In your business, you may not always get what you plan. But when you don't plan, you almost certainly won't end up getting what you want.

I've met or talked with at least a dozen small business owners who have gone into this year with no marketing plan - same as they did last year.

The one marketing tool you should not be in business without is a marketing plan. Without a marketing plan, I would submit that you are simply leaving the success or failure of your business up to chance. Without a plan, too many small business owners end up taking a "Flavor of the Month" approach to marketing.

Is your marketing planned or do you employ the "Flavor of the Month" approach?

The "Flavor of the Month" is a great idea for an ice cream shop. But, it's a terrible approach to small business marketing. If this is the approach you're taking, it seriously limits your chances for any real growth.

Because so many small business owners go into each year without a marketing plan, it's far too common to see them taking this approach to marketing. In a desperate attempt to generate more business, each month brings a new marketing campaign that rarely has anything to do with the previous month's ill-conceived campaign. This kind of a random, episodic approach simply doesn't work.

"I'm not a flavor of the month marketer," you might be saying. But, if you don't have a marketing plan, I'd be willing to bet you're either practicing the flavor of the month or you're doing the same old things you've always done. And the same old things get the same old results.

Let me say it again. Without a marketing plan you really don't stand much of a chance of achieving real business growth.

It's not too late to create a marketing plan that will put your business on the path to success this year. Stop working on the flavor of the month right now and work on your marketing plan. Even a simple, one-page plan will be better than the one you're not using today.

Follow these simple steps:

Step 1 - Narrow down your target market

You've been told to define a niche, but have you done it? Most small businesses are simply reactively taking whatever business comes through the door. You need to actually take some time and define where and with whom you do your best business. Take a look at what your best clients have in common.

Write out a profile that describes them in as much detail as you can. What do they look like? How do they approach business? What solutions are they looking for? How and where do you find them?

Step 2 - Create a powerful positioning statement for your business

What do you do that is unique and really makes your business stand out in an otherwise crowded marketplace? More importantly, how does what you do better than anybody else make a real, measurable difference for your clients. Don't make your positioning statement about you. Make it about them - your best clients and prospects.

Step 3 - Create a more Attention Getting Message

If you're not grabbing attention from your best prospects consistently, you'll never grow your business. Potential clients don't want to hear about you and how experienced you are. You need a very compelling message that clearly communicates to them who you help, what problems you help them solve, and what results or outcomes they can expect you to deliver to them.

Step 4 - Recreate your marketing materials

Toss out all the boring materials that go on endlessly about who you are, what you do, what your history is, and how much experience you have. Recreate all of your marketing materials so that they speak clearly to your target audience regarding the first three steps we just outlined.

Step 5 - Determine your strategies and tactics for gaining visibility and developing relationships

Choose at least five or so different marketing strategies and tactics that you feel most comfortable and excited about putting into action. You simply can't generate consistent visibility for you and your business by doing just one thing such as direct mail. You need to do several things simultaneously.

Step 6 - Put it all on a calendar

In order to put your marketing into action and hold yourself accountable, schedule things on a calendar. Scheduling on a calendar takes a list of tasks that often seems overwhelming and makes it very doable. You'll realize that it's your regular and consistent efforts that will ultimately lead to results.