STEP 2: AVOIDING COMPETITION

Use your Side & Rear-View Mirrors to spot and avoid competitors. Make sure to use all available mirrors and be mindful of your blind spot—competitors have a tendency to get lost in heavy traffic. Knowing where your competitors are and what sort of names they're driving is imperative, not only to finding an available lane but to blazing your own trail and creating a truly distinctive brand name. Position your mirrors to answer the following questions:

• Which name constructs are your competitors using?
• What messages are being communicated by your competitors' names?
• Is there an opportunity to communicate an altogether new message?
• Who's got the flashiest name on the road? Is it getting any attention? Why?
• What names have already arrived at your customers' hearts and minds?

Once you have located your competitors and understand their names you can begin to identify places to steer your name that competitors don’t occupy. While open lanes are often opportunities for immediate distinction, the clearest and most enduring path to customers’ hearts and minds is the trail you blaze yourself.