Nicole Thomas

LMA Recruitment

Head of Delivery 

Empresaria Group plc

Head of Delivery UK

Xpertise Recruitment

Xpertise Recruitment specialise in providing the best hard to find IT & Technology talent across the 
following areas:
Technology Recruitment:
• BI, Data Analytics & Data Science
• Business Change & Transformation
• Cloud, Infrastructure & DevOps
• IT Architecture
• NHS / Central Government 
• QA & Testing
• Project Delivery
• Senior IT Appointments
• Software Engineering
Finalist for Best IT / Technology Recruitment Agency - Recruiter Awards 2019 
Highly Commended for Best Specialist Recruitment Business – Global Recruiter 2019
Ones to Watch for Business of the Year – European Business Awards 2019
Winner of the Best Recruitment Company to work for up to £10m in the UK - 2017 RI Awards
Winner of the Best Small Recruitment Agency in the UK - 2018 RDLC Awards

Associate Director - Data 

The Nudge Group

Director EMEA

Cpl UK - Technology

Associate Director

CPL Specialist Talent Limited is a subsidiary of CPL Resources Plc. We are a global provider of people; CPL’s core goal is to power business growth through people.

We believe that there is an ideal Job for everyone, wherever you want to go in your career, we can help. The CPL Group spans 11 countries and has 41 offices worldwide, helping businesses to find and attract the very best talent in every industry. CPL Specialist Talent is a ‘ultra-specialised’ recruitment business focused on addressing candidate short niche markets in the UK technology staffing sector.

We deploy highly specialist recruiters into ‘micro niches’ ensuring they become the absolute experts at the what they do and add value to client and candidates by providing reliable and truly well-informed advice on hiring decision and career choices.

Our main areas of focus are in addressing talent shortages in the following space across UK and Europe.

- Change & Transformation
- Infrastructure and Cloud Services
- Cyber Security
- BI, Data and Analytics
- Digital and Development
- Strategy and Architecture
- AI, ML and Blockchain

Specifically, roles we’ll work on in the above areas would be UI/UX Developers & Designers, Business Intelligence Experts, Security/Cyber Security Experts, Cloud Architects and Integration Experts, Data Scientists, Mobile App Developers, Full Stack Web and Product developers.

Contact us today on (0)203 923 8877 or email nicole.thomas@cpl.com to speak with a true expert in your field and have an open and transparent conversation on the best career options available to you in the market today.

Client Partnership Manager

Youcrew Consulting 

YouCrew has a keen interest and passion for People, YOU our clients and our Candidates are at the centre of everything we do. 
A start-up, talent consultancy with a strong focus on providing RPO and Talent Solutions to Businesses in South Africa. 

•	Designing and implement sourcing strategies that supports the growth of clients.
•	Establishing teams of Talent Sourcing Specialists; recruiting the best candidates across Southern 
        Africa, UK & Europe.
•	Securing hiring in line with all industry and Governmental requirements.
•	Build and maintain candidate pipelines through; market mapping, competitor analysis, networking, 
         internet and database mining, headhunting and events nationally and internationally. 
•	Recruitment campaigns and advertising copy. Communicating and negotiating between the 
        Company and potential candidates in support of a variety of recruitment and employment related 
        matters. 
•	Managing the full recruitment process and life cycle including sourcing, initial assessments, 
        interviews, offers, hiring and employee induction / orientation

Founder

Falcorp Technologies

Engaged to design and execute a new HR, resourcing, and talent attraction strategy, across the business and move from an agency reliant recruitment function and ‘insource’ recruitment activity. 
•	Developed search and delivery model enabling rapid business growth
•	Led the recruitment for Enterprise Sales, Technology, Consulting, Digital, Marketing, Corporate & 
        Functions across the following industry verticals: Telecommunications, Banking Financial Services, 
        Insurance, Consumer Goods & Retail, Life Sciences and Healthcare. 
•	Overall responsibility for recruitment across BAU and Project resources. 
•	Consulted with the business on hiring needs and led the hiring process from start to finish 
        including engagement of preferred supplier search firms and internal direct sourcing team; 
        Provided reporting on weekly and monthly basis to stakeholders and senior leadership to 
        demonstrate progress against KPIs including cost to hire, time to hire, diversity and operational 
        excellence.
•	Increased the company’s visibility in the IT jobs marketplace through innovative advertising 
        campaigns (online and offline)
•	Redesigned sourcing processes, and broadened talent pool of candidates 
•	Hired across a multidisciplinary team from junior grades to senior management

Talent Acquisition and Human Resource Lead.

