A client just asked me what I thought of a possible name for her ‘new’ business.
My gut reaction to the name was “wad da fa?”
Ya see, I KNOW this client very well. I know the quality and value of the work they do. I know how their work really enhances their clients’ brands.
The new name does NOT in any way shape or form convey that value and impact.
Ya see, names are kinda important and kinda not.
Way back in 1991 I was struggling with the name of my then company. When I founded it in 1985 I chose a name that fit with:
– what I wanted to DO (that is the SERVICE I wanted to deliver to clients,
– the VALUE of that service to potential clients, and
– to some degree, my implicit VISION of the destiny and ongoing impact of my work.
What was the name I chose? Innovative Learning Unlimited Inc.
When I founded the company that name was a perfect reflection of me and my work. 6 years later, my focus had shifted from delivering learning solutions (aka training) to largish corporations to being more about working with solo professionals and small businesses; delivering what I then called 1-on-1 consulting.
A friend who had just graduated with a degree in marketing suggested that I survey my breakfast group (who mirrored my prospective client base) and have them evaluate different possible names for my business.
So, I did. I did a quick pen and paper survey one morning. I told them the services I planned to offer and a bit about my value proposition and ‘brand identity’ (though at that time I didn’t know that’s what I was describing). And, I gave them 4 or 5 names to evaluate.I don’t remember all of them. I do remember that 1 of them was “Quality Management Strategies”: a name I picked because I was trying to sell TQM (Total Quality Management) consulting services.
I got a BIG surprise!
The name they rated as best describing me, what I wanted to do, and all that jazz was … you guessed it: Innovative Learning Unlimited Inc.
I surrendered to the wisdom of the customer.
Then in 1997 personal circumstances forced me to sell that company (can you say, ‘greedy’ ex-wife) and start up a new one.
At the time I founded the new company (the one ‘behind’ this blog) I picked a name that reflected my intention to market and sell Freelance Writing: FreeWord Communications.
When it became clear that I wasn’t going to be successful as a copywriter, I turned to offering coaching services. After a bit, I decided I wanted to use a name that better reflected WHAT I was doing. I chose a name that I thought got at the ‘issue’ that was at the core of my then client’s challenges: Turning Point Strategies. Ya see, clients (am me) usually came to me at a Turning Point in their work/life/career and I offered them Strategies for successfully navigating that change process.
In 2001 I joined Coachville and came under the magic spell of the late Thomas Leonard. Around that time I read Tom Peters’ classic Fast Company article, “The Brand Called YOU!” At Coachville I met the splendidly magnificent Personal Branding Coach, Andrea O’Neill. I worked with Andrea to define my Brand. Andrea will testify that it was a painful exercise for both of us.
But, that Branding work gave me some clarity on my WHO (Target Market), WHAT (Service Offering) and VALUE proposition.
Over the next 5 years, as I coached clients, tried new marketing strategies, wrote hundreds of blog posts, wrote and published my newsletter, I got feedback about my Brand Promise.
Then one day, THE NAME for my company came to me in a blinding flash!
The WHO that been so hard to articulate in 2002 was now a lot clearer. Back in 2002 I knew the kind of professional I wanted to work with. I knew a bit about the DEMOGRAPHICS of my market. And, I knew that my market was primarily defined not by its demographics (age, gender, income, occupation) but by its PSYCHOGRAPHICS (Values, Passions, etc.). Somewhere over the years after 2002, as I wrote to my imagined Ideal Client I realized that THEY were really a mirror of myself.
I grokked the fact that my Ideal Client was someone who was Creative, Unconventional, Eclectic, Multitalented, Passionate, Ambitious (maybe even obsessed), and STUCK! And, I finally realized that WHAT I do, the unique service I offer is Unsticking(TM) people.
So, the new name of my company became … ta da .. The Unsticking(TM) Coach.
And, now when people who fit in my WHO hear that name, they respond instantly. The name RESONATES with them.
So, my dear, the key to a name that fits YOU, your OFFER, your VALUE (or Unique Selling Proposition), and your WHO (Ideal Client or Target Market) is to get clear on your BRAND.
So, how do you do that?
More to follow …
