Tim Williams - Managing Director

Tim Williams is founder of Ignition. As a recognized thought leader in marketing, he is a frequent speaker and presenter for industry associations, agency networks, universities, and business conferences both here and abroad. He is author of the book, Take a Stand for Your Brand ranked by Amazon as one of the top ten books on brand building. Tim’s newest book, Positioning for Professionals was recently published by John Wiley & Sons.

Based on his expertise in the area of building differentiated professional service brands, Tim has authored numerous articles in the business and marketing trade press and has been interviewed and quoted by such diverse newsgathering organizations as The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Bloomberg News, The Guardian, Toronto Globe & Mail, Japan’s Nikkei News, and other business publications ranging from Spain to Australia. He is also a frequent contributor to leading business publications including Advertising Age, Adweek, Communication Arts, Admap, and The Advertiser. He writes the blog Propulsion and is a frequent guest writer for other popular blogs focused on marketing and management.

Tim is also a Senior Fellow of the VeraSage Institute, a think tank devoted to revolutionizing the way professional service firms price and value their services. As an adviser in this area, Tim has worked with major agencies, agency holding companies, Fortune 500 companies, and national and international associations.

Before forming Ignition, Tim was president of nationally-ranked R&R Partners (creators of the “What happens here, stays here” campaign for Las Vegas) and was co-founder of his own firm, Williams & Rockwood, now known as Richter 7. The agencies under Tim’s leadership have earned recognition in top national and international competitions including The One Show, the Communications Arts Advertising and Design Annuals, the Clio Awards, the Cannes Film Festival, and the National Addy’s.

Tim launched his career in New York and Houston working at agencies including Ogilvy & Mather and Marsteller, and has led efforts for a variety of well-known brands such as Compaq, CBS, American Express, IBM, National Public Radio, Hummer, and Novell.

Email: twilliams@ignitiongroup.com
Phone: 801.582.7297

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Desmond Williams - Operations Director

Desmond Williams leads the development of digital content for Ignition. In this role, he oversees all online properties for Ignition, including information design, usability, and production development. He also heads Ignition Labs, whose mission is to identify, test, and deploy new technologies designed for professional service firms.

His other main area of responsibility is deploying technology solutions for the assessments and evaluations Ignition uses in its consulting work. In his role, Desmond provides strategic direction in the area of digital techniques and technologies that can help improve both organizational efficiency and effectiveness.

Following the principles of “agile development”, Desmond ensures that Ignition stays on the leading edge of technology, including testing and deploying appropriate new technologies. He also manages the firm’s search marketing, online reputation management, and involvement in social networks.

Email: desmondw@ignitiongroup.com
Phone: 801.582.7297

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Emily Hicks - Business Manager

Emily Hicks has been part of the Ignition team from the start, serving as the firm’s manager of business affairs.  Over the years, Emily has been instrumental in planning and organizing Ignition events as well as interfacing directly with Ignition clients and business partners. 

Emily honed her skills in the advertising and marketing business at Williams & Rockwood and later at R&R Partners, where she served as business development coordinator. She is also a past board member of the Utah Advertising Federation.

This experience in the advertising agency business provides a valuable foundation for Emily’s current role at Ignition, where she is responsible for finance, legal, HR, and assists on consulting engagements. 

Email: ehicks@ignitiongroup.com
Phone: 801. 580.1401

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Ron Baker - Senior Consultant, Value Pricing

Ron Baker is one of the world’s thought leaders in the area of pricing professional services. He is the founder of VeraSage Institute, a think tank dedicated to teaching value-based pricing to professionals around the world.

As a frequent speaker at events and conferences, and a consultant to professional service firms on implementing value-based pricing, his work takes him around the world. He has authored a number of courses for professionals, including: How to Build a Successful Practice with Total Quality Service; The Shift From Hourly Billing to Value Pricing; Value Pricing Graduate Seminar; You Are What You Charge For: Success in Today’s Emerging Experience Economy (with Daniel Morris); Alternatives to the Federal Income Tax; Trashing the Timesheet: A Declaration of Independence; Everyday Economics; The Firm of the Future; Everyday Ethics: Doing Well by Doing Good (with Daniel Morris); The New Business Equation for Industry Executives; Specialists Make More Money (with Michelle Golden); and When Debits Don’t Equal Credits and Other Future Trends in the Accounting Profession (with Daniel Morris).

He is the author of the best-selling marketing book ever written specifically for the professions, Professional’s Guide to Value Pricing. The book has been ranked #1 on amazon.com in Australia and New Zealand. Also, Burying the Billable Hour, Trashing the Timesheet, and You Are Your Customer List, published by The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants in the United Kingdom. Ron’s books included The Firm of the Future: A Guide for Accountants, Lawyers, and Other Professional Services, co-authored with Paul Dunn, Pricing on Purpose, and Measure What Matters.

Ron has toured the world, spreading his Value Pricing message to over 70,000 professionals. He has been appointed to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountant’s Group of One Hundred, a think tank of leaders to address the future of the profession, named on Accounting Today’s 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 Top 100 Most Influential People in the profession, and received the 2003 Award for Instructor Excellence from the California CPA Education Foundation.

Email: rbaker@ignitiongroup.com
Phone: 707.769.0965

 

Creating More Value

Our approach is based on the premise that in order to capture more value, marketing firms must first create more value. Ignition works with marketing organizations to create a more clearly defined focus and differentiating business strategy that will give them a competitive advantage in the marketplace, a higher-profile reputation, and an improved ability to attract and win the clients they really want. Our work in this area in based largely on the concepts in the books written by Ignition founder Tim Williams, including Take a Stand for Your Brand (ranked in the top 10 books on brand building on Amazon) and Positioning for Professionals.

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Capturing More Value

Ignition is at the forefront of helping marketing firms develop a value-based approach to pricing and compensation. We have worked closely with organizations such as the 4As and ANA to take value-based compensation beyond theory to reality, with leading-edge models that professional firms can put to use today. Our work in this area has been featured in major business publications worldwide, as well as in books authored by Ignition associates, including Positioning for Professionals by Tim Williams and Pricing on Purpose by Ron Baker.

Seminars and workshops

Ignition conducts workshops throughout the year on a number of timely topics. In addition to presenting for associations and business organizations, Ignition also provides custom workshops for marketing firms.

Click here to learn more.

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Consulting engagements

Ignition’s consulting programs are designed to help agencies and other professional service firms create and capture more value.

Click here to learn more.