KPI Staffing

Established and managed this General Recruitment Agency. 
•	Supported Enterprise and Blu-Chip companies with recruitment services, as well as additional 
        responsibilities related to running a business 
•	Provided staffing related services from Junior to Executive level, within a variety of sectors 
•	Administrated matters relating to the running of a business, including but not limited to; strategic 
        planning, financial management, administration, communications, and everyday operational 
        matters

Core Medical LTD

Tasked with building strong relationships with NHS and Private Hospitals and Clinics across the UK. 
•	Responsible of onboarding and understanding NHS and Private Hospitals.
•	Strong understanding of Frameworks and compliance processes
•	Planning and executing Recruiting events across EMEA
•	Partnering with business leaders to understand recruitment needs and strategies
•	Partnerships with Banks, Site managers and HR.

Business Development Manager

Triple West Medical

Lead talent acquisition partner for NHS and Private trust across the UK.

Leading full cycle recruitment process from sourcing, interviewing and onboarding
Levels recruited at: SHO through to Consultant and Clinical lead level. Across the UK. 
•	Onboarding and full compliance process.
•	uploading candidates to third party systems, and completing compliance checklists
•	In depth knowledge of NHS.
•	Talent Mapping of locations, and partners to access key skills across, UK, Europe, India, Australia, 
         New Zealand and Africa
•	Strong relationships with Staff banks, HR, Internal recruitment and senior level stakeholders with 
        Trusts, Clinics and Private hospitals across the UK
•	Managed Team responsible for circa 80 vacancies per month.
•	Planning and executing Recruiting events across EMEA

Divisional Manager Acute Services

I grew up in starts up's, I loved the energy, creativity and insane way in which things changed from one day to the next 🤪💙 I could not imagine working any other way, being part of something from the ground up and watching it grow, is possibly the most rewarding gift I've given myself. 

Why work with me:
🧡Above all, I love what I do and I bring that passion into each project I work on.
🏁I'll Deliver! 
🤝Its partnership, I believe in communication and transparency. 
🧰We have spent many years creating tools that can help your business in the early stages. 
🌍We have a great eco-system that we can connect you into, 
👂Want to bounce ideas, talk through your CV, Interview prep, I am here!

Outside of all recruitment, I am a mommy, runner, trying to get toned...but love red wine, down to earth lady, who just really likes people and wants to help!

The Nudge Group works with global start-ups and scale-ups going through various stages of business growth. We connect them with world class talent and a trusted ecosystem, from pre-seed to Series A, all the way to IPO. 

Over the past 3 years, The Nudge Group has evolved and expanded, with new offices in the UK and Singapore, and our services spanning APAC, the UK, Europe, America, and Canada. While we are still very much working with start-ups and scale-ups to help them recruit the right talent, we have taken a more holistic approach to assist their growth. We have created an ecosystem designed to empower these start-ups to grow and scale across the world, connecting them to a large network of trusted suppliers to help them achieve their goals.

From introducing them to VC and private equity firms to raising their profile with our media channels, Give It A Nudge and Balance the Grind, to building remote teams in the Philippines and Vietnam with our Nudge Remote service, our ecosystem enables these start-ups and scale-ups to plug in and grow. 

Over the years we have helped companies launch into the U.S., Australian start-ups expand into the UK, Singapore scale-ups establish a presence in Australia, Hong Kong & India, with plenty more on the way!

Jason Vana

Marketing Director

Attract the RIGHT customers to your business | Brand & content strategist | Founder at SHFT | Known as #sassyjason

𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐁2𝐁 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠.

Not because their service isn’t good. Because nobody can tell the difference between them and the 100s of other options on Google.

