In this hands-on white paper, Professor Malcolm McDonald lays out a step-by-step process for turning business ambition into measurable revenue and profit plans. Based on frameworks used in boardrooms around the world, this approach blends commercial realism with strategic discipline, using simple diagrams to expose gaps and define opportunity levers.
Malcolm makes the case that without a gap analysis framework, most planning efforts become vague wish-lists rather than grounded strategy. This guide helps organisations avoid that trap.
Core Process: The Seven-Step Model
- Step 1 – Set Your “Must” Objective: Define your minimum revenue/profit target 3 years out
- Step 2 – Forecast the Trend: Project what will happen if nothing changes
- Step 3 – Close the Gap with Productivity: Improve customer mix, pricing, calls, discounts, etc.
- Step 4 – Market Penetration: Drive additional growth in existing product/market combinations
- Step 5 – New Products: Estimate revenue from new product development
- Step 6 – New Markets: Consider entering new geographies or verticals
- Step 7 – New Products in New Markets: The riskiest, but sometimes necessary, move
Gap Analysis Made Visual
- Revenue and profit gap diagrams built into each stage
- Figures and templates provided to calculate the size of the opportunity vs. risk
- Links every stage back to the Ansoff Matrix — but through a commercially applied lens
Strategic Takeaway
- You can only plan seriously when you’ve quantified the shortfall and the levers available
- The process distinguishes between revenue and profit planning — both must be modelled separately
- True strategic planning starts before the marketing plan — it sets the boundaries for it
Quote
“It most definitely is not a strategic marketing plan… that is the purpose of the marketing plan itself.” – Professor Malcolm McDonald
Download the Full White Paper
This summary outlines the seven-stage process — the full PDF includes templates, worked examples, and an expanded version of the Ansoff Matrix for growth planning.