If you could Name your company over??

[inspectorchris]

I'm working with a business consultant trying to get a new logo and graphics designed. We spoke about Name of the company and what it means. After explaining it means, everything checks out or is" IN SPEC " he then understood. I've always had trouble communicating it to people that aren't in this type of field and people have trouble remembering it. I thought if I ever had the opportunity to start over with a new marketing campain, now that I've seen the industry what would I use as a name.

So I'm seriously condemplating doing so and would like some suggestions from you guys.

[Scottpat]

Originally posted by inspectorchris

I'm working with a business consultant trying to get a new logo and graphics designed. We spoke about Name of the company and what it means. After explaining it means, everything checks out or is" IN SPEC " he then understood. I've always had trouble communicating it to people that aren't in this type of field and people have trouble remembering it. I thought if I ever had the opportunity to start over with a new marketing campain, now that I've seen the industry what would I use as a name.

So I'm seriously condemplating doing so and would like some suggestions from you guys.

I'm very happy with the name of my company. Trace Home Inspections and for commercial work Trace Inspections, has worked very well since 1995.

As for a logo, I really do not have one. My company name is always in Green and in Impact Shadow font, come to think of it I guess that is my logo.

I have always been told not to use your own name, like "Anderson's Inspection Company". The name Trace came from the Natchez Trace Parkway. My home when I started my inspection business backed-up to the parkway.

[hausdok]

Hi,

My company is called Your Inspector and, like Scott, I don't actually have a logo but use the name. However, it's a name that consumers seem to key to because it's meant to be aimed specifically at them, as if to say, "I'm your inspector and I work for you. Plenty of folks have told me that's exactly what they were thinking when they read it and that's how they remembered it. So, even though I'm practically dead last in all of the phone books and I only have a simple bolded line, folks seem to remember my company because they're looking for someone to work for them. That's why I trademarked the name back in 2001 when I sold my franchise.

Before I had this company, I had a franchise that had a very easily remembered name. You could easily remember the full name of the company and the initials were unique in that the abbreviation was also unique and memorable. Unfortunately, I can't demonstate that here for you because of the terms of the company sale. Believe me when I tell you, it was very simple to remember.

You need to find something that speaks to your audience and something that they're going to remember easily. "In spec," although it means to be within specs, is one of dozens of home inspection companies with variations of the one word "inspect" in them. They're all cute but not particularly memorable and I think it's going to be easy for consumers to lose that name in the clutter of other companies with names like, Inspex, or Inspect, or Inspecs.

My opinion FWIW.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[Jesse]

I think about this from time to time, and occasionally I wish I had used my name. People remember you. Your service is you. I don't think there's anything wrong with using your name.

Downside is, if you're ever going to sell your company, your name is on it. That issue doesn't apply to a lot of home inspectors.

[Bain]

The knock against using your surname in your company's name stems from isolating the two should a lawsuit arise. Sadly, though, with sole proprietorships, "piercing the corporate veil" is easily accomplished. Here in Kentucky, anyway.

With our businesses, I think it's a tremendous asset to have your last name as part of your company's name because it's easier for referred customers to locate you.

Someone says, "Call Chris Bernhardt. He was great." But then I look in the phonebook, don't see any Bernhardts, and don't want to call ten different companies trying to locate him.

[exploreparadise2]

If you haven't already done the research, check out every competitor in your service area and make sure your name doesn't infringe on another business name or at least doesn't cause confusion. Also consider how your business name would be integrated into a website address. It is desirable to have both your business name and search keywords in the URL.

When considering a logo, my opinion is to stay away from a magnifying glass over a house or a Sherlock Holmes hat. They are cliches and a consultant should do better than that. Keep it simple and don't have too many colors, unless you like to pay high printing costs for business cards.

Don't let your business name restrict what you may do in the future. I chose Axiom Building Inspections because my work includes commercial property and not just home inspections. A business name with a city or geographic name can be restrictive as well. Most people don't know that an axiom is a statement universally regarded to be true, which hopefully is part of my work product. I don't care if they get the meaning, as long as they remember the name. A lot of people don't know what esoteric means either.

[Brian G]

I chose my company name to get ahead of the local Amerispec guy in the phone book (AccuSpec). I was aware of studies showing a lot of people just begin at the top of the list and start calling. It has worked that way here and there, but I've often wished I had done otherwise. The phone book isn't what it used to be, and nobody seems to remember the company name, just my own.

If I had it to do over, or ever decide to brave a change, I'd go with either my name or something very memorable and unambiguous....like "Mr. Picky". People love catchy names. I know of one called "Every Square Inch", but that's a lot to live up to. [:-wiltel]

Brian G.

Hellacious Home Inspection LLC [^]

[inspectorchris]

I have done the research and there aren't companies in my area that sound like the name I have. I did also choose it because the domain name was available in fact my logo with company name right now has IN SPEC Property.com so that people see it and may want to check out the website.

I do zero advertising in the books. Instead I put my efforts into google this has been good because I ask all my client where they seached when looking for an inspector, they always say a refferal from someone personally or professionally and they say google. lets face it google replaced the phone book IMO.

I also used property instead of home because I did want to do commercial inspecitons as well even though statistically commercial only counts for 4% of the total real estate market and I'm in NYC!

I will attach a pdf of the file so that you can see what I have right now.

One of the name I was thinking was" On the level" Property inspections. I think a real creative logo can be made for it and it speaks to me as this guys on the level or he's going to make sure everything is on the level.

let me know what you think about the name and my current logo.

[Scottpat]

Whatever name you choose stay away from the variations of Sherlock Holmes (Shurelook Homes, Sherlock Homes, etc, etc) Also for logos stay away from those dang magnifying glasses and the Big eyeball!

Also if you want to delve off into other types of inspections you need to take that into consideration. I would keep "Home" out of the name as this might tend to brand you to just doing home inspections.

[inspectorchris]

Sorry I tried to upload my logo but it keeps giving me an error.

let me try a picture of the back of my truck..

Image Insert:

725.66 KB

Ok that worked

[inspectorchris]

I agree that the whole inspector thing has been done to death but you are trying to convay what you do in an image. There are only so many ways that you can say "home" and "inspector" with imagery

[Scottpat]

Urrhumm, well you do get some credit for not having an "Eyeball" in that magnifying glass! [:-jester]

[inspectorchris]

Brain you make my exact point. It's hard for people to remember your company but the generally remember you. I think that is because your company name is harder to remember than your name. I used to work for a well known company that used to fabricate all kinds of metal parts that was very diverse and well known throught the area. I was known as chris from and the they would say the company name...as if it were my last name. it was all the association of the place and me. Had little to do with my name. My last name is a fairly ethnic italian last name "Natoli" and I've even gotten jobs from people that have said I wanted to work with an italian guy but those people aren't generally the kind of people I want to do business with if you know what I mean. I don't think someone could convince me to use my name for a company unless I was a really famous well known name ( which i'm not)

[inspectorchris]

No eye ball.. and I used it as an "O" in the name but I've seen people use it in the "I" of INSPEC. either way I made it myself in a truck lettering shop in about twenty minutes and is exactly why I'm trying to hire a professional this time

[Darren]

I had to rename my company several years ago after I didn't renew my franchise (I can't name that franchise, but see Brians post above.)

I wanted to have it begin with an A, again to be on the top of most lists.

And hey, what do we do? "It's all.....About The House"

[Scottpat]

Chris, I really don't think your company name is all that bad. InSpec Property Inspections is a pretty good name. If you can, that is if nobody has it in your area already you might look at just "InSpec" and then add a little line below it "A property inspection company", or something like that.

[Jim Morrison]

Cousin Mike,

Would you say that the terms of your franchise sale were: "Win-Win"?

[Richard Moore]

Originally posted by inspectorchris

Sorry I tried to upload my logo but it keeps giving me an error.

let me try a picture of the back of my truck..

Image Insert:

725.66 KB

Ok that worked

I think your name is just fine. At least not worth the hassle of changing it. Mine's too cute and too long, my logo sucks, and I wish I chosen something else, but I have way too many business cards left.

Chris, the one thing on your truck I personally have a problem with (besides the magnifying glass [] ) is the phone number. I assume the first letter is an "I" but it ain't that clear. I have this thing about having to decipher alpha to numeric on the keypad and I'd much rather just dial (that ages me) or write a number down. That's probably just me though, driven by the fact that I need reading glasses to see the small letters on my cell...or focus on those blurry things at the ends of my arms.

[hausdok]

Originally posted by Jim Morrison

Cousin Mike,

Would you say that the terms of your franchise sale were: "Win-Win"?

Nope, can't say. Not allowed to. [:-taped]

OT - OF!!!

M.

[inspectorchris]

Thanks everyone. I don't feel my name is terrible but I do feel it misses the point with so many of my clients that I know I can do better and 100.00 worth of business cards isn't enough of a reason not to make the change. I see agents that I've worked with a couple of times and they have trouble saying the name correctly.

as for mike I thought it was a " win-win" situation for him as well and if it is thats an amazing accomplishment that I hope to accomplish but I just don't feel that my company name does it for me. at first I thought it was good but now i'm not so sure. Anyway it's just a thought.

[Erby]

I know some of y'all have a bone against it but it can be a good reference source for this particular issue.

See all these company names

http://www.nachi.org/namehelp.htm?PHPSE ... 05d41fbd56

For a second there, I thought one of my local competitors? had joined the board when I saw Blair's company name.

http://axiomhomeinspection.com/

[Robert E Lee]

When I was getting ready to start the business my thought was to come up with a company name that would be memorable. With a name like Robert E Lee, GENERAL Home Inspections, seemed to be a good fit. I get lots of comments and can't count the number of times folks have told me that they just had to have General Robert E Lee inspect their home. But your right Scott, if I were to do it over I probably would leave the "home" out and go with something like GENERAL Inspection services.

Robert E Lee

[Les]

id="blue">id="size4">id="size6">"FIRST CLASS SNOWJOB" worked for me when I started.

[Jack Ahern]

Jack Ahern Home Inspection Service Company------has a nice ring to it. What do you do? Who is going to do it?

A business decision:

not to inspect commercial.

not going to grow this business.

not training other inspectors.

not having employes.

not being nice to reel-tours.

My son's name is John J.......... Sometimes known as Jack.[8D]

Other than my inspectors toys/gadgets, the business is me.[:-party]

I like the mag. glass with some drawing in it.....kul! My logo.[:-banghea

[Eric B]

I spent a great deal of time working on a company name. I also used a graphics designer to help present a professional image. All my printed materials, truck lettering, shirts and website revolve around specific fonts, colors and logo. Even my report folder is embossed with the logo image. It's a bit of an investment but it ties everything together and I have had many compliments. Despite this, I will agree with others, people don't remember the company name, they remember the inspector.