Selling on referrals. Starting every sales call from scratch. Struggling to articulate what makes your business different all leads to the same place: competing on price, taking on bad-fit clients, and wondering why growth has stalled.

That's not a sales problem. That's a brand operations problem.

I fix that.

𝐈 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐮𝐩: How you sell, who you target, what you charge, and how clients experience you.

When we get this right, everything changes:

→ 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐢𝐩𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐬. Fewer tire-kickers. More ideal-fit clients who already understand your value before the first call.
→ 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫. At higher prices. Without discounting.
→ 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐤. Your brand does the heavy lifting, so you're not "saving" every deal at 9pm.
→ 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐬. Clients have a clear reason to buy from you, and do.

This is what I call Onlyness: owning an uncopyable position in your market that makes you the obvious choice for the clients you actually want.

Here's how we get you there:

1. Uncover your Onlyness: through deep research, workshops, and competitive analysis
2. Build your brand operations: strategy, messaging, positioning, marketing, and design that work together
3. Deploy it: a 12-month, step-by-step roadmap you own and execute

𝐂𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐲𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐬𝐞𝐞 75–200% 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡. 

Not because we gave them a prettier logo or new website, but because they finally know what makes them uncopyable, and so does every prospect they talk to.

Ready to stop competing on price and start owning your market?

Book a call: shft.agency/discovery


Founder & CEO

We transform B2B service companies into the ONLY choice for their ideal customers. Our clients see a 20%+ increase in revenue with our brand and content strategies. 

Here's how we help:

◼️ Brand Strategy (customers, uniqueness, messaging, touchpoints, story)
◼️ Brand Design (logos, colors, fonts, collateral)
◼️ Content Strategy (demand gen, content creation)
◼️ LinkedIn (strategy, content, profile audits)

Interested in learning more? DM me or book a discovery call below.

I'd rather stick hot pokers under my fingernails than respond to your AI comment. 

Do better, boo.
Especially if you want my money.

✌🏼

undefined undefined

Hey there!

Stoked to hear you're looking to find your unique brand differentiator!

Here's the link to download my B2B ‘Just Be Authentic’ Playbook:

https://findyourdifferentiation.com/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=linkedin&utm_campaign=launch_dm

I've spent weeks working on this resource, and I honestly think you'll find it super valuable.

Let me know if you have any questions as you go through it, and enjoy!

-Jason

Content Driven By Brand Strategy

📌 The best content is driven by a solid brand strategy.

- know your ideal customers
- know what makes your offer unique
- know your position in the market
- know the right tone and voice

Then create content that intersects all three.

You'll never create content your ideal customers love if you don't know who they are.

Want your content to generate real revenue?

DM me today or visit https://shft.agency/content 

Offer -> Brand Strategy

📌 The right offer matters.

No amount of marketing, content, or personal branding will help you sell a sh*t offer long-term.

And it certainly won't be something people pay a premium price for.

Nailing your offer is a core step in creating a profitable brand.

Need help with that?

DM me or visit https://shft.agency/services/brand-strategy to get started.

Clarity Call: Offer

📌 Productizing your strategy or service offer makes it much easier to sell.

Think of it like hiding your strategy behind a core deliverable. 

You sell the deliverable.
And your service/strategy is HOW you create the deliverable.

Need help with that?

We can nail it down in a 1-hour Clarity Call.

DM me or book a call directly at https://shft.agency/clarity 

Go Up Market

📌  You won't be able to successfully stumble up-market.

You need a solid brand strategy to help determine:

- your new ICP
- your new position
- your new price points
- your new differentiation
- your new brand personality

Getting that nailed down will make your transition up-market far more successful.

And by successful, I mean profitable.
For you.

Want to move up-market successfully?

I've helped 125+ businesses reposition their brand for maximum profitability.

DM me for more or visit https://shft.agency/services/brand-strategy 

Brand Strategy

📌 I'm not saying all is lost when you don't start with a brand strategy.

But, starting with one makes revenue generation far easier and faster than just 'testing' what works.

The need to 'test' is often the result of not having the right foundation for your business.

Get that foundation in place and you'll be able to move faster and make far more money.

Need help with that?

