iAM Services

“When it comes to social networking Shalini is the go to person. She provides a lot of information in a short amount of time. Great ideas for marketing services and products. Excellent at explaining techniques and through her extensive research has compiled an extensive list of resources that are available to help you with your marketing projects.”   Natalie, Tax & Financial Consultant

Our Passion: Combining innovation, authenticity, and mindfulness in marketing to help you tell your story to the right audience and build community around your brand for maximum well being of all stakeholders.

Our desired customers – All individuals, small and medium businesses, and non profits who are looking for authentic and effective ways of pursuing their purpose while maximizing well being of all stakeholders.

Our goal is simple – to help you live your business purpose effectively and profitably, benefit people and communities involved, and have fun doing all this.

Please go through our list of services and call us for free consultation to discuss your particular needs.

Our fees are designed to make these services accessible to all. Each planning module is available at affordable rates and can be delivered using recorded teleconferencing for distant clients. Fees for our services are based upon specific needs of our clients.

Authentic Branding

We look at Authentic branding as connecting your inner purpose with an unmet need in the marketplace and communicating that clearly and consistently to your desired audience, so they know who you are and how to find you when they need your services.

The Vision: What is the change you are most inspired to bring through your work? We help you clarify your vision based on your passions, purpose, skills, values, and life lessons most important to you.

Research: A vital aspect of our process is doing research on similar brands in the marketplace. We offer informal and formal research methods based on the project needs and budget. Informal methods include web search and information gathering from relevant stakeholders. Formal methods comprise surveys, focus groups, and qualitative research methods including indepth interviews and metaphor analysis.

Unique benefits: We help you discover and articulate what are the unique benefits you have to offer to your desired customers like no one else can in the marketplace.

“Shalini is a superb consultant who listens from the heart and in addition immerses her expertise in “thinking from the neck down.” I have benefited greatly from her expertise and enthusiasm, as well as simply and genuinely enjoyed getting to know her as a person. She has my highest endorsement.”             Sarah, Educator & ConsultantThe story: As human being we connect through stories. We help you find your authentic voice and tell your story. Once you have clarity of purpose and unique benefits, a right combination of language, symbols, and imagery is used to tell your story.

Web design: Everyone needs a website to tell their story. If you don’t already have one, we can develop a customized site to reflect your unique identity.

Suggested marketing and social media channels: Once we have a story we can identify the right combination of traditional and social media channels to reach your desired customers easily.

Mindful Marketing

Authentic branding: If you do not have a clearly defined brand, we can help you develop an authentic brand as described above.

Research: A vital aspect of our process is doing research on similar brands in the marketplace to identify what is currently being offered, at what price, and how. We offer informal and formal research methods based on the project needs and budget. Informal methods include web search and information gathering from relevant stakeholders. Formal methods comprise surveys, focus groups, and qualitative research methods including indepth interviews and metaphor analysis.

Pricing: The right price is subjective and requires mindfulness of all factors including how you value your services, your relationship with money, and external factors in the environment including your customers and competition. We can help you develop your pricing strategy, which can be a combination of your cost, what is available in the marketplace, and desired goals. The key is to provide unique value to your customers.

“Since we live in different parts of the state we worked over the phone. What struck me most about Shalini was her calm PRESENCE. She is a delightful, generous thoughtful person. She helped me learn how to use certain social media tools. When I didn’t understand something she didn’t fluster in any way - she just patiently worked with me until I understood. Shalini’s work is holistic, even though it is based on the computer. I would have never put those 2 concepts together and she does it magically. I believe her ability to work so well is that she really listens, she is an expert at what she does and she cares about helping others. Dr. Devorah, Director at Marblehead Healing”Marketing channels: It is important to be aware of the places that your customers are likely to find you. Keeping the focus on helping people through your purpose, we work with you to develop creative ways of reaching and engaging your target stakeholders effectively. This can include a range of online activities through your website and blogs, social media channels, newsletters, articles, and traditional channels such as retail outlets, partnerships, and other social networks that reach out to your potential clients.

