Know-How Exchange : Taglines/Names

OK. You've come to the right place. We will help you.

But first we need some basic marketing information:

1. Your target audience. Who is your primary target audience? Where are they located? What industry? Who is the decision-maker? Who are the gatekeepers? What are their pain points? What keeps them awake at night? How do they assess or evaluate potential suppliers? Which suppliers of theirs do they especially like? Why?

2. Your desired positioning. How do you want the target audience to perceive you? What unique and important benefit do you deliver? What makes you different from, and better than, other HR consultants? Why should they choose YOU?

3. How you'll generate awareness. How are people going to learn about you? What is your marketing plan? What does the selling and decision-making process look like? How frequently will your clients decide on a project, or will they put you on a long-term retainer right off the bat?

* * * * *

These are all basic marketing questions with which you need to deal BEFORE you try to create your brand. It probably seems like a lot to go through before you even have a name, but if this is going to be a serious business, with long-term "legs," you owe it to yourself to go through the marketing planning process the right way, and create a brand that will serve you over time.

If, as you say, you are not a marketing expert, I'd also suggest you get some outside consulting help yourself, to be sure you don't start off on the wrong foot or inadvertently take short-cuts that will limit you later in ways you don't want. It's worth the few dollars in fees you'll pay to have some peace of mind as you embark on this new career.

Finally, you may want to get a copy of the book Rasputin For Hire. The subtitle is An inside look at management consulting between jobs or as a second career. It has a lot of tips and suggestions from folks who have walked your route already.

You can order the book through any major bookseller in the US, on Amazon.com, or directly from the publisher, in which case you also get a free bonus report that contains a round-table discussion with 5 successful consultants who are also experts on this MarketingProfs Know-How Exchange.

Here's a link: https://bit.ly/k3Z7m

Please answer Michael's questions - it'll provide a lot more information to guide us. Until you answer them, why not leverage your name: Denning Fernandez Consulting?

Thank you all for such quick responses! Please continue to help me. My name is Elizabeth Denning Fernandez. My Maiden name was Denning and my married name is Fernandez. I am only one person! Don't love the name idea. Any others??

Elizabeth - please answer Michael's questions in-depth. Otherwise, you're asking us to read your mind, and that's a waste of time/energy for us all.

Elizabeth,

Don't be so quick to jump out if your current customer is taking all your time. I'm not saying you shouldn't think long term, but taking care of current customers is a cheaper way to earn a reputation than spending money on advertising.

A stop-gap name could be EDF Associates. Tag lines are easy once you decide your target market.

Michael

I can understand why you might prefer not to use your name as part of the company name, but when you say, "Don't love the name idea," it raises the question of how you will decide on a name. What criteria will you use?

The right way to approach naming is with a Creative Brief that lays out the specs for the project, so that it isn't a question of figuring out what you will love, but what will accomplish the objective and meet all the other requirements specified in the Creative Brief. Of course, the three important questions asked earlier will become part of the Creative Brief.

Please do yourself a favor and treat this project with the importance it deserves.