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.
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.
posted by Jan at
10:47 AM
