Advicetap Blog

Today we caught up with communications consultant and Advicetap member Janice Tomich based here in Vancouver, BC. Janice is doing some innovative stuff with her company, branding, and services that she’s offering. We met her to get the skinny for all of you…

Hi Janice thanks for stopping by…first off introduce yourself to the readers. What kind of work do you currently do and how did you get into it?

I am a downtown dweller who thrives on the buzz of Vancouver’s constant action. My husband and I moved from the outskirts of Metro Vancouver once our son grew up and we haven’t looked back.

Living downtown is really convenient and enables me to meet clients easily. Many of my clients are situated downtown and they like to meet in their office space.

My type of work is a bit unusual. My business, Calculated Presentations, helps people develop their public speaking voice. In a nutshell I am a presentation trainer and coach.

The love I have for language and words began at my childhood kitchen table. My father, the orator, would deconstruct political speeches.

I am drawn to the intricacies of motivational speeches and that magical pivotal moment when a speaker holds their audience in the palm of their hand. To understand what that “something” is I returned to academia three years ago.

First at BCIT in the Marketing Communications program, then completing a Bachelor of Professional Communications at Royal Roads University.

When I enrolled at RRU, I had a solid idea of my plans post-graduation. A friend and mentor advised that there was a need of presentation skill offerings for IPOs and Engineering and Scientific presentations and I agreed that he was on to something.

Tell us a bit about your company, what kind of services you offer your clients, and how you’re standing out in a crowded marketplace?

The three primary services I provide are public speaking training, content collaboration, and slidedeck creation. I have an arsenal of techniques that speakers use to engage their audience.

The visual perception of a speaker by an audience can make or break a presentation, which makes voice, gesturing, and stance important. As does clear and concrete content targeted to “what’s in it for the audience.” Along with the trend for visually rich slidedecks, these three key components create presentations that end with audiences applauding and wanting to learn more.

My service is niche in its nature so I believe I stand out already. Instead of standing out, the hurdle for me is to educate the client of how valuable my service is.

The evidence is easily demonstrated – have you noticed the people sleeping and fidgeting (aka Blackberries and iPhones) at presentations?

We all know the importance of presentations for sales and relationship building but often we resort to default PowerPoint and old style lecturing.

Here at Advicetap we love branding. So I need to ask you why you chose to go with Janice Tomich as the main focus of your visual and brand identity (logo, URL, website, etc)? Has this worked well for you? Any positives or negatives you can share on how personal branding has worked for you.

The decision to use my name as my brand was not an easy one. I went back and forth a few times. My decision is a bit waffley as I am the identity (URL, my image on the website) but the company name is Calculated Presentations.

I understand that the trend is individuals being the identity of a brand. The philosophy of Tony Hsieh from Zappo’s Shoes helped me make my decision. He is the face of Zappo’s and leads it but he is not the company.

What I have noticed recently that is that people recognize me, and what I do, but do not know my company name. This is a dilemma for entrepreneurs.

Speaking of branding and visual identity your website is really pro looking. You mentioned to me the whole thing is powered by WordPress even though it’s much more then a blog? How does that work for you and do you recommend this set up? Where did you get it done?

David Maguire of www.davidmaguire.ca and I collaborated to create the site. He convinced me that it would meet my needs and he was right. I’m impressed with the end result. It looks current and we were able to implement my style easily.

Yes, I would highly recommend it. My technical skills are strong and it is easy for me to add content to my site. But even for someone whose computer skills are not stellar, WordPress is relatively easy to manage with a little training.

What role does social media play in your marketing efforts and do you have a social media tip you can share with the blog readers that they may be able to try out?

Social Media is a large component of my marketing and it brilliantly tags onto researching networking opportunities. Six months ago I was rolling my eyes over the use of Twitter, now I love it.

Twitter is an exponential information resource for me, and a platform where I have met many inspiring colleagues.

To benefit from Twitter you have to be a real voice, willing to share and willing to learn. And not be afraid when you connect with someone to ask them out for coffee or a Skype. My philosophy is so what if they say no, it just wasn’t a good match.

I also have a blog and a Facebook fan page. I find that I really like Facebook because of its immediacy. With blogging I have not seen the results I would like and it is still a work in progress. I also use LinkedIn for the formal side of my business but still sit on the fence regarding the platforms usefulness.

I know you only started your company about 6 months ago but you’re already extremely busy and are even turning some jobs down, what’s your secret sauce of keeping the phones ringing?

Networking, networking, and more networking!

I believe that part of my success has been attending every meeting and event that I can. When people see you consistently attending functions a level of trust and a testament to your staying power is realized.

The results do not happen overnight and my efforts are aligned with my relationship-based values. I only work with people who I like, trust and connect with.

I admit it is difficult to maintain the marketing and public relations component of a business plan when jobs are rolling in. But I have diligently put aside half a day per week because I understand the legacy that consistent input makes.

Thanks so much Janice! Last but not least where should we rock out for a good sushi fix in Vancouver?

Tojo’s when you’re feeling flush and Toshi’s when you’re not.