Don’t ask a life coach about a company brand name
I’ve been flying foot loose and fancy free and I realized I just need to download my knowledge in the moment. Yesterday I was listening to a live webstream event and one of the participants stepped to the mic to ask about a new name for her business.
Right away, I knew… this was not going to happen as she expected it to.
One of the coaches chimed in and said “I already know what your name should be”
Another said “What are the results you deliver (not bad)” and in the end told her to write out 100 results that she gets for her clients.
She walked away with an assignment and no deeper insight into how to name her company. What you really need to know to name your company is this:
- You need to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses
- Do a brain storm/brain dump of keywords (this is where one coach got it right)
- Perform a phonetic test
- Check for trademark infringement and domain availability
- Check global connotations
Without these 5 key steps you’ll be hard pressed to brand for growth and expansion. If you want to launch and grow, do your homework. To get a full course showing you how check out my Bankable Branding Blueprint at http://www.BankableBrandingBootcamp.com
I have nothing against life coaches, of course, but everyone has their expertise. Choose wisely and be sure you have the right core in place for your business from the start.
Have you struggled to name your company? Have you had to change your name because someone else had a trademark on it or it just wasn’t working for you? Share with a comment below.
Hi Beatrice: As a transformation coach, I hear you! I totally agree that if you want the right results, go to the person who has the expertise-not just anyone! Thanks for sharing your five steps, especially researching possible cultural disconnects. What plays well in one culture could be taboo in another!
There is also a great naming company called “Eat My Words” that specializes in naming products and companies. They have a very fun website with lots of examples or horrible names companies have come up with. Check them out at http://www.eatmywords.com.
Kim, thanks for the site reference. I love their name “eat my words”