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  1. #1
    Mike Phillips
    Guest

    Tips for choosing a name for your detailing business

    How to choose a name for your detailing business


    Here's a few tips to help you choose a name for your part-time or full-time detailing business.


    • Choose a name that tells your prospective customer what's in it for them.

    • Choose a name that's easy to spell, pronounce, remember, type and write.

    • Choose a name that can be registered as a Domain Name, preferably a .com



    Now lets take a look at each tip in detail...


    1. Choose a name that tells your prospective customer what's in it for them.
    First, you have to stop thinking about yourself and start thinking like your customer. Your customer thinks like this,

    What's in it for me?

    They don't care about you. (Sorry if that hurts your ego). Normal people don't walk around all day wondering how Mike Phillips is doing, I wish they did but they don't. No, instead they think about how they're doing, they care about number one first and the rest of us later if at all. By the way, you think like this also, as in you think about what's in it for you before you make an investment.


    So when you're trying to get a new customer, you need to think like they think and before anyone pulls out their wallet to spend money they think like this, what's in it for me?

    In other words, if I give you my money, what benefit do I get in return?
    People don't care how great you are they care about getting their car shiny again so don't pick a name that brags about yourself, pick a name that tells your customer in an instant, what's in it for them.

    Picking a good name can bee a challenge. Let's be honest, trying to come up with a name that meets all the criteria outlined here is a challenge and it can't always be done. This tip is just to help you understand how your customer thinks.

    If you can't come up with a name that tells your potential customer what's in it for them then the next best thing is to come up with a name that tells them what your business does because that will let them know if you have something they want whether it's a product or a service.

    Here's an example of a business name that tells your customers what's in it for them.
    Note: I'm not saying these are great names, just examples of how a name can tell your customer what you can do for them.


    Here's another one that could be used for a car wash business, a detail business or even a house cleaning business.

    WeCleanYouGleam.com

    It even kind of rhymes... It never hurts to have a name that rhymes or can be turned into a jingle for potential use as a radio commercial. So when thinking of a name for your business, if at all possible, try to find a way to also tell your potential customer what's in it for them.



    2. Choose a name that's easy to spell, pronounce, remember, type and write.

    In the above examples, each word used in the domain name is a simple, easy to spell word and also easy to pronounce word. There's an old saying in the copy-writing world that goes like this,

    Don't use a $10.00 word when a $1.00 word will work

    That is, don't make your audience or potential customer work at having to understand what it is you're trying to tell them. Try to choose words that are simple understand, simple to spell and simple to pronounce.


    Easy to pronounce
    Near to where I live in Florida is a city and a lake with the name Okeechobee, now if you grew up around here or live around here it would be second nature to know how to pronounce Okeechobee as well as remember it, write it and even type it out, but not every customer in your geographical area will have grown up in your area and for some people trying to pronounce the name Okeechobee might be difficult if they've never heard the correct pronunciation before.

    Here's the tie-in, people can remember, write and type words and names better if they can pronounce them. So try to pick a name that the average person can pronounce and you'll help make it easier for them to remember it, write it and type it and even share it!

    By the way, Okeechobee is pronounced, ō"kēchō'bē

    Click here to hear it pronounced


    Easy to write
    This is similar to easy to spell and pronounce and here's an example of what I mean; you're driving down the road in your shiny car with your business name on the sides of the doors and on the back window and you get a potential customer's attention and as you're driving by them. They only have just a few seconds to try to write your business name down so they can contact you later when they're not driving.

    • Mike The Detailer is fairly easy to write or scribble on a piece of paper.
    • Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious is on the difficult side to write or scribble down on a piece of paper.
    Easy to type
    Just like some words are easier to remember, pronounce and write, some words are easier to type than others . By this I mean some words are easier to type into a window browser in order to visit your website to get more information or so they can schedule an appointment.



    Easy to remember
    Sometimes you only have a few seconds to get your business name in front of a potential customer's eyes. For example, maybe you put a sign on your car? You're driving around in your shiny cool car and a potential customer sees how shiny your car is and then puts it together that you offer detailing services. Besides seeing your name they need to remember your name so they can contact you later.

    The same could be said for a print ad, or a flier, or a business card, or fill-in-the-blank. Focus on coming up with a name that is easy to remember. This is where a graphic or logo can help too, for example,
    Mike the Detailer

    Visit our website for more information!
    www.MikeTheDetailer.com
    One comment...

    Note in the fictional ad above, the sentence above the domain name that reads,

    Visit our website for more information!

    In the copy-writing or advertising world this is referred to as a "Call to action". That is, your potential customer has read your copy and the next step is they need to take action, so you help them by telling them what to do. You could also do this,

    Call us!
    1-800 XXX XXXX


    Don't leave the little things up to chance. Help yourself by helping your customer to help themselves.


    Short Simple Words
    Choose shorter, simple words instead of longer, complex words. This goes without saying and applies to all of the above tips on picking a business name.




    3. Choose a name that can be registered as a Domain Name

    Once you come of with words that create your business name, before spending any money on business cards or filing a DBA form, (Doing Business As), before you take any action on your wonderful new business name, check to see if you can register it as a dot.com domain name.

    For example when I wrote this article I checked to see if Mike the Detailer could also be registered as www.mikethedetailer.com and it was available so I registered it for the purposes of this article.

