We were approached by a land owner who asked us to determine the highest return on investment as well as the best use for his property. In the process of working on our proposal, one of our team purchased a copy of Business Plan Pro and used it to develop a plan for the proposed “Service Business” we envisioned for the property owner. Using the financials in Business Plan Pro, we presented and were promised the necessary financial backing for the $50 million dollar project. After a short delay, we’ll be moving forward with a completion on the project projected in the next two years.

Moving onward, we were approached with two other developments down in the Bahama’s. Port Terranova, a luxury waterfront condominium community and Davis Landing, a 260 acre project which will include a marina, hotel, affordable home lots plus beach front recreational activities for the public, and finally a water and sewage treatment facility for the area.

We have received a commitment for $500 million dollars and are continuing to use the business plan we built for the remaining $1.2 billion dollars the project will require.

The financial section of Business Plan Pro Premier offers more detailed financial information than any other business planning software available. The written plan we created provided a uniform presentation of projected selling points and benefits for each project. It provided potential investors a way to judge the completeness and judge the thoroughness of the business plan.

The funding that has been approved for the projects mentioned above is close to $600 million dollars and there will be another $700 million dollars required to complete the Davis Landing project.

Robert R. Sewell, President
Davis Landing, LTD

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This week I had the opportunity to review a new software developed by Palo Alto Software. This software package is called Marketing Plan Pro and it’s powered by Duct Tape Marketing superstar John Jantsch. I must admit this is the most extensive software that I’ve reviewed when it comes to creating a marketing plan. Review the pros and cons of this software and find out if it’s a good selection for you.

What I love about the Marketing Plan Pro software is it helped me by integrating my marketing activities and goals with a roadmap that I could follow. You can even use the software to measure your success and milestones. It creates a simple process that helps you to build supporting documentation for your marketing intiatives not to mention that fact that I absolutely love the charts, tables and the plans format. It’s easy to create, easy to read and most of all easy to follow. I even used the basic version and had my marketing plan created in 30 minutes.

You can read the full review about Marketing Plan Pro powered by Duct Tape Marketing on About.com

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I’m not generally a fan of marketing and business planning software. But when you have Palo Alto Software (still my favorite) and Duct Tape Marketing’s John Jantsch collaborating on marketing plan software, how can any small business owner say “no”?

Marketing Plan Pro also offers many helpful resources to help you actually implement the plan you’re writing at Mplans.com. There are links to free market research sources such as Harvard Business Online, Values and Lifestyles Psychographics Segmentation. You can also find marketing calculators.  Palo Alto has also formed partnerships with Logoworks.com for your logo and design work, Intuit’s Homestead web site development resource, and PresentationPro for PowerPoint templates. So you will have no excuse for not getting started.

Best Points
* Practical and easy to use — This is not your corporate marketing plan. It is intuitive and uses your natural entrepreneurial thinking. This makes it very easy and quick to fill out.
* Has audio guides and examples — I love that John Jantsch does these little introductions as audios – it feels like he’s coaching you through the process. There are also several examples for each section – you can read, get inspired or just copy and edit to change later.
* Resources reduce the risk of procrastination – Love the resources section! This will get you started on creating the business of your dreams.
You can read the full review at the Small Business Trends website.

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Create a great action plan that you will be proud to share with your colleagues and that will grow your business.

Eugene, OR (August 22 , 2008) – Palo Alto Software (www.paloalto.com) in partnership with John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing (www.ducttapemarketing.com) today announced the release of its newest version of Marketing Plan Pro Software powered by Duct Tape Marketing. In this latest release of Marketing Plan Pro, Palo Alto Software has taken the award-winning Duct Tape Marketing methodology and embedded it into Marketing Plan Pro–creating a product that will guide users through the process of creating a powerful marketing action plan that will help them understand how marketing and advertising can help successfully grow their businesses.

Marketing Plan Pro powered by Duct Tape Marketing – the best way to write a successful marketing plan- is all-new for 2008. Small businesses often struggle with marketing strategies, and how to put an action plan in place that will actually grow their sales numbers. Marketing Plan Pro will give any business a clear plan to start working from and get them started on creating a winning marketing strategy in just 30 minutes. This new version of Marketing Plan Pro will help you:
• Build your marketing vision to identify your business goals and measure your progress.
• Identify your remarkable difference and help figure out how you stack up against your competition.
• Find your customers
• Forecast sales and budget expenses

“It’s been exciting watching my Duct Tape Marketing system go from blog to book to software. Merging my system with Palo Alto Software’s Marketing Plan Pro software will make this methodology available to anyone wanting to see their business succeed,” says John Jantsch, creator of Duct Tape Marketing. “The 30-minute plan will allow anyone to get from plan to action immediately.”

Marketing is a system, not an event, and Duct Tape Marketing is a systematic approach to marketing that is as elegantly simple as that sticky and trustworthy roll of duct tape. The Duct Tape Marketing system, developed by renowned small-business marketing guru John Jantsch, shows customers how to develop and execute marketing plans that will give businesses life and longevity. Audio introductions narrated by Jantsch are also included for major topics.

“Working with John Jantsch to bring Marketing Plan Pro powered by Duct Tape Marketing to market has been a great experience for Palo Alto Software,” said Sabrina Parsons, CEO of Palo Alto Software. “Our Marketing Plan Pro software still employs the core elements that have always made it a great value—including the step-by-step approach that guides users seamlessly through the process of creating a marketing plan that will be immediately available for use and get results. Palo Alto Software’s collaboration with John Jantsch and the Duct Tape Marketing system will be nothing short of remarkable for new and repeat customers, and we are very proud to bring this version to market.”

Marketing Plan Pro powered by Duct Tape Marketing is available via http://www.paloalto.com

*For credentialed press inquires: Evaluation copies of the software are available for review, please email mediarelations@paloalto.com for a serial number and link to download. Physical software available upon request.

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