Today Brad speaks with Jeff Echols. Jeff is on a mission to change the way you do business by helping you transform from a service provider to a trusted advisor. He's the President and Chief Strategy Officer of echoEngagement, the Director of Brand Strategy at EntreArchitect, and the Host of the Build Your Brand podcast and the daily live-stream show, Context & Clarity LIVE. Jeff works with architecture and engineering firms on branding, communication, leadership, marketing, and business development strategies based on nearly 30 years of experience working in, starting, and managing architecture firms.

echoEngagement “helps organizations answer and act out the answer to the question, ‘Why should I choose you?’ by clarifying messaging, developing brand stories, and telling brand stories to win the right work and recruit the right talent.”

Aside from his involvement in the business world, Jeff is an Instructor of Architecture at Ball State University and Executive Committee Chair at the AIA Indiana Christopher Kelley Leadership Development Program.

Sponsors:

Pella Windows & Doors

Topics Discussed:

• [03:23] Fundamental elements of a business’s marketing and branding strategy that most companies are missing
• [10:32] Why Jeff has been tripling down on client experience lately
• [24:40] The value of hiring someone whose singular job is speak to current, previous, and prospective clients
• [34:26] Making sure that clients know (and remember) your story through your logo
• [46:27] Discovering your ideal client
• [55:38] Why getting as detailed as possible on your ideal client can be valuable
• [1:02:58] Where Jeff discovered his passion for marketing and branding

Connect with Jeff Echols

• Website 
• Instagram @jeff_echols
• Instagram @echoengagement 
• Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Clubhouse 
• Podcast

Connect with Brad Leavitt

• Website 
• Instagram 
• Facebook
• Houzz 
• Pinterest 
• YouTube

Key Quotes from Episode

• I like to view anybody’s business as a triangle: On one side of the triangle, you have your marketing, your business development, and your sales process. On another side of the triangle, you have your culture—your employee experience. On another side of the triangle, you have your operations and your customer or client experience. [...] Your brand sits in the center of that triangle. It both supports and feeds off of all sides of that triangle.
• Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.
• There are basically three things that make up your ideal client: the demographics, the geographics, and the psychographics.
• The hardest question for anybody to answer is, “Why should I hire you?”