I might know a #SassyStrategist who can help.

DM me or visit https://shft.agency/services/brand-strategy to get started today.

Become the only choice | I build brand operating systems that attract higher-paying clients for 7-9 figure B2B service companies | Founder/CEO at Shft.Agency | Known as #SassyJason

Stop trying to be liked by everyone.

You don't even like everyone or want to work with everyone.

Why the hell do you care if those people don't like you?

An effective brand repels the wrong people.

So be bold.
Be weird.
And piss off the wrong people.

You'll actually attract people you WANT to work with.

And repel those who make you beat your head against the wall.

That, my friend, is an epic branding win.

#SassyJason out.

✌🏼

#shftyoubrand

I'd rather gouge my eyeballs out with a spoon than read the AI-generated slop some of you pass off as content.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

Here's how to get AI to sound like you: 

I'm building an AI blog writer for Shft. 

SEO is part of our new marketing strategy. 

And while I used to love writing long-form content... 
(my professors in college docked me for going OVER page limits) 

I don't really have the patience for it anymore. 

I'm running a business. 
Writing blog posts is the lowest priority item on my list. 

But using AI to write my content? 
When I'm a brand strategist and know that tone of voice matters?
And I hate everything AI writes?

🤮 

I've spent the last 2 months developing a system to get AI to write like me.

Here's how ↓ 

→ Step 1: Create Project & Upload Documents
I created a project in Claude and uploaded my brand strategy, messaging, ideal customer profile, and 7+ years' worth of content.

→ Step 2: Create AI Tone of Voice Guide
I told Claude to read all of my content and create a tone of voice guide with:
- Standard tone of voice chart
- Word choices and language preferences
- Formatting and punctuation
- Phrase preferences

→ Step 3: Analyze SEO
I had Claude perform keyword research on my and my competitors' websites. Verified this with my own research in SEMrush.

→ Step 4: Create a Hub & Spoke Strategy
Using everything above, I had Claude create a hub and spoke strategy. 5 hubs, each with 5 spoke posts to create.

→ Step 5: Create Post Outline
I picked one post and had Claude create an extensive outline that I edited and approved.

→ Step 6: Write a Rough Draft
I told Claude to use my existing content, my ICP, tone of voice guide, and the outline to draft a post.

→ Step 7: Ruthlessly Edit
I ruthlessly edited (and in some cases rewrote) the post. This step is KEY.

→ Step 8: Rework Tone of Voice Guide
I fed my edited post into Claude and told it to compare the posts and update the tone of voice guide to write more like me.

Rinse and repeat. 

I anticipate it will take 20-30 blog posts before I don't have to ruthlessly edit. 

Content is a long-term play. 
Not a "dump 100 blog posts today that sound like sh*t" game. 

The key to making this work: 

- 7 years' worth of content to give Claude 
- Extensive ICP document with customer quotes 
- Tone of voice guide based on existing content 
- SEO analysis of ours and our competitors' websites 
- Blog post strategy to follow 

And the biggest key: 

- Reworking the post and updating the tone of voice guide 

Train AI on your expertise and writing style. 

It'll be far more useful to repurpose your content. 

✌🏼 #shftyourbrand 

PS - Want the full breakdown? I'm sharing it with complete prompts in this Saturday's Brand Shft email. Link in comments to subscribe ↓

I'm a brand strategist, but I've also built:

- automations
- feedback systems
- AI content systems
- sales teams and cycles
- operational guidelines
- hiring procedures
- org charts

Most people think brand strategist = identity work

And, yes, that's part of a brand strategy.

But a brand strategy IS the customer-facing side of your business strategy.

It takes your business strategy.
And brings it to life.

Meaning, a real brand strategist needs to understand:

- sales
- marketing
- operations
- customer service
- automations
- content
- AI

Otherwise, their work will NEVER change your business.

A brand strategy should touch EVERY part of your business.

Not just your brand.
Or your personality.
Or your marketing.
Or your purpose.

If it doesn't include sales, operations, and even HR...
It's not a brand strategy.

It's fluff that won't generate and close deals.

Get yourself a complete brand strategy.

