Company Core Concept Package

Most companies have a unique way of doing things that they, themselves, haven’t yet perceived as a Selling Point, USP or ‘message’ in any overtly articulated way. As such, they sometimes struggle to say something original in Thought Leadership materials despite that their originality on a given issue is inherent to what they do (and far more visible to an outsider). In addition, vague Missions or Visions are often taken to be the key concept when this is simply not the case.

The best example I can give of this, because I’ve come across it more than once in different ways, is where companies are practicing highly unique approaches to sustainability but which have not been recognised as such because they have never been articulated or written down. They don’t need to ‘invent’ a stance on ESG because they already have one. Yet without an external eye who is also a wordsmith, this might be lost; as such ESG materials tend to wind up as yet more generic greenwash disconnected from what the company actually does well.

How does a Core Concept differ from a Mission Statement?

Whilst most companies have a Vision or Mission Statement, a general ethos or philosophy or even Cause that drives them, none of this is the same as having a Concept, that is, a central idea that is deep enough that it can drive multiple in-depth pieces of writing. For example, wanting to 'drive sustainable supply chains' (say) or 'to motivate humanity' (say) are noble - but they are not concepts. What is there to say about these statements, in-depth?

Today, clients / customers are bombarded with noble sounding company missions and they have begun to ring hollow. People now want you to drill down - to really say something, and to be specific, and to actually make a difference. This is where Thought Leadership can help and where defining your Core Concept (and therefore Core Readership) comes in.

Feel free to Book On for a 40-minute fully Complimentary Consultation with Susan Lawson via video-link here. In the call, let me know if a particular Package interests you or if you simply need more Guidance.

The call is obviously no obligation and is really an informal 'getting-to-know' session - it's usually clear after 40 minutes whether we are a 'fit' and whether we can help your Business.

For longer One-Off Strategy Consultations, please email direct at susan@susan-lawson.co.uk. These will be billed at £225 per hour payable upon Invoice following Consultation.

Company Core Concept (including Readership Analysis)

£4,200 / $5,350

How does a Core Concept differ from a Company Vision?

A great question to ask yourself to see if your Vision / Ethos / Mission / Cause is also really a Core Concept is: could we (or someone else, on our behalf) sit down and easily write an in-depth essay or report about it - not a list of what the company does (or some sort of idyllic world view) but an actual essay on the central idea?

A Core Concept is about teasing out that Fundamental Idea, Concept, Unique Modus Operandi (or even unique metaphor – a way of expressing things) that should lie at the very heart of all that company’s Thought Leadership endeavours (including, for example, at the heart of a CEO’s book).

Whilst Core Concept is often the backbone of the company as a whole (albeit often unexpressed) it is also possible to produce a specialist Core Concept document for a specific and critical area to the business - such as your company's position and unique thinking on Sustainability or ESG - or a particular department of a larger company.

Once you get clear on Core Concept, clarity on Readership also follows.

TYPICAL PACKAGE STRUCTURE

The Core Concept Package involves, initially, at least one in-depth meeting (usually by Zoom or similar) with the CEO / Founder / Key Director to tease out what is unique about the company Thinking (and which might be explored in-depth through written materials) but which has never been articulated or formalised in words. Present at this meeting too should be any other members of your company whose Thinking plays a central role - and/or any Team member whose role it is to collate your Company thinking, research and Intellectual Property - such as a Head of Research or company Knowledge Manager.

(Please provide your existing Mission or Vision Statement and any related materials in advance of this meeting for best results.)

Based on this in-depth discussion, we will produce a Key document / text which articulates in-depth this Core Concept (of at least 1000 words but more usually around 1,500 dependent on needs). This Core Text is NOT a feature or article, rather, it is an in-depth distillation of what makes your thinking unique.

However, it can be used as a Base Text from which to develop further multiple written materials of various types, and can also be incorporated as needed into materials such as Bids. Finally, the Core Concept document can act as the beginning stage of formulating / ideating a full-length book under the CEO’s name (and can be woven into a publishing proposal). A final benefit of the Core Concept document is that it can be provided to any in-house writers you may already have, who can tweak and rework the material for different purposes without losing sight of the critical Concept.

In addition we will also produce for you a Readership Analysis document. This is critical since your Core Concept is intimately tied into your main demographic, who in turn will always be your lead Readership.