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Conscious Leadership Connection
Wendy Baird

Conscious Leadership Connection

conscious leadership

Conscious leadership. . . .and what makes a great client

Insight180 has been in business for almost 15 years, and during that time we’ve worked with so many different kinds of clients. From startups, restaurants, brewers, retailers and solopreneurs to large membership organizations, public-private partnerships, Fortune 500 companies and international nonprofits, we have been very fortunate to work with some truly great ones. Lately we’ve been focusing on advisory firms in the business-to-business arena, or those who sell the “invisible” — a complex service, consulting, program or idea.

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Building Your Brand One Interaction at a Time
Wendy Baird

Building Your Brand One Interaction at a Time

coordinated response website screen shot

Sometimes a gift just falls in your lap (or lands in your email box). As I was contemplating a branding blog post I was working on this morning, I received this email from one of our advisory firm clients. What a pleasure when one’s work is truly appreciated, and even better when the client really “gets” it. There are some really great insights here, and I share with his permission:

Hey, Wendy:

I’m reading a book and insight180 came to mind. The Art of Doing: How Superachievers Do what They Do and How They Do It So Well, by Camille Sweeney & Josh Gosfield. The book features interviews with respected, high profile professionals about how they do what they do. I heard the authors interviewed on two different radio programs during their book tour.

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Avoiding Marketing’s Shiny Object Syndrome
Wendy Baird

Avoiding Marketing’s Shiny Object Syndrome

We’ve all experienced it at one time or another – that uncontrollable urge to spend time or money on the latest gizmo, app, online tool, trick or offer. Remember Dug, the adorable talking golden retriever from Pixar Disney’s movie, Up, who in the midst of conversation would become distracted and exclaim, “Squirrel!?” You may chuckle, but Shiny Object Syndrome (SOS) occurs all the time, including in our marketing.

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Shifting perspectives
Wendy Baird

Shifting perspectives

shift key

Hard to believe the first month of the new year has come and gone. With one twelfth of the year over, are you following the vision you set out for the year, holding to your resolutions, meeting your goals? Actually, this year in the onslaught of posts about planning, predicting and creating visions to start off right, I was struck by the number of people who were abandoning the idea of resolutions altogether and trying something different. Instead, some are working on creating new habits slowly and gradually, choosing a word or theme for the year, or choosing a book (or three, like in Chris Brogan’s Three Book Diet) to read and truly implement to influence leadership or success in their lives.

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It's not all about you.
Wendy Baird

It's not all about you.

We’ve all been there. You’re part of a great presentation or meeting among your peers or clients; great discussion ensues; wonderful, meaningful questions that apply to the whole group are being presented and answered and commented on; and then it happens. One person asks a question that pulls the focus away from the tremendous momentum that has been occurring and focuses on his or her specific issue. It sucks the energy from the room. Do you know what I’m talking about? It’s frustrating, discourteous and ultimately disheartening. Even masterful facilitators can find it difficult to get back on track. And that is a great reminder for those charged with developing website strategy and content. It’s not always all about you.

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Everything old is new again.
Wendy Baird

Everything old is new again.

Trends and predictions were the big topics at the Mid-Atlantic Marketing Summit held in Baltimore a couple of weeks ago –– marketing experts sharing what they’ve seen in the ever-changing landscape of branding and marketing, both online and off, inbound and push. What was especially interesting to me was that for every new approach, there was a traditional approach that still proved effective. For every new tool or technology, brand strategy and marketing planning trumped tactics every time.

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Brand Strategy: What’s your ONE big thing?
Wendy Baird

Brand Strategy: What’s your ONE big thing?

I was reminded this past week, on a few different occasions, that the art of positioning is based on the ability to narrow focus and to let go. In a meeting with a new client who was struggling to clearly define the services his company provided and to whom, it became clear that his biggest challenge was in positioning. In his attempt to be more service-oriented and have greater reach, the company tried to become too many things to too many types of customers, and the brand lost relevance.

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Running a Business and Fahrenheit 451
Wendy Baird

Running a Business and Fahrenheit 451

do nothing
. . . and why you need to take some time off.

It’s the end of August, often thought of as a slow time for advisors and consultants –– and, well, business in general, as people take vacations and prepare for school. Interestingly, this year, we haven’t really noticed a let up. Networking events have been packed to the gills, clients have been calling with new projects, and we all seem to be busy. Even some of the lucky few who have been able to get away manage to answer emails or take calls. One colleague joked that he wasn’t in a hurry for a proposal because he had one more day to collect sand between his toes (yet he responded to my email in record time). So we’re on vacation, but are we really on vacation?

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When the brand waters get muddy
Wendy Baird

When the brand waters get muddy

Company ABC is a tech consulting firm in the secure government contracting space that promotes a fundraising event for a highly respected, well run charity for rehabilitating soldiers injured abroad. The veteran owners and many of their clients care passionately about the cause, and the thousands of dollars they contribute directly impact those in need of immediate assistance. Their contribution fills a vast funding deficit and gives the charity a much needed financial boost. And, it serves as an expression of Company ABC’s brand. They pride themselves on their integrity, reputation and transparency, and their commitment to their clients, country and community is evident in their brand from the way they provide services to the way they demonstrate giving back.

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What's in a Name?
Wendy Baird

What's in a Name?

Ten “can’t miss” dos and don’ts when naming a business.

Choosing a business name is one of the most important tasks when starting, growing or changing a business. Not only is it part of that first impression you make among your audience, but it, along with your logo, is the heart of your brand. Your brand is all about how you connect and then are perceived – so your name needs to be descriptive, inspiring, and relatable, and needs to evoke positive feelings, or at least curiosity.

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Creativity and achieving productive thought
Wendy Baird

Creativity and achieving productive thought

There was a great article on creativity in Fast Company magazine recently. It was written by John Cleese of Monty Python fame. The legendary writer, actor, comedian has become a well-known student and speaker on creativity and how to cultivate it. It’s a wonderful article that will get you thinking, and maybe even give you justification to let go a bit, as he cites the power of the unconscious mind being vastly important not only in creative matters but effective decision making in complex situations.

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The business shift.
Wendy Baird

The business shift.

I’ve been reading some great books on entrepreneurship, business consulting, and the new rules of PR, marketing and social media in this incredibly connected world we’re in. Business is different. The climate has shifted. One really can start a business on a shoe string, or invest hundreds of thousands of dollars to help it grow. Both are viable. Some of the smaller companies are even doing it better than their larger, more established counterparts within the same space.

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