Social media: Based on your marketing strategy, we can help you develop a sound social media strategy to reach, engage, and research your desired stakeholders. Please see below for social media solutions we offer.

Web design: Every businesses needs a website to house its online identity. If you don’t already have one, we can develop a customized site that is consistent with your authentic brand and marketing strategy.

Building community: Beyond building brands, we believe in building communities around your vision, values, and beliefs held in common with other stakeholders. We can work with you to develop your community.

 

Social Media

 

HootSuite Professional Certified

Business mission: Every marketing plan needs to start with the company’s main purpose or the corporate mission. If you do not have a clear purpose or corporate mission, we will begin there.

Social media goals: The next question to ask is how SM can further the organization’s goals? What are the specific goals and objectives of the SM plan in order to support the overall company plan? We help you articulate your broader SM goals, which are typically ongoing and cannot be measured; we also work with you to develop your SM objectives, which are the measurable and specific outcomes you would like to achieve within the specified period.

 “Dr. Bahl through her tireless research and analysis has developed a body of wisdom (mindful) in the social media discipline. As an accountant and consultant with two decades plus of experience working with business, I found those three hours enlightening and would urge any new entrepreneur to seriously consider Dr. Bahl as a “one stop shop” for innovative and workable ideas.”  Michael, Tax & Financial ConsultantResearch: Again, we need to find out what are the social media channels most favored by your desired stakeholders and what are the channels being used by brands similar to yours.

Strategy to listen, inform, & engage: Social media differs from traditional promotion channels as it involves a two-way conversation and often many to many conversations. The most effective use of social media involves a new mindset before developing a strategy to compliment your marketing strategy. We help you understand the new mindset.

Once you have the new mindset, we can develop the strategy to authentically listen, inform, and engage your desired stakeholders. (Read more about this on the blog post on social media) http://iam-bc.com/blog/integrating-social-media-your-marketing-plan

Clear policies: There are many ways to handle social media within an organization. While there may be one person overseeing SM, there are ways to integrate other employees, guest bloggers, customers, community members, and other people passionate about the product, cause, or service that your organization is promoting.

We help you develop a strategy that works best for you and establish clear policies around who and in what way each person will be involved.

Measurement: The good news about many of the social media tools is that you can track some aspects of the impact you are making very easily. For example, in quantitative terms Twitter gives you statistics related to your Tweets on certain applications; Facebook pages gives you statistics; and the sheer number of followers and fans helps to some degree in telling about the response to your efforts. We can show you how to use these tools along with Google Analytics to assess your quantitative performance.

 It is also good analyze the qualitative data related to your organization in terms of what people are saying about you. Over longer periods of time you can correlate the increase in SM statistics with increase in sales and traffic to better understand which channel is most productive for your goals. Very often, it is a combination of SM tools that will promote your goals and it may be hard to separate the effects of each.

Hands on training: We provide hands on training to learn how to use Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogs, and YouTube and relevant applications.

Customization: We offer customizations of social media channels such as Twitter and Facebook.

Website Design

Based on your purpose and budget we offer a range of website design options that are affordable and artistic. The customized web designs are developed from scratch to reflect your unique identity. For faster and cheaper options, which is necessary in some cases, we offer wordpress and template based websites that can clearly communicate your identity, but in our opinion cannot compete with custom designs.

Our web designs are based on sound marketing strategy and search engine optimization. We are passionate about the art behind the technology and the passion behind your marketing strategy that goes into making your website UNIQUE.

