What's in a name?

I just got an email from a salesman at a very respected vendor in our industry. The salesman, apparently, goes by the name Bobby. His message was brief, "Jan, do you have time to talk about our product and what it can do for you at Alliance Communications....Sincerely, Bobby." You know what, Bobby? I just can't take you seriously. If you think your mom will let you, could you use "Bob" just for the sake of business purposes?

Maybe I'm being harsh on ol' Bobby. Maybe he's one of 17 Bob Somethings that works at this particular company and doesn't want to be confused with one of the other Bobs. Or, maybe he's 12 and got this job because he was the lowest bidder. It doesn't matter. It screams "I'm Not Serious About This."

Which brings me to my thought for the day -- what's in a name anyway. Well, when it comes to your business, here's a few rules to keep in mind:

1. Keep it simple. You want your business name to be something that is memorable and easy to pronounce. While 'Je ne sais pas' is eloquent (ok, it's "I don't know" in French), it's not all that easy to remember (unless it's ALL you remember from French class like me), and it's not all that easy to pronounce if you're reading it for the first time. Think of some great brands -- General Motors, AT&T, Apple, Betty Crocker, Staples -- I could go on and on. They are simple, easy to remember, easy to pronounce.

2. Unique, memorable. Just because you are a pool cleaning service, your name doesn't have to be Joey's Pool Cleaning Service. Go a little wild while keeping the first rule in mind. How about Aquatic Pool Cleaning, Aqua Pools; Crystal Clear Pool Cleaning, etc. At the same time, let's forget the Red this and the Blue that. It's so dot com. Think about what you want to convey to your prospect. Example -- inexpensive might equate to Budget Car Rental; Exclusive might equate to Premier Limousine; Your service area might equate to Southwest Airlines. Get it?

3. Say what you do. If you sell widgets, be the widget company. If you walk dogs, be the dog walking company. It doesn't have to be your entire name but make it so people know what you do. Example: Geico Insurance -- um, it's insurance. Payless Shoes -- they sell shoes.

Is it too late if you already have a name? Nope -- you can always add a tag line. If you've been known as ABC2 for 20 years, now you could say ABC2, Insurance for Business since 1990. Or a slogan, The Asset Protector (haha - I wouldn't really do that but it was funny at the time of writing this!)

I've ranted enough all because of Bobby in my email box. I'll continue this thought in tomorrow's post and talk about the logo and branding.

Do you really think Dunkin' Donuts has the best coffee?

I'm not a coffee drinker so maybe I'm not an authority but let's go ahead and take up the debate -- is Dunkin' Donuts coffee really the best coffee? Or, did Dunkin' Donuts create an image, a brand, as THE best coffee? Did they see a market of coffee drinkers who would pay $5 for a 50¢ cup of coffee and then offered the same experience to this audience at a mere $2.50? Do you think that's what got coffee drinkers to flock to the donut shop and declare its brew the best?

Branding has a lot of power. It'll make you open your wallet -- wide -- and it'll make you go out of your way to insist on that brand. So, how do you do it?

First think you have to do is KNOW WHO YOU ARE. Dunkin' Donuts took a look at their SWOT and you know what they found? No one buys donuts much past noon on any given day. So maybe they added sandwiches and ice cream to their stores. Hmmm... still just moving the regulars around the clock, not really driving in new customers. Then, imagine in their strengths, they noticed that hey, our coffee's not all that bad. Perhaps under opportunities, they said, wow, coffee drinkers are spending millions at boutique and franchise coffee shops. We could do that!

But instead of jumping into the pot with perhaps a cheaper latte, they said, let's tell people that we have the best coffee. Not cheaper, not better. The best.

So who are you? What is it you do better than your competitors? Why should someone go out of their way to buy from you and you only?

While the economy RIGHT NOW dictates lower price is the winner, is this a winning strategy for you, long term?

Base your BRAND on tangible differences, not just price. What is it about your company, your brand, that makes you the better choice for whatever it is your sell?

Spend some time creating your BRANDING PROMISES. This should be 5-7 statements about your company, product or service that sums up everything you do. These branding promises then dictate every ad, tweet, post, email, presentation, RFP, etc. You must live these branding promises and so must every employee, from the intern to the president.

Do you want to be the best in your industry? Maybe you already are. Now it's time to tell someone.

Public Relations is more than just a press release

If you're delving into the world of public relations, it's not all about a press release every few weeks. PR is a whole lot more. It's about branding, image, a personality. Did you see the movie, "Hancock"? It's about a superhero (Will Smith) who's a cranky, unlovable drunk. He happens to save a PR professional (Jason Bateman) who then decides to help Hancock's image.

You watch the flick and sure enough, after a press conference, carefully executed events and a costume change, Hancock's approval with the public changes dramatically. The whole time, I never once saw a press release go out....

Sure, things in movies never happen that way in real life but you have to admit, it has some merit. Think about the way things APPEAR to the public. Think about what you can do to change/enhance/improve your IMAGE in the eyes of your publics. What do you want them to see?

My son started middle school this year and for the first time since Kindergarten, had to interact with kids he didn't know. One day, on the walk to the bus stop, I mentioned to him that he should be saying hello to all the kids at the bus stop. He said, why, they aren't in my class or even my grade. My response was: someday, someone's going to ask one of these kids if they know you simply because you live in the same neighborhood. You want them to say, "Oh yeah! He lives in my neighborhood; nice kid. Always says 'hi'."

THAT is public relations ... Think about it. It doesn't start and end with a press release ... it all starts with a smile and a hello.

Putting the Public back in Public Relations....

So I'm leaving the grocery store and the clerk hands me my receipt, to which I reply, "Thank you." She says, "You're welcome."

Now, from a preschool point of view, this is an accurate display of properly executed manners. Someone says thank you, and someone says you're welcome. It's polite.

But as I'm walking out, pushing $100 of groceries to my car, I can't help but think SHE SHOULD HAVE BEEN THANKING ME! I mean, I could have spent that $100 in restaurants over the next week... I could've shopped at a different store... I could've spent just $10... But I spent $100 on merchandise purchased in that store. I made the choice to do so and in turn, provided that store with a sale that further keeps that very clerk employed!

My point is this: In today's tough economy, everyone is competing for the same dollar. Wouldn't it simply make sense if someone chose to give you one of their dollars, that the least you could do is say THANK YOU?

I point this out because as marketers, we spend so much time focusing on reaching our customers and finding new customers that we so often FORGET our current customer. We're all still human beings and every transaction is still personal. Put Customer Service into your next PR plan and let PR start at home.