Or don't be surprised when those personality adjectives and the story you spent $50K on don't produce any ROI.

You deserve more than that, boo.

✌🏼

#shftyoubrand

I have a confession to make:

I'm a dirty, rotten thief. 

The "secrets from a brand strategist" videos you love so much?

Not my original idea. 

I adapted the concept from a therapist on Instagram.
And made it my own.

They are my most-liked and most-talked-about content.

Those videos get the most likes.
(even after Linky Dink's year-long bender)

And drive the most leads when I turn them into thought leader ads.

Not only because they are cool.
Or they cause you to lean in and listen a bit more.
Or because they teach you some deep brand lesson.

But because they are different.

No other brand strategist is making them.

There's a lesson in there for you.

Some of the best ideas you have for your business...
...come from OUTSIDE of your industry.

Taking something from another industry.
Adapting to your business.
And running with it.

Stop trying to copy your competitors.
Or fit into the industry.

Find something OUTSIDE of your industry you can adapt.

And be the trendsetter your industry actually needs.

If you can pull off being cool, that is.

(I clearly can)

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

One lesson I teach every client:

You can only be known for ONE thing.

Most B2B service founders want to be known for everything.

- every offer
- every vertical
- every transformation
- every possible solution

If someone in their target market needs something, they want to be the solution.

That's not how our brains work.

People will remember your business for ONE key thing.
It's how they categorize you in their mind.

For example, most people know me and Shft for BRAND STRATEGY.

So when they have a brand strategy issue, they know to come to us.

But we do more than brand strategy:

- brand strategy
- brand architecture
- brand naming
- marketing strategy
- content strategy
- brand design
- website design
- ad/collateral design
- sales systems
- demand generation

If it involves making you money, we likely do it.

But Shft is not trying to be known for websites, or ads, or sales systems.

We want to be known for brand strategy.

Because once you get that strategy...
and a plan to implement it across your business...

It's easy to get you to do the rest with us.

But that focus does require a sacrifice.

I'm not out there pushing design-only services.
Or websites.
Or content creation.

We push ONE thing.
And let it sell everything else.

What's your ONE thing?

Drop it in the comments. I'll roast the sh*t out of it.

In a nice, but sassy way, of course. 

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

Your CEO's personal brand isn't going to save:

- sh*t positioning
- sh*t experience
- sh*t marketing
- sh*t offer

Create a brand strategy first.
A corporate brand second.
Then, build a personal brand for your CEO.

Or don't be surprised when your CEO's shiny new personal brand doesn't produce revenue for the business.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

Your brand is built by every interaction with your business.

- every email
- every call
- every ad
- every post
- every proposal
- every support call
- every website visit
- every price point
- every sales pitch

It all creates the gut feeling in people that we call a brand.

Meaning your brand is NOT a marketing tactic.

And it's NOT something to do later.

- when you have the time
- when you have the money
- when you've magically gotten PMF
- when you've sold enough to know your customers

Your brand is a whole company initiative. 

That you should have a strategy for from DAY ONE.

Because while you're waiting to get PMF...
Or waiting to hopefully land a few clients to test your offer...
Or choose to run some Google ads to see if this thing is viable...

YOU'RE 👏🏼 CREATING 👏🏼 THE 👏🏼 WRONG 👏🏼 BRAND 👏🏼 

One that will take extra time and money to fix.

Because that first impression?

It means everything.
And is incredibly hard to change.

So, go the typical route.

Hold off on building your brand and push your ideal customers away.

Or start today with a brand strategy.

You'll get PMF and revenue much, much faster.

If you're into that sort of thing.

Some of you clearly aren't.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

Most businesses amplify confusion and call it a brand.

I chatted with the CEO and CMO of an 8-figure business last week.

They provide IT and verification services for enterprise SaaS companies.

I asked the question I ask of every prospect:

What do you DO that your competitors can't or won't?

Their answer: 15 minutes of the fluffiest differentiators I ever heard.

- We provide the best quality of service
- We care about our customers
- We're the industry leader

And my favorite:

- We can do everything they need

Followed by a breakdown of their 20 services.

🤦🏻‍♂️

A brand amplifies what's already there.