Learn more about the website designer and Drupal developer, Ron Martinez in the About Us page.

iAM Workshops & Public Speaking

 “Shalini is an inspiring public speaker. Her talk was well organized, included audience participation, and had interesting visuals. She has an interesting background that includes being an entrepreneur and professor.” Joan Temkin Membership and Marketing Director at Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce

 

We offer workshops in authentic branding, mindful marketing, and social media. Some of the workshops we offer:

  • Social Media Planning: A New Mindset
  • Twitter: Be The Expert & Connect
  • Facebook: Do You K now the Difference Between Pages, Groups, & Personal Profiles?
  • LinkedIn: How to use it effectively
  • Blogging to build Authentic Brands
  • The 8 Steps in Mindful Marketing
  • Authentic Personal Brands for Artists and Healers
  • The New Paradigm: Purpose, People, and Profits in the Technology Age

“You did a great job with a complex topic and diverse audience (in terms of experience-levels.) You were knowledgeable, clear in your explanations and infinitely patient. I appreciated your focus on keeping an open mind, mindfulness, and viewing social media as an energy system and felt that you set the stage exceptionally well. You have an engaging, gracious style and the ability to attend to each individual while keeping the group moving - quite a feat!” Laurie & Richard

All workshops and public speaking events are based on latest research, vast business experience, and case studies. They include multi-media presentations, introspection, and interactive learning.

If you are interesting in attending or providing this to your employees, please email shalini@iam-bc.com to keep you informed of upcoming workshops.

If you would like to customize a workshop to meet specific needs of your organization please contact shalini@iam-bc.com to discuss your needs and possibilities.

 

 

 

 

THE iAM Meetings

“I met Shalini at last month’s iAM Women in Business Meeting. The presentation and discussion focused around the topic of mindful marketing through social networking. As owner and chiropractor at Whole Focus Chiropractic in Hadley, MA, I found the information she presented and the group discussions to be very valuable and inspiring. I’m really looking forward to this month’s meeting. Thanks Shalini!” Rebecca, Chiropractor

The iAM Meeting is a non judgmental forum of exchange for people with a purpose to find innovative, authentic, and mindful marketing solutions. Each meeting focuses on a specific topic related to mindful marketing, authentic branding, or social media. Meetings include multi-media presentations, group exercises, and discussions to create a dynamic environment for entrepreneurs to share their passions and find innovative solutions to their challenges while also focusing on inner balance and self awareness.

These monthly meetings are held on the last Thursday of each month at the Nacul Center, Main Street in Amherst, MA 01002.

Please contact shalini@iam-bc.com for more information

 

CORPORATE WORKSHOPS

Based on input provided by your company or our assessment using qualitative and quantitative measures we can understand the causes of disastisfaction at work and create an appropriate program. Some benefits of iAM workshops are:

-Introduce time-tested mindfulness techniques to reduce stress and increase well-being among employees

-Enhance enthusiasm, commitment and team-work among employees

-Bring clarity of company mission and integrate employees’ personal goals and talents with company mission

-Identify beliefs and assumptions that are limiting growth in your organization

-Stimulate creative solutions through engaging brainstorming techniques

FORMAT OF iAM WORKSHOPS

The iAM workshops comprise three modules. Each module has been carefully developed based on latest research in business, science, and spirituality. Each module has a theoretical and practical component. The theoretical component comprises the latest research relevant to your business and the practical component comprises exercises that allow the knowledge to be integrated in an experiential manner. Depending upon your company’s needs, we can adapt the modules to cater to your specific needs for one or a combination of the three modules. For example, if you feel that the biggest factor that needs to be addressed is stress then we can create a program focusing more on mindfulness techniques for stress reduction at work. Or you may feel that people are lacking motivation or inspiration in which case we can focus more on the module pertaining to authenticity, which deals with integrating people’s person mission and company mission. And if you feel that your company is not reaching the articulated goals we can start with mindful breathing and then from a place of stillness focus on exercises to uncover limiting beliefs and identify other perspectives to deal with the business challenges confronting your company.

Our workshops use dynamic multi-media presentations, individual exercises, and group work to create an entertaining, but introspective learning experience. Before recommending any particular format and length we like to understand our clients’ needs. However, here is a basic format to give you some idea of what is possible.

