Imagine being asked to judge a martial arts competition while never having studied karate, tai chi, judo or the like. You might latch on to a favorite whose moves you admire only to learn from people in the know that this competitor’s form was actually embarrassingly and even dangerously bad. Or you might feel completely frozen in your ignorance, unable to recognize a competitor whose power and style were clearly head and shoulders above the rest.
You’d do better with a list of judging criteria, such as “posture,” “balance,” “presence,” “power,” and so on. By knowing what you’re looking for, you more easily see it when it’s in front of you.
This analogy applies neatly to business naming, whether for companies or products. I’ve seen organizations pass over a strong, winning name in favor of a weaker one when they go on nothing other than their feelings. And I’ve seen companies struggle to finalize a perfect name because they can’t feel confident that it truly fits the bill. They have no firm criteria with which to assess competing possibilities.
For brainstorming a list of names, you don’t need guidelines on what the final name must be like. Indeed, it’s often best to generate possible names wildly, profusely and without censoring, and only later to winnow them.
Before attempting to narrow down your list of candidates, create a list of criteria or a scorecard. To name a new sporting goods product, for instance, the criteria might include:
Using such a list, you’d go through the name candidates and eliminate all the ones that didn’t fit the criteria.
A company in the same line of business but with a different history, goals and corporate personality might generate quite a different list of criteria.
A scorecard would be a bit more complicated than a list of criteria. Not only would you write down the qualities your ideal name should have, you would also give each quality a numerical weight so that some items on the list have more impact in determining the suitability of a name than others. Using this system, a name might turn out to be acceptable even though it didn’t meet every qualification if it met the most important points.
A freelance namer for my company, in looking at the memo I created for a product naming assignment, quoted to me this saying by Charles F. Kettering: “A problem well stated is a problem half solved.” I agree wholeheartedly. The scorecard enables you to know whether you’ve come up with a winner, you need to keep at the task longer or you should really scrap the efforts so far and make a fresh start.
Editor’s Note: Previously published here.
…
Marcia Yudkin is Head Stork of Named At Last, a company that brainstorms creative business names, product names and tag lines for clients. For a systematic process of coming up with an appealing and effective name or tag line, download a free copy of “19 Steps to the Perfect Company Name, Product Name or Tag Line” at http://www.namedatlast.com/19steps.htm
Read more articles written by Marcia Yudkin
Related posts:
- The #2 Most Common Mistake In Naming a New Company or New Product
Most of the time, business owners and organizational marketers look for a new company name or new product name that seems to get the job done. That’s unwise because they don’t take the time to think about possible shortcomings of the name they settle on. Instead, those shortcomings emerge over... - Frequent Mistake #3 While Naming a New Company or New Product
“Your business name must be bold.” Look around the Internet, and you’ll often find this advice. Your business name must grab people’s attention. Sometimes this is a valid guideline, especially if you are in the entertainment, gadget or fashion industries. Too often, however, I see this rule lead business owners... - Top Mistake #1 When Naming a New Company or New Product
Bear with me, because when I tell you the number one mistake people make when selecting a name for their new company or new product, you are going to be surprised. Ready? The top mistake in choosing a name is deciding on the name you like best. That very obvious-sounding... - Company or Product Naming: 7 Ways to Add Pizzazz to a Boring Business Name
You’re starting a new company, launching a new product or trying to inject pizzazz into an existing company or product that seems way too boring and ordinary. Try these 7 techniques to shape the basic facts about your business into a name with energy and zing. The examples we’ll use... - Crowdsourcing: Three Ways You Can Find a Great New Company or Product Name Free or at Low Cost
Increasingly popular, “crowdsourcing” involves inviting a large number of people to perform a task, with a prize promised to the person or team whose work is selected as the winner. Specialized web sites now exist where you can ask people to compete by creating designs for T-shirts, logos or ads.... - For Snazzier New Product Names, Use Creative Naming Prompts
Participants in my product development seminar recently asked me for a brainstorming session to help them come up with creative names for information product packages – multi-format products and services that might include a manual, CDs, coaching or consulting and other items. Here are the questions I posed for this... - Has Your Company Name Landed You in Legal Hot Water? Renaming Tips
The #1 reason business owners hire my company to create a new business name within a week is they’ve received a cease-and-desist letter from an attorney. Often sent by certified mail, this legal document informs you that you are infringing on the registered trademark of another company, and if you... - Is a Tag Line Absolutely Necessary Along With Your Company Name?
In looking through Entrepreneur Magazine’s most recent Franchise 500 issue, I noticed – and cut out – a number of ads for franchises that struck me as exceptionally well named. So clear and meaningful were these company names that they instantly conveyed exactly what the company did in an appealing... - Does Your Company Tag Line Pass These Five Crucial Tests?
Judging from the many disastrous slogans that state tourism boards have happily paid tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars for, even marketing professionals often use totally subjective criteria to select tag lines. Do we like it? Is it catchy and memorable? Does it make us feel good? I suggest... - For Word of Mouth Marketing, Make Sure Your New Company Name is Sayable
Take it from someone who often has to rescue someone from mispronunciation or suffer silently when someone reads my last name out loud for the first time: There is huge value in having a name that people can look at and have no doubt about how to pronounce. That’s why... - The Mystique of Numbers in Company Names
While visiting the House of the Seven Gables in Salem, Massachusetts two weeks ago, made famous in the 1851 book by Nathaniel Hawthorne, I mentally tried out other numbers to see if they would sound as spooky and portentous. To my ear, House of the Five Gables sounds all too... - Changing Your Company Name: The Good, The Bad and The Unnecessary
Wondering whether or not to change your company name? Several reasons for doing this are legitimate. Other reasons should make you stop and reconsider. Most of the time, companies that come to my naming company frantic to find a new name for their firm or for a product do so... - Naming Your Business: Five Hidden Pittfalls of Using Creative Spelling in Your New Company Name
If you’ve ever run across the old joke that “fish” should actually be spelled “ghoti” (“gh” as in “tough,” “o” as in “women” and “ti” as in “nation”), then you won’t be surprised to know that many companies put this quirk of the English language to work by concocting an... - A Company Catchphrase: Creating a Motto or Slogan That Promotes Your Business
“Reach out and touch someone.” “The ultimate driving machine.” “Finger lickin’ good.” Chances are, you not only know immediately that those slogans come from AT&T, BMW and KFC, in that order. Those catchphrases may also very well have persuaded someone you know to place more long-distance calls, purchase a particular... - Expired Domain Gains – Simple Ideas to Create an Income Base
You can use a number of simple methods and plans to create a solid income base that earns a monthly ongoing income base. For many expired domain entrepreneurs (both full-time and part time), expired domains offer an opportunity to supplement their current income with money earned out of dealing with...