Your Greatest Asset

Your name can be your best asset if you are an independent professional.

I didn’t understand how important it was when I hung out my own shingle. I named my company Z-axis Marketing, Inc.

Nobody could understand why I named it that way. Nobody could spell it, Nobody could remember it. It did not have the intended impact.

Use your name as the name of your company (or part of it) if you are a professional, coach or consultant.

It will give you the advantage of not having to explain the company name or part of the company name when you should be telling people what you can do for them. It is easier for people to remember your name than any made-up company name (no matter how clever).  

Sure, people may shorten the multiple partner Law or CPA firm to the first one or two names, but they started out with all of them. And there is not any doubt about what they do.

But what if you need to name a company or a product? 

The decisions, in order are:

1. Is this a single product company?

2. Is this a multi-product company?

3. How do you come up with names that stay in mind?

The single product company,

The company and product name can be the same. When Digimarc was being named we struggled more with finding a way to describe the result of the technology than anything else. This invention allows the user to digitally mark any product or graphic holographically. The mark can be seen by the right software even if only a fragment of the marked document is available. (See the Brand Story and outcome at www.BrandBrainTrust.com)

The name of the company changed three times before it was introduced to second stage investors.

The multi-product company.

You will need to delineate the products in such a way that clients or customers can easily identify them. That doesn’t mean you need to think of the decision as a set of handcuffs.

For example:

· S C Johnson makes all sorts of products. Each carries its own name and some have line extensions. You’re probably familiar with No More Tears Shampoo®, Glade®, Pledge® and Windex®

· Most technically oriented or engineering firms use numbers to designate their products as they evolve. Intel’s i5 and i7 chips come to mind.

· But some elect to use other means. Android uses sweet treats as names for their operating system upgrades—Jelly Bean is perhaps the best known.

· Another way is to use letters of the alphabet. Ford does this using an E to begin the names for the SUVs: Explorer, Escape, Edge, Expedition.

How do come up with names that stay in mind?

· Make ‘em smile. (Cherry Garcia one of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream flavors)

· Tell ‘em what it does (Gorilla Glue)

· Have ‘em picture it (Good Grips--OXO kitchen implements)S

· Show ‘em a theme (Mc Café, Mc Nuggets, Mc Ribs)

· Give ‘em a feeling (Obsession, the perfume) 

What’s in your name? 

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His consulting practice, founded in 1990, is known for Trust-based Brand development, Positioning and business development for independent professionals on and off-line.

Consulting: www.JerryFletcher.com
Speaking: www.NetworkingNinja.com 
DIY Training: www.ingomu.com