    Now follow me on this, even if right now you don't think you want or need a website for your part time or full-time business, you never know what the future holds and at the price of securing a dedicated domain name to identify and brand your business on the Internet, it's worth looking into and taking this extra step. There are low cost Domain Name Registers and for example, I registered MikeTheDetailer.com for $10.00 at a popular Domain Name Register. So even if you don't think you want or need a domain name, it's a low cost insurance plan just in case you change your mind.

    The last thing you want to do is to start a business only to have it become successful and only AFTER it becomes successful you find out that the incredibly wonderful and great idea for a business name is already taken by someone else.

    So use one of the popular Domain Name Register's to check and see if your idea for a domain is available.


    These are just some friendly tips for your consideration...



  2. #2
    Super Member SRHTX's Avatar
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    Re: How to choose a name for your detailing business

    Don't you need to have a DBA to really go public? (Doing Business As)

    I "use" to have a DBA several years ago. Since I'm trying to get disability from Social Security, I do not have a DBA. I'm just sitting here holding many things back and I'm getting tired of it when I could be making some good money.
    Stephen R. Hollon, Jr
    Pearland, TX
    (956) 357-7696 – Cell/Text / srhtx@yahoo.com

  3. #3
    Junior Member fubar's Avatar
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    Re: How to choose a name for your detailing business

    nice info. Mike

    thanks

    this word i have not seen a long time, Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious

  4. #4
    Super Member agpatel's Avatar
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    Re: How to choose a name for your detailing business

    Nice tips Mike, also what you say about domain name is very true. Always should reg one with the same of your company. Friend just had that issue that he didnt do it when he started a small dog sitting company while back and that name is not taken and trying to decide what to do now, change the company name or find something that is close to his current name he could use.

  5. #5
    Super Member OCDetails's Avatar
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    Re: How to choose a name for your detailing business

    I thought being OCDetails would be obvious to people, but I've been surprised how many people ask what part of Orange County I'm from. lol I get a lot of mail to OC Details because people assume there should be a separation. It make sense when I say it out loud and nobody ever has to ask me how to say it when they look at it on paper, but it isn't as obvious as I would have though. That is why I have as part of my logo the "obsessive compulsive detailing" underneath the OCDetails part. Although clarification about your business name is never a good thing to have to have before people know what you are, I really like the name and figure people can assume what they want. After all, there are plenty of businesses that have names that make absolutely no sense whatsoever.

    Here are some examples that I came up with just by looking around my office and out my window:

    Fudruckers (hamburger restaraunt)
    Just about every auto manufacturer out there (with some exceptions)
    Barnes & Noble
    Target
    Sony
    Apple
    Nabisco
    Oakley
    Breitling
    Swiss Army
    Dispair
    Lenovo
    DELL
    Five Guys
    Kinko's


    The list goes on. None of those business names give you any indication of what they manufacture. So while in one respect it is important to have a business name that explains what it is that you do, it is also not a prerequisite for success.

    However, with all that being said, Mike has inspired me to rethink the domain I put on my business cards. I just registered the domain Index of / and will be finding a way to use it instead of the subdomain to OCDetails.com that I typically use for my pricing information. Thanks for the great article Mike!
    .....www.OCDetails.com.....
    Obessive Compulsive Details
    a.k.a. Jngrbrdman

    Copyright © OCDetails.com All Rights Reserved

  6. #6
    Mike Phillips
    Guest

    Re: How to choose a name for your detailing business

    Great points Anthony,

    My thoughts on this are if I'm in business, I want to make it as simple as possible to do business with people to the point of making every aspect understandable to the widest target group of people I'm marketing to and the first thing you have to do is get a person's attention.

    When I wrote this article I tried to write it in a way that could help others to be successful with their endeavors. At the same time you could throw everything I wrote out the window and come up with some kind of nonsensical name for your business and be the next Pet Rock or fill-in-the-blank....


    Time to push away from the keyboard...




  7. #7
    Super Member Bunky's Avatar
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    Re: How to choose a name for your detailing business

    Quote Originally Posted by OCDetails View Post

    The list goes on. None of those business names give you any indication of what they manufacture. So while in one respect it is important to have a business name that explains what it is that you do, it is also not a prerequisite for success.
    Why? They have spent a fortune on marketing dollars to educate people..some took years.
    Al
    The Need to Bead

  8. #8
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    Re: Tips for choosing a name for your detailing business

    A very nice article you have written.I appreciate the helpful tips and will tell my friends!
    Thanks for sharing.

  9. #9
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    Re: Tips for choosing a name for your detailing business

    I may as well make my first post here.

    I just read this entire article and I'm glad I chose the name I did. (My screen name is my shop's name as well, but not my IRL name though - don't want that out yet)

    I chose OKCÉBO, pronounced "awk-say-bow" but I don't mind if people say "ox-ee-bow"

    I am from a mostly French populated area, and this name is a play on the words "Oh! Que c'est beau!" meaning "ah! how beautiful" in French.

    I have always prided myself in the final product as opposed to the way to get there. So I want my customers to say that exact phrase when they come pick up their cars: "OKCÉBO! (Oh! Que c'est beau!)" It's always fun to see the smile on their face when the come in, and a good job generally means a nice tip as well (Got to look out for number 1, don't we Mr. Phillips?)

    All this to say that your advice to a new business owners are great words of wisdom. I would also like to point out your note that the location where you open shop is probably the most important factor in choosing a name.

  10. #10
    Mike Phillips
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    Re: Tips for choosing a name for your detailing business

    New article written yesterday, (8/12/2010), that ties into this thread...

    How to put up a website for about $20.00 a year



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