If you’re thinking about attending or exhibiting a trade show, this is the episode for you. Inspired by Patience’s recent visit to the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, we build on what we’ve experienced - and done- at trade shows over the past decade. We discuss ways to ensure your firm stands out (in a good way) and makes meaningful connections. Highlights: Thinking about trade shows as three distinct parts: before, during, and after The importance of every piece of information provided to the show organizers How to promote your attendance before the show Do’s and don’t’s of booth design and swag How to not inadvertently repel prospects Making the most of post-show follow-ups   Episode Resources: Connect with Brian Jones and Patience Jones https://graphicmachine.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/graphicmachine/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/graphicmachine/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/patiencejones/ 

You know that scene in almost every movie set in a creative firm, where someone just realized something is due and everyone runs around in a state of total panic while frenetic background music plays? That shouldn’t be how your marketing works. We’ve been duped into believing that doing things frantically at the last minute is somehow a sign of success. It isn’t. It’s a symptom of a problem, and left to worsen it can lead to loss of clients, drying up of potential work, and employee unhappiness and illness. In this episode, we discuss panic and how to develop a marketing strategy that isn’t based on anyone’s hair being on fire. Highlights: What can cause panic to take over How movies and cocktail banter convinced us panic was a good thing Being able to adapt and change is not the same thing as courting panic The importance of putting systems in place for yourself Your future self does not have as much time as you think they will The effects of panic on yourself, your health, and your firm Episode Resources: Connect with Brian Jones and Patience Jones https://www.linkedin.com/company/graphicmachine/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/graphicmachine/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/patiencejones/ 

One of the most important things your firm can be is discoverable: by prospects, employee candidates, search engines, and now, AI. With recent updates from Google, Apple, and others in the digital space, how artificial intelligence sees and understands who you are and what you do is becoming increasingly more important. In this episode, we discuss what the new “fourth audience” of AI means for how discoverable your firm is – and how to turn this new development into an opportunity. Highlights: How recent integrations of AI are simply extensions of the organic search engine model The mistake of outsourcing your firm identify to AI Even when companies like Google do short-term walkbacks of AI, the approach is not going away Ways firms can be successful in this new model   Episode Resources Connect with Brian Jones and Patience Jones https://graphicmachine.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/graphicmachine/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/graphicmachine/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/patiencejones/ 

When you look around your social media feeds, do you see a lot of the same thing? How does this happen, why is it unhelpful for your firm, and how can you break out of the “also” rut? In this episode, we talk about social sameness: the phenomenon that results in one or two social personas being adopted as the way everyone shows up. While being the same as everyone else on social media can feel like the right thing to do, it can hamper your growth and make you less inclined to use social media. Here’s how to fight against the same-as approach. Highlights Why it matters if people outside your industry understand how you’re different How emphasis on project imagery got us to this place Turning your social media into a viewport The value of doing “the bad thing” How only showing the final outcome can undervalue your work Episode Resources Connect with Brian Jones and Patience Jones https://graphicmachine.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/graphicmachine/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/graphicmachine/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/patiencejones/ 

Your firm has an asset that’s often overlooked: its intellectual property. Broadly, this means the things you know individually and collectively as a firm. This knowledge can be used to differentiate your firm from competitors, earn client trust, and even create new service lines. In this episode, we explain how to identify your firm’s IP and put it to use. Highlights How to identify your firm’s IP The mistake firms make when thinking about their IP How to use your IP to grow your firm What your firm’s IP and Pilates have in common The danger of treating your IP like a secret How to think about making your IP work for you while also battling fears of making it public   Episode Resources Connect with Brian Jones and Patience Jones https://graphicmachine.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/graphicmachine/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/graphicmachine/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/patiencejones/ 

Diane Hoskins, FAIA, NCARB is Global Co-Chair of Gensler, the largest architecture firm in the world by both revenue and number of architects. She also serves as the Global Chair of the Board of Directors for the Urban Land Institute and as Trustee for The MIT Corporation. Most recently, she co-authored the book Design for a Radically Changing World, which explores the role that design in shaping the human experience amidst changing global conditions. In this episode, Diane discusses how her multi-disciplinary background has influenced her career, the discoveries that came out of the book’s creation, and why now is the best time to be a practicing architect.  Highlights What the crisis multiplier is, and how design is an ideal tool for addressing crises How the ways in which we think about workspaces continue to evolve The role COVID played – and didn’t – in changing workplace expectations The concept of the worker as consumer How Gensler’s “one firm” firm culture positions the firm to work from a place of expertise and empathy   Episode Resources Connect with Brian Jones and Patience Jones https://graphicmachine.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/graphicmachine/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/graphicmachine/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/patiencejones/ Connect with Diane Hoskins, FAIA, NCARB: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dianehoskins/ Read Design for a Radically Changing World: https://www.amazon.com/Design-Radically-Changing-World-Gensler/dp/1957183845/ 

Reporting: You know you’re supposed to do it, but you’re not sure why or what to do with what you collect. As your firm grows, it will become more important for you to understand what marketing metrics you’re measuring and how to make use of that data. In this episode of our Growth Challenges series, we explore setting up reporting that actually matters. Highlights Why reporting on everything is as bad as reporting on nothing How to ensure you're reporting on the right things The one question that will tell you if you should be reporting on a particular item The lure of pretty data Why you also need to track sales data Episode Resources https://www.linkedin.com/company/graphicmachine/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/graphicmachine/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/patiencejones/ 

Are you doing something that is preventing you from achieving the thing you say you want? If so, you’re getting in your own way. In this episode, we explore the ways firm leaders can hinder progress toward goals, whether that’s simply not taking action or actively creating obstacles. We talk about the roles that cognitive rigidity and anxiety play in getting in the way, and how to overcome or at least manage those. Highlight            The telltale signs you’re getting in your own way       How the desires for comfort, confidence, and certainty can lead to self-sabotage            Understanding the fear of getting to the finish line            Letting go of “goals” that no longer serve you or the firm Episode Resources https://graphicmachine.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/graphicmachine/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/graphicmachine/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/patiencejones/ 

No, not the fatigue that comes with working on a seemingly unending project. In this episode, we’re talking about the fatigue that your audiences feel when your firm talks about the same one or two projects to the exclusion of others. This can happen because a project has won awards, received press, or is a personal favorite. When a few projects consistently carry all of the marketing weight for the firm, people get tired of seeing them – no matter how great those projects are. Here’s how to keep people engaged without diminishing the firm’s accomplishments.   Highlights        The importance of showcasing all aspects of your firm – not just the completed work         Avoiding the “slideshow from my vacation” problem         How singular project focus can create employee anxiety         The value of thinking like an outsider         Using the coffee shop approach   Episode Resources https://graphicmachine.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/graphicmachine/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/graphicmachine/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/patiencejones/ 

The word "consistency” can bring to mind drudgery and the removal of any creativity. This thinking, however, will limit your business growth. In this episode we explore why consistency in external communications is so important and what to do when being consistent seems impossible. We also refute the idea that consistency has to mean doing the same exact thing all the time – or more often than you really should be.   Highlights: Being creatively consistent How to remain consistent when you don’t feel like it, are overworked, or dealing with personal issues The importance of having a generous mindset “More consistent” does not mean “more often”   How being consistent is similar to routinely visiting your favorite coffee shop   Episode Resources https://graphicmachine.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/graphicmachine/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/graphicmachine/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/patiencejones/