We’ve all heard the sad tale of how the “shoemaker’s children go barefoot” and can all relate, to a degree, about how that correlates to our own businesses and professions.

For the first 13 years, that saying described The Garrity Group Public Relations.  We do amazing things for our clients but fall short on touting our own successes.

Two years ago, we started a strategic planning process.   It started by focusing on the vision and mission.  Then shifted to identifying the clients we wanted to work with and could benefit from our expertise.

One of the focus areas identified in our strategic planning process was to be the public relations thought leader for New Mexico.  That idea manifested itself in the Garrity Perception Survey.

It was a third party survey commissioned by the firm that focused on  the perceptions of New Mexico residents on 16 industries and trust of 16 professions.  We identified how people access news and information in our state and how much they trusted government or corporations.

The survey opened doors and helped us to move closer as the firm that leading organizations turn to for critical opportunities and issues that impact their operations in New Mexico.

I’ll be sharing some insight about our planning process and how we leveraged the perception survey to increase market position and secure top tier clients at the Public Relations Society of America’s Western District Conference, March 12-13 in Denver, Colorado.  Here is the website for more information on how to register and participate in the discussion: http://prsacolorado.org/2012westerndistrict