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Returning to the Scene of the Crime

My first speech at a major conference was the HOW Mind Your Own Business Conference in los Cabos, Mexico in 2003 when a then-unknown-to-me David C. Baker invited me to speak on Mistakes to Avoid in Positioning Your Firm.

My message went over well enough (although I got poor marks for my rusty and wooden style!) that I was invited back two years later. David Baker has now ended his involvement with the conference that he co-founded, but the event is soldiering on (now an annual event again after two stints as a biannual) in Austin the weekend of September 25th, 2008. I've been invited back this year to do the opening keynote, giving me a rare opportunity to take back some of the things I said five years ago. But will I?

Five years ago I took the stand that the only valid basis for position a creative services firm was expertise. While I still know this to be true, time and experience have allowed me to see the value of the softer side of positioning. No, I won't be recanting anything, but I will be delving into what I call the 'flavor' of your firm - the softer side of positioning - in the opening keynote titled, Passion, Personality & Ideology: Are You What You Sell?

This has always been a fun event for me and I'm happy to return for a third time. I am a little curious about the direction it will take without the programming hand of David Baker. I guess we'll see in September.