What does your name mean?

You were clever. You were grinning from ear to ear. You were thoroughly impressed with yourself.

Your spouse, who’d been listening to your dreams for months, was similarly impressed. Your dog even looked at you with an extra air of respect.

You’d chosen the name of your business.

It’s a proud moment, preceded by dreams and schemes and hopefully, by reading Maximum Customer Experience’s Naming Your Small Business 101 series, but when the right name comes to you all that doodling is behind you and that name can do no wrong. You cast it in bronze and place it on a pedestal and your family goes along with you.

This is when your intrepid Experience Designer starts to worry, because critical thinking is now off-limits. Who would dare criticize your baby?

Your buyers will.

To a first-time visitor, the name is charming; it does elicit a smile, sure; but what does your name mean? When a name doesn’t bring a clear message of what you are selling, every sale will be more difficult.

That’s not to say that sales are automatically easy with a name like “Speedy Pizza by Joe,” but a lot of time spent explaining yourself is bypassed if you can come up with a name that’s clear and states the benefits (Speedy) and features (Pizza) right up front. If your business’ name could be anything from a beauty shop to an opera house to a fishing-lures craftsman, you’re going to work harder every day than you need to.

Nobody ever bronzes a name like Speedy Pizza by Joe, but folks, Joe doesn’t care.

He’s too busy making money.

Got any favorites you’d like to share—businesses that get your cash every time because their names are clear, all about you, and full of benefits and features right up front?

Is your own business’ name among your faves?

 

Grow and be well,

Kelly Erickson

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