I think it was Shakespeare who said, “A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” There’s a good lesson to be learned from it this classic line or the old adage, “What’s inside matters more than the shell.” While this applies to business, does it also apply to marketing?
The fact is that a 'rose' means something to all of us. And the smell of a rose is distinct. So, what does this have to do with business and marketing?
I recently met with a new client whose business name is J&R Group.
The electric division was then J&R Electric and the plumbing division was J&R Plumbing. When I first met with them I asked them which one was J and which was R.
I was right, as most of us would think these days. Isn’t that what a lot of small businesses do? It’s very hard to think of a “good” name they told me. So, the owners are Jim and Ray. They decided on J&R instead of R&J just so it would be alphabetical.
So far, this is a cute little story about business names. But, this is where it gets to the “guts.” As we talked about what makes their business different – their U.S.P (unique selling proposition) – we ended up talking for quite a while about what their customers really want.
They told me electrical and plumbing service customers just want the job done first - a job done well!
I asked, “They just want the job done, what does that mean?” They told me how repair contractors are notorious for not calling prospects back, not giving bids as promised and not showing up to do the work.
I asked them, “So, in your line of business, all you have to do is return calls, show up at the designated time to give them a bid and then do the work when you said you will?” They replied, “Yes, but that sounds easier than done because much depends upon the weather, employees, suppliers and so on...”
To my next question, “So, do you guys have trouble doing that too?” Jim responded: “Once or twice a year, we miss a step but 99.9% of the time we do that.” And Ray added, “We just haven’t figured out how to let people know we’re different.”
After a couple of weeks of brainstorming and working through their vision, mission, and USP, Jim and Ray had an “WOW” moment. Since our second meeting, we had been talking about how their name really doesn’t tell much about the company so they need something else that can do that- something quick and easy to understand.
It was Ray who said, “Let’s change our name. It’s J&R right now, let’s make it D&R. When people ask us who’s D and who’s R, like Terri did, we’ll say he’s done and I’m right”.
I loved it because picking a good name may be hard but being able to communicate what you do – your USP – is essential. Making your USP easy to remember is like the icing on the cake. What better way than right in your name?
There were a few factors that kept Jim and Ray from using D&R (domain name availability, etc). So, they came up with D.R.E. (Done Right Every time). Their elevator speech – “We actually get your work done and we do it right, every time.” If you’ve ever tried to work with home-repair contractors in certain areas of the country, you know what they’re talking about.
Here’s my “Get to the Guts” marketing plan:
• Do one thing better than anyone else.
• Identify the one thing you do really, really well.
• Let your market know.
When you hear people say, “You’re the guys who ______,” you’ll know your strategy is working.
What easier, quicker way to get right to it, than through your business name?
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