Spall: Mistake in Identity?

The dozen or so pictures every month often produced more hysterical laughs than any of the magazine’s farcical features. I’ve always remembered two: the absolutely factual Ronald McDonald Funeral Home, and the Curl Up ‘n’ Dye Beauty Salon.

At one point in the late 1970s, I submitted a couple of local signs, although I don’t know if O’Rourke – who later became one of the country’s best political essayists – ever ran them, (And, since both had loads of double-entendre attached, you’ll need to email me to learn the messages.) Ever since then, I’ve always had an eye and ear for interesting and descriptive business names.

It’s something I think about every time I see a roster of subscribers for Stone Business. I see the company names, think about the industry, and … wonder why so many shops miss the mark.

I’m not talking about something like Huffnagel & Sons or some other business-neutral name that draws on a family name, if it’s a well-known identity. Nor is there head-scratching over some corporate moniker where the business is a division of some large entity.

No, this is for thousands of companies that think they have a great name. For potential customers, though, the titles are nebulous at best and sometimes bad enough to turn away business.

At the risk of offending many, the names often don’t represent the prime product. Very few shops make their prime living off tile and marble, for example, but it’s amazing how many have those terms right in the name. And then there are the masses with, well, just a location and the word stone.

Yes, I do have a lot of gall deriding the use of the word stone in a name, given the title of the magazine you’re reading. But Stone Business is targeting particular people in a given industry. Fabrication shops are looking for the masses, and the masses aren’t always thinking about stone if they’re looking for you.

This identity crisis comes down to what you’re selling the public. Let’s step out the front door and look at your business from a completely different perspective – the customer’s.

First off: Nobody comes in to buy stone. Nobody.

Preposterous? OK; then maybe you’d like to tell me how many clients in the past two years have walked in the door to buy a slab or cut tiles of Baltic Brown or Academy Black, and then pulled the SUV or truck in the back to load the stuff up and haul it off.

That sounds ridiculous to you, but not to the customer. You could be selling decorative aggregate for all that stone says on a sign or in the phone book. And sawing up a slab still hasn’t entered the realm of DIY, even after years of Bob Vila or Rock Solid on cable.

Customers are buying solutions to needs. Maybe it’s a new kitchen countertop. Maybe it’s a replacement fireplace hearth. Maybe it’s a variety of surfaces for a new house or complete renovation.

What you’re selling are premium solutions that use, for the most part, semi-finished materials that happen to be stone (or, in some cases, quartz surfaces). Some shops will tackle anything, while others concentrate on countertops, or even small commercial projects.

Those solutions offer good stone, but there’s much more in the bargain. Shop staff may offer consultations on the best material for a particular job, along with the occasional input on overall design of a room’s remodeling. There’s the issue of prompt turnaround time and expert installation. Don’t forget the products needed for ongoing care and protection.

If you’re offering a complete line of services and products, you’re not really selling stone. You’re selling premium custom surfaces, which makes you much, much different from a place that’ll slap on some laminate or farm out a project on the basis of getting the highest margin for brokering the order.

Think about how your shop is presented to customers. Is it getting any of that message across?

Of course, there’s a sizable segment of the industry that doesn’t see the need to worry about this. The best advertising, they say, is word-of-mouth, so why worry about the masses when referrals work best?

I won’t argue the point of a good reputation. However, word-of-mouth offers only incremental growth in volume and works within a limited geographical radius. When times are bad – like now – the slow business chops referrals down to a trickle, and you’ll likely want to move farther afield to find work

Renaming a business can be tricky in a down economy, though, and Premium Custom Surfaces Co. may not get the point across. So let’s go back to where I came in: Signs.

Many of those strange signs in National Lampoon also had a visual appeal, even if the art was as corny as the business names. You had a very good idea of what those shops offered.

You may not be able to create a unique name, but it’s always possible to create an image with what’s facing the street. Is the sign like everyone else’s on the block, or does it have a typestyle that denotes luxury? Does it have a catch line, such as “Largest Selection of Granite” or “Unique Solutions for Your Home” on it? Does it have other high-end qualities, such as gold- or silver-looking lettering or trim? Is it made of high-end stone?

Right now, you probably don’t have the need (or the budget) for a total marketing revamp of your shop’s identity. A makeover out front, though, is no funny business in getting the customers you need to survive and thrive.

Emerson Schwartzkopf can be reached at emerson@stonebusiness.net. You can also read his regular blog at stonebusinesseditor.wordpress.com. And don’t forget to keep up with Stone Business on Twitter (StoneBizMag) and Facebook (search: Stone Business Magazine).

This article first appeared in the July 2009 print edition of Stone Business. ©2009 Western Business Media Inc.