Naming is a tricky business.

Most people, particularly entrepreneurs, are far from objective about the process.

And they tend toward extremes: either opting for a descriptive, non-differentiating name or an out-of-the-box, confusing one.

There needs to be a balance.

First, you don't want a name that defines your product/service category. Prospects will apply it to your competition as well as your offering and won't differentiate you from them.

Second, you don't want to confuse or mislead a prospect. As I've said more than once in these blogs, "a confused prospect isn't a buyer."

So the name needs a middle grounding. The name needs to create a tension between relevant and unique.

Be as creative as you want during the generation stage, and as objective as possible during the selection process.

Enlist the opinions of those you respect for their marketing savvy, but remember that even folks will tend to be conservative when their opinions are solicited. They naturally don't want to feel responsible if your risky name doesn't resonate with target market participants.

As I stated in the beginning, naming is a tricky business. But it can be the absolutely most valuable asset you and your company will create.

Good luck

Martin Jelsema

Signature Strategies

Helping smaller companies profit from the power of branding

www.signaturestragies.biz