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The Shortlist
Middle of Six
76 episodes
3 months ago
Before you kick off your next website project, take a beat—because there’s a lot you can do ahead of time to make the process smoother, more strategic, and ultimately more successful. To wrap up Season 4 of The Shortlist, Wendy Simmons is joined by Kyle Davis and Lauren Jane Peterson to break down the things you should tackle before your website project officially begins. They walk through practical steps like confirming your Google Analytics setup, gathering project descriptions and photos, ...
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Before you kick off your next website project, take a beat—because there’s a lot you can do ahead of time to make the process smoother, more strategic, and ultimately more successful. To wrap up Season 4 of The Shortlist, Wendy Simmons is joined by Kyle Davis and Lauren Jane Peterson to break down the things you should tackle before your website project officially begins. They walk through practical steps like confirming your Google Analytics setup, gathering project descriptions and photos, ...
Show more...
Marketing
Business
Episodes (20/76)
The Shortlist
Five Things to do Before Starting a Website Project
Before you kick off your next website project, take a beat—because there’s a lot you can do ahead of time to make the process smoother, more strategic, and ultimately more successful. To wrap up Season 4 of The Shortlist, Wendy Simmons is joined by Kyle Davis and Lauren Jane Peterson to break down the things you should tackle before your website project officially begins. They walk through practical steps like confirming your Google Analytics setup, gathering project descriptions and photos, ...
Show more...
3 months ago
34 minutes

The Shortlist
SMPS Life: Making the Most of Your Membership
In this episode of The Shortlist, we’re spotlighting the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) and all the value it brings to AEC marketers. Host Wendy Simmons is joined by Senior Marketing Strategists Grace Takehara and Katy Byers for a fun and reflective conversation about how to get the most out of SMPS, regardless if you’re a long-time member or just SMPS-curious. Grace and Katy swap stories about how they found SMPS, the connections they’ve made, and the professional growth ...
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3 months ago
34 minutes

The Shortlist
Planning Ahead for Award Submittals
Award season can sneak up fast, but with the right planning, your next submittal doesn’t have to be a scramble. In this episode of The Shortlist, host Wendy Simmons chats with Julie Flattery and Lauren Jane Peterson, two experienced AEC marketers who have led dozens of award submissions from inside architecture firms. They break down what makes a submission truly compelling, starting with early planning and thoughtful project selection. From evaluating ROI to capturing project data before it ...
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4 months ago
41 minutes

The Shortlist
Expanding into New Markets
Expanding into a new geographic market can be an exciting growth opportunity—but it’s not without risk. In this episode of The Shortlist, host Wendy Simmons is joined by principal Melissa Richey and associate principal (and first-time guest!) Julie Flattery to talk about what it really takes to open a new office or grow your firm’s presence in a new region. Together, they explore common drivers of expansion—like client demand, economic diversification, or key staff relocations—and share real-...
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4 months ago
36 minutes

The Shortlist
Pushing the Boundaries on Pursuits
With selection committees tasked with reviewing eight, nine, or even a dozen proposals at a time, it takes more than polished boilerplate for an AEC firm to stand out. Sometimes the winning move is a bold, experimental, and 100% client-focused approach that not only shows off your qualifications but also your team's enthusiasm and understanding of the project. In this episode of The Shortlist, Wendy Simmons sits down with Melissa Richey and Becky Ellison to explore what it really means ...
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5 months ago
35 minutes

The Shortlist
Harnessing the Power of LinkedIn
With over 1 billion users worldwide and 67 million company profiles listed, LinkedIn remains an important platform for marketing, recruiting, and brand building. In Episode 70 of The Shortlist, Wendy Simmons is joined by Middle of Sixers Melissa Richey and Grace Takehara to discuss strategies for using LinkedIn on both individual and company levels—from keeping up with industry happenings, and sharing thought leadership, to selection committee research, and team recruiting. They also dive int...
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5 months ago
38 minutes

The Shortlist
Creative and Strategic Storytelling
Storytelling isn’t just for novelists—it’s the secret weapon for AEC marketers too! On this episode of The Shortlist, Wendy Simmons teams up with the creative minds of Becky Ellison and Kyle Davis to talk about crafting stories that grab attention and build real connections. They explore what makes a strong story—clear exposition, conflict, and resolution—and how those fundamentals help proposals and social media content truly stand out. Becky shares her philosophy on creative brainstor...
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6 months ago
39 minutes

The Shortlist
Middle of Six Book Review!
We're shaking things up with a special "book review" episode of The Shortlist! This week, Wendy Simmons is joined by Middle of Sixers Susan O'Leary, Lauren Jane Peterson, and Grace Takehara to explore insights from three influential reads that can inspire AEC marketers. Grace reviews Conquer Your Rebrand by Bill Kenney of Focus Labs, offering strategies to build strong, enviable B2B brands. Susan shares key takeaways from Seth Godin’s This is Marketing, focusing on authentic connection ...
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6 months ago
31 minutes

The Shortlist
Design Psychology
In AEC marketing, design makes in an impact on so many of our day-to-day marketing initiatives. Proposals, websites, social media, brochures, signage, email signatures, presentations—the list goes on and on. On top of that, each medium and message may utilize a whole host of visual elements such as color, layout, typography, form, space, imagery, and more. With so much design and so many applications, how can we make sure our deliverables are engaging and resonant? Enter design psychology. On...
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7 months ago
34 minutes

