commerce funnels, webinar-driven offers. Pair with meta-pricing-strategy for the pricing side of the same frameworks.
• Magnetic marketing system design: See ../book-extractions/kennedy-magnetic-marketing-extraction.md for the Message-Market-Media triangle, lead generation magnet discipline, attraction-conversion-retention architecture, micro-agreement sequencing, and systematic referral logic. Read when a plan has channels but lacks a commercial system.
• Niche-first startup positioning: See ../book-extractions/godin-startup-school-extraction.md for narrow-market focus, remarkability, tribe logic, and anti-generic positioning. Read when the offering sounds broad, undifferentiated, or aimed at "everyone".
• Growth, profit, disruption, and deeper-thinking systems: See ../../book-extractions/growth-profit-disruption-systems-extraction.md for growth engineering, remarkable growth systems, profit levers, transformation, creativity, AI/product growth loops, experimentation, and dashboard discipline. Read when a plan needs a repeatable growth engine, product-led growth, AI-enabled growth, profit improvement, or disruption strategy rather than isolated marketing tactics.

July 2026 Portable Contract

Required Inputs

Outputs

Evidence Produced

Capability and Permission Boundaries

For 07 marketing sales strategy, the controlling focus is buyer journey, message, channel evidence, funnel conversion, sales capacity, retention, budget, and stop thresholds. This skill may analyse commercial options and draft tests; it may not launch prices, purchase media, contact prospects, alter contracts, or promise outcomes without explicit authority. Its normal mode is read-only analysis and drafting. Any mutation, external communication, spending, certification, or professional conclusion outside that boundary requires explicit authority and must remain traceable to the approving role.

Degraded Mode

For 07 marketing sales strategy, loss of evidence about buyer journey, message, channel evidence, funnel conversion, sales capacity, retention, budget, and stop thresholds activates degraded mode. If the controlling 07 marketing sales strategy evidence is unavailable, the same boundary applies. When price, margin, conversion, or capacity evidence is unavailable, return a testable commercial hypothesis and cap the recommendation at pilot scale. Return the verified subset, label the affected decision qualified or not assessed, explain the downstream consequence, and state the smallest evidence request or authorised action that permits recovery. Do not convert the missing check into a pass.

Decision Rules

Workflow

1. Define the exact 07 marketing sales strategy decision, intended reader, jurisdiction, business stage, and permission boundary.
2. Collect icp, buying process, channel evidence, price tests, unit economics, and sales capacity and map each material conclusion to its source; stop the affected conclusion when an input could change it.
3. Apply the specialist methods and directly linked references already contained in this skill, retaining its domain thresholds, calculations, and Uganda or East Africa context where applicable.
4. Compare the credible alternatives, test the countercase and failure path, and apply the decision table rather than selecting a template default.
5. Produce marketing and sales strategy with channel budgets and conversion assumptions with the evidence, exception, and handoff records; reconcile every shared assumption with its owning section.
6. Run the section quality checks, applicable finance or professional review, and anti-slop gate. If a gate fails, correct the evidence or decision and return to the responsible step.

Quality Standards

• Marketing and sales strategy with channel budgets and conversion assumptions must answer a real decision for the named bank, investor, DFI, grant, board, or strategic-partner reader.
• Funnel model, channel experiment evidence, sales-capacity reconciliation, and budget trace must be source-linked, dated where facts can change, and sufficient for another reviewer to reproduce the conclusion.
• The section exposes its countercase, stop condition, recovery action, and effect on neighbouring sections.
• No unavailable source, calculation, tool, or professional review is reported as passed; finance and statutory judgements follow the governing doctrine.
• Language remains specific to 07 marketing sales strategy, uses British English naturally, and passes the repository anti-slop gate without promotional filler.

Anti-Patterns

• In 07 marketing sales strategy, treating an unavailable icp, buying process, channel evidence, price tests, unit economics, and sales capacity as confirmed. Correction: qualify the affected conclusion and issue the named evidence request.
• Producing marketing and sales strategy with channel budgets and conversion assumptions that restates the brief but makes no choice. Correction: record the choice, rejected alternative, rationale, countercase, and implication.
• Ignoring a conflicting upstream assumption. Correction: return it to its owning section and resume only from a reconciled version.
• Reporting an unavailable check as passed. Correction: mark it not assessed and narrow the release state.
• Claiming compliance, assurance, bankability, or investor readiness from narrative quality. Correction: run the applicable gate and retain its evidence.
• Copying the worked example into a client plan. Correction: use the method only and replace every fact with verified engagement evidence.

Worked Example

Paid social produces leads but sales records show partner referrals close faster and at lower acquisition cost. Reallocate the next test budget to the partner channel and retain explicit stop thresholds.

References

• Use the verified project evidence register and the owning upstream pipeline section for 07 marketing sales strategy; no local deep-dive reference is declared.
• For 07 marketing sales strategy claims involving money, tax, grants, reserves, revenue, cost, valuation, or financial statements, apply the Chwezi finance doctrine and record the required professional-review state; illustrative figures never become client facts.