If you aren't aligned on the unique value you bring...
And have 20 offers across 10 industries, each serving a different ICP...

YOU 👏🏼 ARE 👏🏼 CONFUSING 👏🏼 YOUR 👏🏼 PROSPECTS 👏🏼 

Take our IT example.

Their message: Industry-Leading IT Services for Enterprise SaaS
Their content: Buy our industry-leading IT services
Their customer acquisition: all outbound sales

And their competitors? Also, industry-leading IT services

Look, you might be able to get to 8-figures with outbound sales alone.

But breaking into 9-figures?
Scaling the business?
Attracting better clients?
Reducing your sales team?

That takes clarity.

Internally with your team.
Externally in your messaging and marketing.

If you can't explain what makes you different in 1 sentence...

Your messaging will be off.
Your marketing will be off.
Your experience will be off.
Your sales will be off.

And revenue?

It will NEVER hit the levels you want.

Stop amplifying confusion.

Gain clarity around your differentiation.
Wrap your entire strategy around it.
Create an identity that displays it.

And watch as your revenue climbs.

If you're into that sort of thing, that is.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

Branding = building operating systems

Most founders and marketers see branding as identity work.

- who you are
- how you sound
- the way you look
- the values you hold

That's only a fraction of branding.

Real branding takes your identity...
your differentiation...
your value...

And turns it into repeatable systems your team can use.

Like these systems we create for our clients:

Many that incorporate AI, templates, and tools to do the heavy lifting for you.

→ Content systems
Turning your expertise into content that your ideal customers want

→ Marketing systems
Generating high-intent, ideal leads across multiple channels

→ Offer systems
Tiered offer structure that upsells clients into larger deals

→ Sales systems
Sales stack that turns leads into customers and customers into clients

→ Team systems
Recruiting and hiring the right team members to optimize your other systems

→ Design systems
Templates, prompts, and guidelines to stay consistent with your design

Systems build businesses.
And your brand SHOULD expand your business.

If that brander you hired is not creating systems...

RUN

You don't have a brander.
You have an identity creator who doesn't know how to drive real business results. 

And that, my friend, is a complete waste of money.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

Your brand needs a villain.

Someone or something to fight against.

And, no, I don't mean your competitors.

It's basic psychology.

We often connect over what we hate.

→ that coworker you all can't stand
→ that neighbor who keeps everyone up til 1am
→ that politician who spits on everything you hold dear

Can you guess #SassyJason's villain?

*cough*ThoseDamnFluffyBranders*cough*

Like it or not, villains connect us.

Use that in your brand.

Align yourself to fight the same villain as your ideal customers.

→ branding that is all design but no substance (my real villain)
→ IOT vendors who don't help make sense of your data
→ manufacturers who push equipment, not solutions
→ marketing agencies that produce sh*t content

Every great story has a villain.

Find something that pisses off your ideal customers.
And aligns with what you sell.

Then beat the living sh*t out of it.

(metaphorically speaking, of course)

Your ideal customers will connect with you in a deeper way.

And see you as the hero they've been looking for.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

------
PS - Drop your villain below. I'll roast your choice and give you suggestions on how to fight it. 👇🏼

Your corporate brand should be an operating system.

Taking your uncopyable IP and turning it into:

Messaging, marketing, content, sales, operations, offers, and HR directives.

On repeat.
For decades.

Logo, fonts, colors.
Adjectives and archetypes.
Purpose, mission, vision, values.

All great stuff.
But none of it will drive business decisions.

Or tell you if that new marketing campaign will generate ROI.

BRANDING IS NOT FLUFF

If it's not driving business decisions...
If it's not operationalizing your efforts...
If it's not driving revenue growth...

You don't have a REAL brand strategy.

You have a fluff document that looks good, but doesn't actually help.

Get a brand system.

Not adjectives.
Not a new logo.
Not a list of values.

A system that helps you:

- create a unique position
- craft an attractive brand identity
- drive your marketing efforts
- create resonating content
- nurture and convert prospects

All so you can attract and convert your ideal customers.

We call it a Brand OS.

And it's driven $40M+ for our clients.

