Make it easy for THEM to remember YOU!

It’s easy to provide marketing, sales, and web site SEO advice when you are not emotionally vested. I have been building my own company for several months now and have been searching for a company name. As most owners, I thought “lets give it meaning, purpose, an identity of who I am and what my core values are.”  Thank God that I have raised my daughter as a young marketing expert.  As I sat planning and talking about my company “Coaching Concepts” out loud, I kept tripping over the word concepts and subconsciously replacing it with “consultant.” I have used consultants and agencies in the past, both which have their place,  and I feel that a client is paying for more than my ego.  Thus, I feel that I should be more than an agent or consultant; today’s businesses need more than advice, they need planning and execution.  As I was verbally rehearsing who and what I stood for, my 15-year-old daughter Kate spoke up.  She said ” Coaching Concepts?” I have no clue who you are, or what you are trying to say!”

Then I began as most fathers do, I was going to teach her how to build the clock so that she would know how to tell time(a quote from my wife’s childhood.)  Kate and I have been watching TV and commercials together since she was little.  We discuss what is good advertising and what is bad advertising; the first question we always start with is “What are they trying to say? “

Here is where the master gets taken to school by the student… Kate quickly informed me of each detail to which I was attempting to plan or sort out. “If you’re going to be working on people’s web sites, instructing them in SEO search engine strategy, you want to make your name memorable … short, sweet and to the point!”  Ouch! (That was a flurry of verbal blows that I was not expecting; those landed hard on my ego.) I thought to myself “the kid has me on the ropes so I better counter quick or she will knock me out!”

Thank goodness I was slow on  my comeback.  This is what happened next. Kate looked me in the eye and said if you’re going to be in the web your name should be part of the web that describes YOU! Something like “Richesweb.com” or “The Richestweb.com.” With out another word she spun around with her pony-tail swinging behind her and marched off like the guerrilla fighter that I have trained her to be. She vanished into the jungle known as “her room.”

This  unexpected encounter left me with an empty feeling in my gut and a sense of bewilderment.  I had gotten too close to my own work; I had developed blinders. Dang it! She just shoved one of my oldest rules in my face, “listen to everyone.”  There are great ideas everywhere, many much better than our own.  My next favorite rules is “give credit where credit is due.” Thank you Miss Kate Benjamin for waking me up and giving me some of my own medicine.  The credit for naming my company web site all goes to you.” Not giving up totally, “Coaching Concepts” will continue to be the FREE business blog section of  The Richest Web.com web site.

If you are raising a teenager I think you will agree that it is best not to let them think they know everything. However, to grow good, strong leaders of tomorrow one must tell them when they have done well in their thinking.  Thanks again Kate, you are a true inspiration and you can do anything you set your mind to girl.

I have begun building my site “The Richest Web .com” with my designers, it should be up in the coming weeks. ‘Till then, this beat up old verbal pugilist will be hanging on the ropes and coming to you live from this “Coaching Concepts” blog.