A Note from Bob Buday on Our Client Approach

This work is my calling. After four decades of thought leadership marketing, I’ve noticed five common characteristics of our most satisfied clients. This is crucial for you to know, because it can help you decide whether we are the right firm or not. I’ve turned down or discouraged work over the years because I believed the firms seeking our help were not prepared for the challenges and time it takes to develop their ideas.

Our greatest satisfaction comes from working with clients who let us help them get recognized for their expertise and turn it into revenue.

These are the common traits of people and organizations that get the most out of thought leadership:

• They are big believers in thought leadership. They know it can deliver eminence, influence, and financial rewards. We don’t need to prove to them that thought leadership is a viable strategy – they believe it in their souls.
• They believe a groundbreaking idea – compelling content – is the most important element of competing on thought leadership. They also know when they haven’t yet arrived on one.
• They give us sufficient time to help them capture their expertise and get it ready for the glare of the marketplace. They also understand that we may need to push their thinking to make their ideas novel and bulletproof.
• They know that after we help them codify a compelling idea, they must market it extensively to get uptake. They don’t skimp on marketing.
• They are patient. They know that rushing people like us leads to superficial and unoriginal ideas that won’t hold their own in the marketplace.

If you and your firm bring these five characteristics to thought leadership, we should talk.