First Module: Mindfulness

 

Theoretical Component

  • Meaning of mindfulness in business and its importance
  • Spiritual wisdom from a scientific perspective
  • A scientific perspective on the nature of mind that causes stress and prevents us from reaching our creative potential
  • Case studies of mindfulness in business

Practical Component

  • Breathing techniques to relax the mind
  • Breathing techniques to relax the body
  • Mindful breathing for mindful response at work
  • Daily practice to incorporate mindfulness as a way of being
  • Other techniques using voice dialog and intuitive writing based on specific needs of the company

Second Module: Authenticity

Theoretical Component

  • Meaning of authenticity
  • Latest research on authentic leadership
  • Scientific perspectives on authentic being and communications
  • Case studies of authentic leadership

Practical Component

  • Exercise to clarify personal passions and mission
  • Meaning of company mission
  • Exercises to explore ways that each person in the company can contribute to the company mission bringing their personal mission and qualities to work

Third Module: Innovative Thinking

Theoretical Component

  • Meaning of innovative thinking
  • Scientific perspective on thoughts and perceptions
  • The link between inner beliefs and external outcomes
  • Case studies of innovative thinking that makes mindfulness more profitable in business

Practical Component

  • Exercise to identify limiting beliefs behind outcomes that you would like to change or challenges you are encountering at work
  • Exercise to replace limiting beliefs with new beliefs that allow you to look at the problem from multiple perspectives and find new solutions

Read some past participants’ comments here…

“Shalini has a unique edge with her Pioneering integration of cutting edge research on Spirituality and down-to-earth practical applications in the world of business.  She walks her talk. The Women in Business Circle Meeting creates a safe . supportive environment for women in ALL stages of development o learn from not only Shalini, but one another.  It is inspiring and empowering: it is well worth the monthly meetings and consequential connections with a vast network of delightful like-minded women.” Deb Waldron, Founder and Director of Affinity Center

“Thank you for a great night of dynamic idea sharing and story telling! Your facilitation was expert and enlightened!!” Karen Ribeiro, Director at ener-G-save and Founder of Inner Fortune Journaling

iAM College Workshops

Looking back on my recent experience, it’s even more apparent how relaxing the breathing techniques were.  After each exercise, my shoulders and back felt more comfortable, my mind clearing of daily stress, and my eyes naturally remaining closed. Jon, University of Utah

During my academic career as a marketing professor, two things that stood out for me are the high levels of stress and low levels of passion among college students. I started the Science of Breath seminars at the University of Utah to introduce breathing techniques to college students that can help deal with stress and bring more clarity.

“The seminar that was done at the University of Utah was a pretty exceptional experience for me.  It was an extraordinary event that took place on campus that was quite different than the normal hustle of everyday activity. Each one of the three types of breaths taught to us was aimed at teaching a different way to breath in order to create different responses in our bodies and minds. The seminar overall inspired me to involve different types of yoga into my everyday life, and more over to pay attention to my breathing.  I now know the importance of my breathing, and different exercises I can take the time to do to help control my mind and body.” Alex, University of Utah

With the added modules on authenticity and innovative thinking, the IAM workshops can be very useful to business students. Among other things, students will be exposed to the latest business trends and scientific findings on the nature of mind that they may not be introduced to in a traditional classroom setting. In addition, the techniques to enhance mindfulness and authenticity are valuable tools that they can use to discern and express their highest potential in creative and meaningful ways.

“Prior to this class, I had never concentrated on my breath or thought about how it affects my mind and body.  I must admit that I noticed a significant difference in the clarity of my mind during the time that I spent in this class learning how to breathe properly.  After we learned about the first breath, I felt much more relaxed and stress-free.  I felt like my mind was much clearer and that I had more energy.  I entered the class very tired and stressed about all of the things that I have going on between school and work.  When I left, I really couldn’t remember all the things I had going on and felt much more at peace with everything in my life.” Ian, University of Utah