The Shortlist
InDesign Rumble
Adobe InDesign is a must-have tool for AEC marketers, but let’s be honest—many of us honed our proposal design skills on the job, often under a deadline. Even experienced users sometimes wonder: Am I using the best approach? In this episode of The Shortlist, host Wendy Simmons sits down with some of Middle of Six's InDesign "power users" Allison Tivnon, Becky Ellison, and Lauren Jane Peterson to explore the many ways designers approach InDesign for proposals and marketing collateral.&nb...
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7 months ago
1 hour

The Shortlist
What Comes First, Design or Content?
A frequent debate for AEC Marketers is the classic “chicken or the egg” question: which comes first—design or content? In Episode 65 of The Shortlist, Wendy Simmons is joined by Middle of Six’s Senior Creative Strategist Becky Ellison and Marketing Strategist Kyle Davis to explore both sides of the discussion. Should content shape the design, ensuring a clear and structured message? Or should design lead the way, providing a framework for content to fit into? This ongoing debate p...
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8 months ago
33 minutes

The Shortlist
Proposal Submission Confessions
In Episode 64 of The Shortlist, Wendy Simmons is joined by Middle of Sixers Melissa Richey and Becky Ellison for a candid and comical discussion on proposal submission confessions. Harkening back to Episode 46, Night of the Living Deadline, this conversation dives into the best, worst, and wildest submission experiences—crazy requests, impossible demands, and unpredictable personalities. From horror stories to hard-learned lessons, it’s all on the table. Whether you’re managing a ...
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8 months ago
28 minutes

The Shortlist
Circles Conference Takeaways
As challenging as it may be to break away from your day-to-day responsibilities to attend a conference, there is tremendous value in being immersed in new ideas, best practices, and inspiring work. But we don't have to limit ourselves and our learning to the AEC industry alone. In this episode, Middle of Six Marketing Strategist Grace Takehara shares her experience attending Circles, a national creative design conference. Listen in as Grace shares her key takeaways including how to fost...
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9 months ago
32 minutes

The Shortlist
Psychological Safety in AEC Marketing
The importance of psychological safety, particularly in high-pressure industries like architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC), is having a moment—and for good reason! This episode of The Shortlist delves into how stress, especially secondary stress from pressure and insecurity, can negatively affect communication and team dynamics. Middle of Sixers Wendy, Allison, and Becky share their own experiences and emphasize that psychological safety—defined as a workplace enviro...
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9 months ago
47 minutes

The Shortlist
Strategic Planning Deep Dive
Middle of Six Principals Wendy Simmons, Melissa Richey, and Allison Tivnon kick off Season 4 of The Shortlist by diving into strategic planning methods for AEC firms. We explore how these plans can range from formal retreats to informal, and why it’s critical to have a clear, actionable strategy in place—especially in the face of economic challenges like inflation, government budget deficits, and increased competition. Whether your firm’s plan is a detailed, regularly updated roadmap or more ...
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9 months ago
37 minutes

The Shortlist
Leading Design-Build Pursuits
The Progressive Design-Build (PDB) delivery method has been growing in popularity since it was introduced in the 90s. With more public agencies opting for "best value" over "low bid" for certain types of projects, PDB has become a go-to tool for state agencies, hospitals, K-12, and higher education procurement. The selection process, which often includes qualifications, proprietary or informational meeting(s), technical proposal, interview, and fee proposal (but notably, often no design) can ...
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1 year ago
49 minutes

The Shortlist
Design Strategies for A3 Proposals
We can thank Toyota for many innovations including honing LEAN process and establishing the "A3" approach to problem-solving. A3's structured way of presenting information concisely now shows up across all industries -- including AEC. Over the last two decades, the A3 proposal format has grown in popularity and quickly became a hot design challenge for marketing and pursuit teams. How do you fit a 20-, 50-, or 80-page proposal on just one or two sides of an 11x17 sheet of paper? The answer: y...
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1 year ago
45 minutes

The Shortlist
Marketing Trends that Establish Authenticity
Building a brand that authentically reflects the values, expertise, and people in your firm is job #1 for a professional services marketer. Episode 58 of The Shortlist welcomes back Marketing Strategist, Grace Takehara, and Digital Marketing Strategist, Kyle Davis, to discuss some of the trends they're seeing and how (or how not) they provide opportunities to provide insights into your firm and better connect with your audience. From blogs and long-format videos, to employee ambassadors and v...
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1 year ago
56 minutes

The Shortlist
Making of "The Wildcards"
Most AEC marketers' plates are filled with essential initiatives; developing responses to RFPs and RFQs or creating promotional content for websites, social media, and databases. While those projects are critical to keeping business humming, every once in a while we get the chance to work on a big, collaborative, creative project. It's those rare moments when we get to flex our marketing muscles in new and different ways, and hopefully, produce something with the energy to fuel us through the...
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1 year ago
1 hour 3 minutes

The Shortlist
Brand and Client Perception Surveys
"How did we do?" It's a question that often remains unasked but holds vital importance. Without periodic touchpoints to gather candid performance feedback, strong relationships and potential repeat work can slip through our fingers. But how do we solicit honest feedback without things getting awkward? How do we select the right questions and deliver them appropriately? And once we have the feedback, how do we distill it into solid findings and actionable recommendations? Launching a cl...
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1 year ago
1 hour

The Shortlist
Before you kick off your next website project, take a beat—because there’s a lot you can do ahead of time to make the process smoother, more strategic, and ultimately more successful. To wrap up Season 4 of The Shortlist, Wendy Simmons is joined by Kyle Davis and Lauren Jane Peterson to break down the things you should tackle before your website project officially begins. They walk through practical steps like confirming your Google Analytics setup, gathering project descriptions and photos, ...