A New Naming Service for Smaller Businesses!

As anyone who’s tried to name his or her own business knows, name development ain’t easy. And hiring a professional name developer, while advisable, isn’t always in the budget. As a result, many small companies settle for names that don’t do justice to their hard work and creativity.

I have a better idea.

Does This Name Make Me Look Fat? is my new service for small businesses and consultancies that want feedback on names they’ve developed but aren’t 100 percent sure about. It’s a quick, efficient, and—most important—professional reality check that tells you whether your business or product name matches your objectives and criteria and communicates the appropriate brand message.

(And yes, I borrowed the name of the service from a post I wrote about why you shouldn’t focus-group your name with your friends.)

Here’s how it works:

1. You send me your comprehensive naming brief. Yes, you have to research and write it yourself—that’s the only way I can offer my service at a ridiculously low flat fee. (Don’t know what a naming brief is or how to write one? Read “Why You Need a Naming Brief.”)

2. You send me one name that you’ve developed, along with your defense of the name—i.e., how the name matches the naming brief. Include your questions and concerns. (If you didn’t have them, you wouldn’t be hiring me, right?)

3. I analyze your naming brief and evaluate your name.

4. I send you my written appraisal, generally between four and ten pages.

The whole process takes about a week (sometimes less). I charge a ridiculously low flat fee that’s much less than what you’d pay for a full name-development process involving meetings, research, interviews, brief-writing, the generation of hundreds of names, presentations, and domain and trademark searches.

Here’s what you won’t get:

1. Advice on baby names. For that, I recommend Nancy’s Baby Names (a different Nancy!).

2. Legal work. Trademark research or clearance is not included in the scope of this service. (Besides, I Am Not a Lawyer—although I often team up with Jessica Stone Levy, an excellent and experienced trademark lawyer.)

3. Name ideas. My goal is to point you on the path to self-actualization, so to speak. I may assign you some homework or suggest that you explore a new naming direction, but the ridiculously low flat fee doesn’t cover my creative services.

Why hire me? Because I’ve been a professional name developer for more than 20 years. Because I’ve worked on naming projects in virtually every industry. Because I’ll respect your time, your budget, and your goals. And because I’ll give it to you straight: If your name makes you look fat (or scrawny or shabby or pretentious or goofy), I’ll tell you. If it makes you look mahvelous, I’ll be the first to congratulate you—and tell you why you’ve picked a winner.

Want to know more, like what that ridiculously low flat fee actually is? Send me an email. Let’s find you a name that makes you look great!

Comments

[Mwalkercom]

What a great service! I will recommend you.

[Stacey King Gordon]

I am proud to be the first success story from Nancy's new service - and I highly recommend going through her process and letting her expertise guide you through this very difficult process!