Know-How Exchange : Taglines/Names

Hi Phil,

Thanks for the feedback about brevity. I appreciate your input about which tagline you prefer.

That's interesting how inserting periods changing the impression of a tagline. That was very useful to see.

Thanks,
Denise

Jay,

To answer your questions and respond to your comments which are definitely most valid ones. I know it's difficult giving you the "reader's digest" version of my business and not going into all the nuances (which are what differentiate my work).

Yes, my target audience are c-level execs. Most of the decision makers that actually bring me in are CEOs of the company.

Keep in mind 2 things: 1.) my target audience is emerging and fast growing companies (or about to enter that phase of their life cycle); 2.) they are progressive, very non-traditional thinkers.

The first point is important because when companies are moving from one level of growth to the next in that emerging phase, simply improving what they are doing will have limited results. Eventually they hit a wall because their leadership team and organization don't have the capacity, mindset, culture or people practices to take it to the next level. That's where the re-invention/transformation of one or more of those pieces comes in.

I 100% agree with you that "traditional" companies are solely focused on ROI and use that as their basis for their decisions. when I speak with clients or prospects, I do know how to speak the lingo of connecting the intangibles (such as potential and culture) with the tangibles such as bottomline. But I don't lead with that.

I recognize if you are not in the leadership/OD world, you may not have heard of the difference between transformational vs. transactional leadership. The former is end of the spectrum that I engage in and even within that realm, take it to another level.

So my best clients recognize that people truly are their most important asset and that not knowing how to tap into the power of that asset will keep a limit on their bottomline.

I'm not looking to target to all companies or all businesses. I know that my target are companies and leaders with a high level of thinking, emotional intelligence and looking to develop great companies over size. My best clients are the "budding" Zappos, Apple, Southwest Airlines, etc. that understand focusing and leveraging the "intangibles" will drive the bottomline.

Your comments are appreciated and find value in the reminder.

Thanks,
Denise

Hi Steve,

I appreciate the link and the googling keywords. That's actually how I came to this site :)). I have tried many keywords but not "rapid, sustainable change." So that was most helpful.

When I started my company 26 years ago, I worked in area of strategy development with multi-billion $ corporations which certainly involved competitive/market analyses and positioning. So I certainly understand and agree with the value of what you shared.

After checking out the sites from your keywords, as well as my own attempt with that approach, I finally realized why that has helped in some ways but has limited me in other ways. While it does help me see what I "am not," it puts a lid on my thinking in terms of my true value.

Eg., relative to the consulting companies from your link, while I do operate in the leadership/OD world as a very general category, I did not come through the ranks of a traditional HR background/experience or academic training as most of those consultants did.

Where I have been stuck is to articulate in a succinct cohesive way all the pieces of the breadth and depth of my background, experience, wisdom and results that allows me to go beyond traditional HR thinking that is mostly tactical and academic in its focus.

The one tool that has helped me the most so far is a concept called "archetypal branding." Carol Pearson's book "The Hero and the Outlaw: Building Extraordinary Brands through the Power of Archetypes" in particular.

So I am getting a better sense of my brand identity (ie., the "magician') and a sense of my own category but having a hard time putting that all together into the more practical pieces of my marketing and business -- such as a tagline, copy, etc . In fact, I have had a # of different clients refer to my work as "magic." But I know that would never fly in terms of copy.

Let me continue to ponder your comments and questions. I find it all of great value and deeply grateful for your input.

Thanks,
Denise