A few days ago, I sent out an email to my network of clients, friends, and business associates asking them to vote for one of three different company names. The response was a landslide in favor of "none of the above". In a misguided effort to turn the literal translation of my last name (dark/black waters/river) into a company name, I ended up getting responses warning me that choosing one of my listed options would likely result in one of a few undesirable results:
So, I'm generally comfortable in admitting that my company re-branding exercise failed. But most enlightening is the realization that the reason I failed is one that I try to save my own clients from every day.
The reason I failed is that I tried to tell my consultants how to do their job. Among the people whom I sent my "vote now" email to are marketing executives, graphic artists, small business consultants, and others who make their living helping people like me successfully define and deploy effective and memorable branding.
So why was I trying to tell them how to do their jobs? Because I'm the typical client.
Here's how my first conversation goes with many new clients.
Me: So client, tell me what problem I can solve for you.
Client: Well, we need a custom CMS built in Object-Oriented Pascal with D-Base 3 to manage our web presence.
Me: Really? Why a custom CMS and why those particular technologies?
Client: Because our website has a lot of uncommon and advanced features like a client-only content area, an admin panel and a blog. And I read about those technologies a "few" years ago on my favorite BBS.
Me: Ok. Before we make any decisions regarding technical approach, lets talk about what business value you want your new site to provide.
I'm guilty of doing the same thing. I read a few blogs about branding, browsed one of my favorite small business books, and considered myself an expert. Then, I effectively told my consultants to help me implement one of several bad solutions.
My new approach will be different. I will focus on the business value and image I want my new brand to project. Then, I will consult the creative, marketing, and branding experts I know to let them craft a solution with me.
But, the exercise wasn't a complete failure. I learned more about myself, in the interim a whole lot more people will know how to say Synse (not SCIENCE, not SENSEI as in the master of a dojo, SENSE as in solutions that make Synse).
Synse still needs a new name. If you have suggestions, I'll take them, and pass them on to my branding team. Thanks for the brutal honesty folks.