Know-How Exchange : Taglines/Names

Sandeep, your problem is that everybody says "best value". Your company (client) has customers - why do they choose that company above all the myriad others? Swifter service? Better customer relations? Fewer mistakes in the ordering process???

In other words, what makes you different from all the others that makes your customers choose you?

With this info we can come up with some snappy ideas that really will set you apart from the crowd.

(Aside: "Safe" isn't something a new business should strive for - since you won't sway people to suddenly shop with you. You need something that helps them in ways that others can't/won't.)

The Best Business Value
Office Supplies For Less

Who is the target audience? Where? Where are they getting business supplies now? Why should they switch?

What does "value" mean in this case? Is it a code-word for "lowest price?" If so, I'd submit that's not a great way to position a new business, because someone can always sell for less. Low price is not a benefit; it's a pricing strategy, not sustainable. You need to promise -- and deliver -- an important benefit, as perceived by the target audience.

I'd find out what the target audience wants and needs that they are not getting now (from current vendors of business supplies).

We would also need to know the name of the business, so the tagline can pick up on the benefit in the name and extend it to an emotional payoff ... or explain a sub-optimal name. And we'd also need to know where the business is located, who the target customers are, and what makes it different from, and better than, competitors.

Where there is a big commodity market there is always space for the minnows. Your job is to find it.

Somewhere, something doesn't get done, someone isn't satisfied. The very real problem is finding out what this problem is. After all, who is doing the purchasing and why? No doubt they've been told to choose the cheapest - and they leave the problems to somebody else. At least in the initial stages you need to target people who are doing the ordering AND are having the problems too, and that means small businesses. They are the ones who will appreciate the added services, the added value you bring.

Okay, they aren't going to be that profitable to start with, and you say you are playing it safe. So this is where to start. I am currently working in this sector with someone who has built a multi million dollar business from scratch by being clever. He now wants to break into the US market, and I now know that this is even easier than I had previously imagined.

Using PPC and the Display networks with some intelligence will get you a long way - corporations are notorious for poor campaigns. They have a budget to spend and usually it gets spent. If you fulfill even the basic elements of a PPC* campaign you will get results. Even now that is practically a guarantee, the situation is so bad. It astonished me when I entered marketing - and it hasn't changed much in those years either.

So start small, start mean and forget "value" - when people speak of value there is ALWAYS something that they value over cost. Find that one thing, and you have a business.

(Google search advertising, pay per click - Perrymarshall.com is the place to start).

I spend some of my time in Asia and have seen the inroads that Chinese industry has made on the market. However as with all such total domination, there are always cracks that can be exploited. One such is quality, and quality of service.

Sure, the prices are those that an Indian businessman cannot match, which is why you need to get clever and work out who in your market is actually thinking about the bigger picture. Who is it that recognizes that Chinese stuff costs them more in terms of labour (or whatever)? Because these are the people who will say "ah! You're in Delhi, that means we can get together quickly if there's a problem or an urgent need".

As to "In your world, for your work" do ask around - these things are for your customers, not you.

A few others -

For serious businessmen
For the serious office
Serious quality for serious people.