With fewer salespeople, lower marketing budgets, and streamlined offers.

As a brand should do.

✌🏼

#shftyoubrand

Stop treating AI like a trusted advisor.

It's an entry-level intern at best.

Here's why ↓

I'm building an AI blog writing system.

Taking my 7+ years' worth of content...
A hub and spoke blog strategy...
SEO keyword research...

And having it create blog posts in my voice with my expertise.

Most people just ask AI to write a blog post for them.

That's not near enough context to get the results you want.

Here's what I've created to tell AI what to do:

1️⃣ AI Tone of Voice Guide
This is far more than a brand tone of voice. My 10-page document includes:
- typical tone of voice descriptions
- formatting instructions
- layout instructions
- phrase choices
- word choices

2️⃣ SEO Keyword Guide
I created a 19-page guide on proper SEO tactics, including:
- keyword clustering guidelines
- keyword research process
- keyword difficulty rules
- keyword quality filters
- search volume rules
- keyword templates

3️⃣ SEO Blog Guide
I wrote a 23-page blog writing guide, including:
- CTA guidelines with potential links
- incorporating keyword guidelines
- layout and formatting guidelines
- graphic placement guidelines
- blog intro guidelines
- subtitle guidelines
- header guidelines
- meta guidelines
- title guidelines

4️⃣ Repurposing Guide
I wrote a 10-page guide on repurposing content, including:
- turning video transcripts into a blog post
- turning LinkedIn posts into a blog post
- turning brand guides into a blog post
- turning courses into a blog post

All of that treats AI like an intern.

Telling it exactly what to do.
What I expect.
What is acceptable.
What is unacceptable.
And how to think. 

Prompts are not enough.

You need to give AI context to deliver what you want.

Or don't be surprised when it gives you a sh*tty output.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

The only brand strategy you need:

(save this for later)

Most founders and marketers don't know what a brand strategy is.

They think it's:

- purpose, vision, mission, values
- personality and tone of voice
- messaging frameworks
- visual identity

All important parts of building a brand.

But a brand strategy is the step BEFORE all of that.

It's a decision that defines:

- the unique value you bring (differentiation)
- for whom (ideal customers)
- how (methodology, IP)
- category (identity)

And is expressed in a single sentence:

We are the only {category}
who provides {unique value}
by {how/methodology}
for {ideal customers}.

👆🏼 That is the foundation of your business.

And drives your messaging, marketing, sales, operations, offer, customer service, purpose, values, personality, design, pricing...

Every decision in your business revolves around that statement.

Get that in place.

And watch how fast your business grows.

Want to write one yourself?

Grab my Onlyness Strategy Template: https://lnkd.in/gzghrNk9

Fill-in-the-blank Google Doc with video tutorials to uncover and own your brand strategy.

It's like working with me.
For a fraction of a fraction of the cost.

#shftyourbrand

The main reason your 6-8-figure offer isn't selling:

I've spent the last 10+ years diagnosing revenue issues.

- Why businesses aren't attracting ideal customers
- Why prospects ghost after seeing a proposal
- Why sales can't seem to close a deal
- Why revenue keeps hitting a ceiling

Across 30 industries.
For 7-9-figure businesses.
Selling 6-8 figure offers.

The underlying reason for revenue stagnation is always the same:

Lack of clarity on their unique value.

No prospect I've talked with was able to clearly communicate why their ideal customers choose their offers.

And that lack of clarity impacts everything:

- messaging that doesn't resonate
- sales process that doesn't work
- marketing that falls flat
- experience customers don't like
- design that annoys prospects
- website copy that sounds like competitors
- content that lacks a resonating, unique POV
- offers that solve mild annoyances rather than real pains

Looking to move from 6 to 7, 7 to 8, or 8 to 9-figures of revenue?

Stop "testing" new tactics.
Get clarity on why ideal customers ACTUALLY choose you.
Beyond the things every competitor says.

Then build everything around it.

You'll attract more high-paying, long-lasting clients.

The type of clients that push you into a new level of revenue.

✌🏼

#shftyoubrand

B2B companies: "We're the industry-leading..."

Also B2B companies: Why aren't we attracting higher-paying clients?

