There is an old saving "they can call me anything as long as they spell my name right" This form of publicity, even if it has a negative slant, is appreciated by some people who want to be recognized or significant (this is sometimes why little kids act naughty). Like the Bible says "it's vanity, nothing but vanity."

I consulted with a contractor who had been running an ad, @ $400 a week, in the local City Business Journal. He had also moved his business to a major traffic location, at much expense. When I sat down with them to analyze their promotional efforts, I recommended some changes in their ad. They needed to generate some attention to their ad in order for people to bother to read what sizzling benefits were available to those who choose to switch and become their customers. It was recommended to put a heavy hitting "grabber" at the top of the ad. This met with a "oh, no, we have got to have our name at the top in bold type, we have to get name recognition."

When asked how many responses they were getting from the ad, the answer was "none!" My response was, "it doesn't bring in business for your name to be known, it brings in business if there is a good enough reason for people to switch to you from the other guys, a lateral move is not something people like to do, it has to have some form of benefit for them and it better make enough of a difference for them to risk using a new company.

I then asked how much business they were getting from the expensive, high-profile location, guess what, the answer was the same, "nothing." This was an industry where people just call, they don't bother to come by for service to their home. A carry-in business would have fared better by the expensive location, but even the large volume of auto traffic did not result in trade. Your name, unless it's identified with some impressive "

value", means nothing to the prospective customer. What means something to him is what's in it for him, nothing else!

To get them to read your ad means that you have to convince them, real early, that there is information to follow that they must know about or else it will cost them and it will hurt, possibly a lot! The fact that you exist does not fit that description. The only time that your name recognition has any impact is when it's identified with some trait or condition that means something to the potential customer. it may be well linked with better prices (which I resist, it's much harder to consult with just price as a distinction), choices, service, locations, quality, or extras (my favorite), or else it's still a feature, not a benefit to them!

So, the goal is to get your named linked to some form of benefit to them, then your name recognition will cause the desired acknowledgment.

Volvo = safety Volkswagen = cost effective Porsche = performance

Your image must mean something to them, not about you!

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