In the November 2005 issue of Inc. magazine, Norm Brodsky wrote: “Your company’s name plays little, if any, role in determining your success.”

I agree completely that a company with a bad or mediocre name can reach success. However, here are 10 reasons why coming up with a snappy, interesting and memorable name is worth the business owner’s or organization’s time and energy.

1. When you call or speak with strangers and mention the name of your company, and the name in and of itself provokes delighted recognition, this can get the business relationship off on a positive footing.

2. A distinctive name can attract the kind of customers you want and keep away those you don’t want. For instance, if you can’t stand dealing with those who have no sense of humor, a punny name repels such folks. Au contraire, if you want people to know you’re serious and weighty, a shrewdly chosen traditional name can impress people accordingly.

3. Cool company names can in and of themselves generate media coverage, either because there’s something newsworthy in the name or because many journalists are more attracted to highlight companies with fun names than boring ones. Case in point: Rent-a-Wreck.

4. A distinctive name increases repeat business because it helps previous customers remember it when looking at a list of possibles in the Yellow Pages or elsewhere. For instance, House Husband would jump out of a list of competitors like A-1 Handyman, Acme Home Repair, etc.

You want customer loyalty in your business. You want repeat business. How about making your customers into valued friends? Showing concern and empathy for their situation. The more your able to treat your customers as friends, the more business they will want to do with you. You’ll watch your profits soar.

Let’s go through 10 ways you can keep your customers coming back to you, time and time again. And you will no doubt make “friends” in the process.

You can learn many things you didn’t know about your business by getting valuable feedback from your customers. Your customers may buy your main product just to get the free gifts. Your visitors may think it’s to hard to navigate through your web site.

By knowing this type of important information you can improve your web site, products/services, advertising, and marketing. Below are nine techniques you can use to get valuable feedback from your customers.

-Use surveys and questionnaires regularly to improve your business. Publish them on your web site, e-zine, print newsletter, direct mail material, include them with product shipments or inside product packages. Post them on appropriate online message boards, e-mail discussion lists and newsgroups on the internet.

-Create an online community for your customers. Include a chat room, message board, e-mail discussion list on your site for customers to participate in. You can regularly moderator these communities to see what your customers are saying about your business.

Spring has sprung. The birds are singing as they busily build nests and do their mating dances. Yeah, it won’t be long before the flowers bloom, and grass starts growing. You know what that means…grass needs mowing. When you parked the riding mower last fall, you knew that it would be a miracle if you could get it through another summer. You’re going to need to replace old “Betsy” sooner or later, and start thinking about the features you want the next mower to have.

Well, you haven’t tried starting the old mower, but hey, it’s raining cats and dogs outside. With nothing better to do, you head for the mall and find yourself among a line of shiny lawn mowers with a wide variety of prices and features. What are the advantages of each one compared to the difference in costs?

Yep, not every customer that walks through your door is ready to make a purchase. Maybe they’re still in the “thinking about it” stage. Yeah, when you think long enough, you usually talk yourself into doing it. That’s why it’s important to treat every customer’s question with respect. You never know when a properly answered question will lead to a sale.

Here are some tips to keep in mind for effectively answering customer questions: