Off the Cuff: Enhancing Your Company’s Image: Part 1 of 2

February 01, 2010

The chill of winter has its “effect” on the decorated apparel industry, as well as many other business sectors in our economy. By mid-January, our production areas are about as clean as they’ll be all year long. But while we’re all waiting for the weather to warm up both the Northern Hemisphere and our production departments, you might take the opportunity to revitalize and revamp how your enterprise will look and feel to your customers this year. 

1. Your Company Name
When you started your business, you gave it a name — but does that name still apply? The age-old question of “What’s in a name?” may not, in your company’s case, be telling your company's whole story as it is today. Has the name become tired or dated? Has it become a limiting factor? If the name, however, is adequate for now, can it be expected to serve you just as well in the future? Chances are that you’ve thought about it, but for a variety of reasons, you’ve resisted the idea of renaming your enterprise.

Among the chief concerns you may have about modifying your company name — or changing it altogether — is whether doing so will cost you any customers. The fact is that it rarely does. After all, your customers know who you are and, hopefully, know what you sell. Then, again, many of them may not be aware that you now offer so many more products, services and technologies than when they first started buying from you. The bigger issue is whether those prospects who don’t know who you are and what you sell may be more easily attracted, and more likely to call, if your company name appeared more relevant to their perceptions or needs.  

If, however, you’ve been trading under the same name for decades and there are special attributes therein that are absolutely indispensable, is changing your company's name entirely really a possibility? In those cases, a new name isn’t in the cards or really necessary, but a second company name may be valuable for marketing different products to different audiences. Such is the case where a special market is being developed and the existing name has no “cache.” 

Whatever your situation, if a revised or new company name is in order, the time to do it is before you hit your high season — rather than go another year before the chance comes up again. And if you’re still wondering about whether you need a new name or an additional name or two, you probably do.

Recommended Reading: "Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind," a paperback bible on marketing, by Al Ries & Jack Trout. It contains a very cogent chapter on naming companies.

2. Your Logo
Hey, we’re in the graphic arts industry, but for many companies in the graphics products sector, their logos often reinforce the observation that indeed “the shoemaker’s children go barefoot.” While businesses grow in size and sophistication, their visual identities can become dated, tired and a poor representation of the firm as it is today. Betty Crocker and Aunt Jemima, among many other well-known icons, get regular makeovers; hair, skin tone, make-up and other visual components get freshened to reflect changing looks and tastes. So, ask yourself if it’s time for a makeover; if so, have it ready for service by spring.

Your logo should make you look as good as you are — or better.  It’s your company’s signature!  Three key elements should be addressed: Is it memorable, attractive and distinctive?  

Given the business we’re in — and that we should practice what we preach — perhaps it’s time to add some color, too. In the pre-computer age, monochrome logos were preferred due to the additional cost of printing multicolor logos. Given that most formal company communications are either sent via e-mail or printed internally, adding some color to your logo entails negligible additional cost.  

3. First Impressions
When a prospect sees your advertising, accesses your Web site, calls you, visits your shop or otherwise encounters your enterprise for the first time, will your company sound and look engaging and professional to him or her? Will the prospect’s first impression help you move more quickly to where you can close the sale — or kill it before it begins? If you’re uncertain, it’s likely you need to work on making those first impressions more positive experiences.

In Part II, we’ll look at improving your call handling and e-inquiry handling, improving your follow-up agenda with new prospects and doing more in the way of “the little extras.”

#Mark L. Venit, MBA, is president of Apparel Graphics Institute Ltd., Ocean Pines, Md., which provides management and marketing consulting and proprietary research to apparel graphics companies throughout the Americas and Europe. He also is the chairman of ShopWorks Software LLC, a provider of industry-specific business software. Venit teaches pricing, strategic marketing, salesmanship and other business management topics at the Imprinted Sportswear Shows. You can contact him at markvenit@cs.com.

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