Maybe stop with the sh*tty, generic, overused messaging.

But what do I know?

I've only helped B2B companies generate $40M+ in new revenue.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

How I helped a client achieve a 100% close rate.

(and generate $90k within 2 months of our strategy work)

Spinlab came to Shft with a sales problem.

They had a successful offer.
Already had clients.

But something shifted, and they struggled to close deals.

- Weeks of discovery
- Countless meetings
- Lots of testing
- Days created proposals

All for a prospect to ghost them.
Or say they changed their mind.

🤦🏻‍♂️

Spinlab didn't have a sales problem.
They had a positioning problem.

Here's what we did:

- repositioned them as tech experience builders (not just developers)
- crafted messaging that resonated with their ideal customers
- uncovered their differentiating factor
- rewrote their website copy

But the biggest change came from one thing:

- turning their discovery process into a low-cost offer

Instead of doing months of work for free.
We turned that work into an offer.

4 weeks.
4 workshops.
1 week of testing.

All to give you a report with the MVP, website, and tech stack you need, along with costs and timelines.

That's a month of building trust 1:1.
To get a report of what you actually need.

And a proposal to have Spinlab build it for you.

The result:

Every client who purchased the Spinguide was upsold into a full development project.

One offer that solved their "sales" problem.

That's the power of a brand strategy.

Want to create a Paid Discovery Offer for your business?

Check the comments for my course.

Or DM me to build one for you.

I'm taking on 2 more clients from now until June.

Let's uncover your real business issues.

And create a strategy to level up your revenue.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

How I helped a manufacturing client grow by $50M+.

(and become a preferred vendor in their industry)

Storytime 📖

Fusion Tech was a fabrication shop creating custom-designed metal solutions for 4 verticals:

- agriculture
- transportation
- renewable energy
- food processing

And their website showed it.

Vague messaging.
Vague offer.
Not a single standard product.

Kind of hard to be found when your messaging is "we can fabricate anything you need."

So I came in and worked my #SassyJason magic:

- mapped out their ideal customers
- focused on ONE industry
- created standard products (for SEO and sales)
- rewrote their messaging
- launched a new SEO website
- created content for their ICP
- developed a client acquisition system
- designed case studies to show expertise
- listed them in industry directories

And we still design and manage all of their print and digital ads.

The result:

- Listed as a preferred vendor for the largest food processing companies
- Regularly ontribute expertise to industry magazines
- Trusted as experts in their industry
- Stole market share from competitors 10x their size
- Outside sales team went from 7 to 3
- Revenue went from $14M to over $60M
- 90% of that revenue came through our marketing efforts

That's the beauty of an effective brand strategy.

It drives everything else in your business.

Including revenue generation.

Ready to become the preferred vendor in your industry?

Shoot me a DM. 

I'll send you information on how we can craft a unique position that makes you a sh*t ton of money.

If you're into that sort of thing.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

How I Made a Manufacturing Company $50M | Shft Agency

One tool to find and engage with your ideal customers on LinkedIn:

Sales Navigator

I use it every day to:

- find ideal customers
- segment by buying intent
- connect with my ideal customers
- start conversations with them
- engage with their content
- land them as clients

I wouldn't use LinkedIn without it.
Especially when I'm trying to attract 8- and 9-figure clients.

You can even create a custom feed with just the people you want to engage with.

BRILLIANT

I created a mini-course to teach my clients how to use Sales Navigator.

It's part of our new Brand Accelerator — a platform with how-to lessons, frameworks, and templates to implement your brand strategy.

But I pulled it out.
Made it a stand-alone course.

And have just made it live.

Want to find and engage with your ideal customers on LinkedIn?

Grab the Sales Navigator Tutorial today → https://lnkd.in/gYvjN8vQ

It'll make starting conversations with ideal customers much faster and easier than on LinkedIn alone.

Something every founder, CEO, and marketing leader should want.

Unless pipeline and revenue aren't important.

Then, by all means, scroll past.

✌🏼

#shftyourbrand

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The Battle

Nicole Thomas

Jason Vana

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The Battle

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Engagements

Likes

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