About Blackwood Impact Group

by blackwoodimpact

Our Story: Blackwood Impact Group’s Origins

Blackwood Impact Group (BIG) was founded by Melissa Martin. Melissa’s professional experiences in marketing and sales span a variety of businesses of all sizes across multiple industry sectors. However, no matter the company size or industry, Melissa observed that they all faced similar struggles in growing their revenue.

Some of the common hindrances centered on the communication and cooperation between the marketing and sales teams. Often, the two sides were at odds with each other. Frequently, these teams engaged in blaming the other for poor bottom-line results. Companies that had these two groups working well together were sadly few and far between.

Another common impediment to growth that Melissa observed were operational and process deficiencies within companies. For example, the marketing team may have run a large campaign and delivered double their usual amount of leads. But, the sales team wasn’t equipped to handle them. Inefficient procedures, such as not having a system for routing and managing calls and emails, left many leads unresponded to. Outdated sales tools and slow turn-around times for sending quotes and proposals contributed to low closing rates. In B2B and B2C companies, logistics and fulfillment issues created long delays for customers and poor brand experience.

Melissa quickly began to see that the formula for success required the marketing, sales, and operation teams to collaborate effectively. She was always disheartened to see one part of the equation underperforming and negatively impacting the other departments. But working as a part of an agency’s team which usually was only servicing only one piece of the puzzle, it was difficult for her to deliver full-service solutions.

In late 2017, Melissa carefully considered the need she saw in the marketplace and came to a conclusion. If she wanted to help small businesses and the people within them truly maximize their revenue potential, she could not do it from within someone else’s company. Her roles always limited her to providing only a part of what was truly needed. Melissa knew she needed to offer the necessary integrative solutions herself.  And so, Blackwood Impact Group was born with a passion for making a difference in the small business sector.

Our Brand: The Significance of Our Name and Logo

The name “Blackwood Impact Group” was derived from multiple sources and is driven by the brand position the company is continually establishing in the marketplace. To start with, “Blackwood” is Melissa’s mother’s maiden name. Melissa always loved it, in part because of the authority it conveys. With such a personal connection, the name is also reflective of the way the firm attends to each client’s needs—as though they are family.

As a consulting outfit, Melissa wanted a word like “group” or “firm” in the name. Once she settled on the name “group,” it made sense for a middle, descriptive word to have the initial “I” so that the company’s acronym would be “BIG.” Melissa finally landed on the word “impact” because the work she and her team does has a profound impact on the businesses they help. In the end, the company’s name reflects its character—being professional and effective with a hint of personal touch.

Melissa wanted the logo design to incorporate a triangular shape. This is for several reasons. First, triangles are said to be one of the strongest and impactful forms in nature. Architecturally, pyramids have lasted for millennia because when you apply pressure to them at different points, they will not break due to their foundational structure.

The three points of the triangles are also representative of the three areas Blackwood Impact Group serves their clients in—marketing, sales, and operations. The firm piggybacks on that concept and allows it to represent the three major stages it moves clients through.

The base of the triangle is the first stage. Here, Blackwood Impact Group will analyze the need for change with evidence of various issues and challenges the business is experiencing. Next, Blackwood Impact Group strategizes and creates a success plan to be implemented. Finally, our clients grow and reach their goals as a result. Furthermore, the three triangles in the logo transition in color as a representation of our clients growing from their starting point and upwards towards their ultimate revenue goals.

Our Impact: Why You Should Choose Blackwood Impact Group

There are other consulting firms out there. So, what sets Blackwood Impact Group apart and why would a small and medium-size business choose to work with us?

The Blackwood Impact Group consultants bring a unique, integrative approach to revenue growth. Blackwood Impact Group doesn’t just focus on one aspect of the business that is experiencing trouble; rather, we take a holistic approach and examine how various areas of the business can work together effectively to produce the best results.

Our consultants understand the struggles and challenge a business faces when it is trying to grow. Often times, foundational steps such as market research and strategy development are skipped. As a result, the company pursues the wrong target markets, hires the wrong types of salespeople, and promotes the wrong messages.  Ultimately, they wind up wasting money on these initiatives.

Blackwood Impact Group is big on initiating every engagement with a well-researched strategy. Many consulting firms will just hand over a report outlining a plan of action, and their responsibilities are done. Blackwood Impact Group goes beyond and walks with you into the stages of implementation and sustainability.

Blackwood Impact Group sits in a unique space in the market place; we have the power of a larger agency, with the flexibility and nimbleness of flexible consultants. Many times, small and medium-size businesses could benefit from the strategy and guidance that larger consulting firms offer, but they typically can’t afford that level of help. Blackwood Impact Group is able to provide high-quality services while being fair and mindful of small and medium-size business owners’ situations.

One of the most unique facets of our company is how flexible we are. We can assist with small or large projects. We can be hired for a one-time solution or come on board on a retainer basis for ongoing projects. We can be as hands-on or hands-off as you need us to be. As a certified Women-Owned and Minority-Owned business, working with us also allows you to deduct our services come tax time.

When you work with our Blackwood Impact Group consultants, you can rest assured that we are a consortium of entrepreneurs with a wealth of business experiences, who understand your struggle. We are also intentional about being diverse at every level of our company; including gender, culture, corporate experiences, and thought. We bring unique, unbiased perspectives to your business challenges that are refreshing when you’ve been trudging it alone for a while.

Finally, a factor that tends to be attractive to our clients is our passion. For one, we are passionate about helping underserved small and medium-sized businesses succeed. We are also passionate about giving underserved individuals opportunities to lead. From Melissa’s own experiences, women and minorities were often disadvantaged and overlooked for having their ideas validated, being given advancement opportunities, and denied the opportunities to equal pay. Whether clients or consultants, Melissa, and the Blackwood Impact Group team works with its clients and associates in ways that continually displays respect and builds trust, regardless of age, gender identity, race, color, nationality, disability, or religion.