Commercial Identity

The name you select for your business, product or service explains who you are or what you sell. It identifies what sets you apart in the marketplace. It helps determine how you’re perceived. Be sure that your name communicates exactly the right message. You can generate names on your own or consult an ad agency, design house or marketing firm that specializes in naming. Either way, it’s best to begin by examining the commercial names around you and evaluating their effectiveness. Look at car names, for example, and think about what they mean and why they were chosen, from a marketing standpoint. The first step in generating company names is to pinpoint three to five attributes or benefits – marketing positions -- that make your company special. These could be a hot-button feature common to all your products or services, the range or specialization of your inventory, or key user benefits such as economy or peaceof mind. In other words, the reasons customers decide to choose you over the competition. Consider, as well, three to five personality traits you might want to communicate, such as friendliness, skill, innovation or elegance, focusing on qualities your target customers will appreciate. There’s light-heartedness, for example, in the names of the massage center Nice to Be Kneaded and the computer consulting firm Rent-a-Nerd. For each benefit or personality trait, make a list of all the names that come to mind. These may be words or phrases associated with the benefit or trait. They may be words for ideas or objects that evoke that trait or benefit the way the clothing store Headlines, for example, evokes newness and excitement and the California high-tech firm Oracle evokes visionary power. If you want your name to include your type of organization (e.g., “company”, “group”, “corporation”, “electrical supply”), try out the names you generate with your organizational word to make sure you have pairs that work together.

It Is How, Not What You Say

The words we use and the way in which we use them can have a huge impact on how we are perceived by our audience. As Mark Twain said, “The difference between the right word and the wrong word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."

The airline industry has some good examples of creative packaging, too: “delayed” instead of “late” and “flotation device” instead of “life preserver.” If we examined other industries, the list could go on and on. You can take a cue from these industry giants by employing a bit of your own verbal packaging. That is, it would be a great idea for you to develop your own list of words and phrases that are relevant to your industry or topic. That way, you will have alternatives in your persuasive toolbox for words that may be jarring or have negative connotations.

Other ways you can make your language more effective are to use words like “we” and “us” more. That way, you can engage your audience and create a cooperative, “we’re in this together” feel to your presentation.

You might also consider making your language verb-oriented. Doing so gives your speech a feeling of energy, momentum and vitality. When you’re really trying to paint the picture and help your prospects feel like they’re in the actual situation you’re describing, use vivid language.

As a generally rule, and particularly when you’re trying to get a key point across, always lean toward being concise rather than verbose. If you can get the point across in five words instead of ten, then don’t complicate your message by trying to be flowery and clever. Chances are people will start thinking about how pretentious you are rather than focusing on the point you’re trying to get across. As we were discussing in relation to structuring your message, it holds true here as well that clear and concise are your safest bets.