Changed business name!!

[VnDrWLawnCare]

Decided to change the name of my business today, went to the county and got it all taken care of. Thought i could use a little more pizzaz in the name. I changed it from Eric's Lawn Care, to Picture Perfect Lawns. I wanted a name that really backed up my work. I want people to say -that is a PICTURE PERFECT LAWN, not a ERIC LAWN. The name just has a lot more "catch" to it. I have a lot of work ahead to change over business cards, send letters to customers, etc.

Does anyone possibly have a template they used to notify there clients about the name change?

And how about some logo ideas? Any clever ideas or suggestions would be much appreciated.

Thanks for your help.
Eric

[Willmow4dough]

Dont send a letter.

You need to tell them yourself and assure them that you will be doing business as normal.

I went throught this last year and talked to all my customers and they were fine with it.

Good Luck

[VnDrWLawnCare]

I have about 50 clients that i take care of on a weekly basis with many others that get occasional work done. Trying to stop by and personally telling them might be too much. A phone call would probably be sufficient? I sometimes wonder if people remember my personally or the business name. I still get many payments made out in my name. That is why i considered a letter, this way i can tell them when i will be starting and offer any extra spring services.

Thanks for the replies
Eric

[tonygreek]

a phone call would suffice, but i'd also send everyone a letter to reinforce it, and for those people you can't reach. just a short paragraph explaining "same great service, same smiling faces, but a new name that better frames (pun intended) our work. and as a bonus, we've included not one, but two drops of retsin..."

nice name choice, btw.

[Willmow4dough]

I took the time to do it with over 200 customers.

Its a lot of time but I think that you will find that your customers will be more apt to feel at ease with this transformation if you just give it to them in person.

4 years and I have only lost 3 customers I might be doing something right.

just a thought.

[The landscaper]

I like the new name

[VnDrWLawnCare]

Thanks for the replies.

How about some ideas for a logo?

I thought about the name with a picture frame kinda in the background.
What do you think?

Just throwing out some ideas

Eric

[Soupy]

I think a letter is all you need. When we changed our name we just sent letters. As long as you let them know in the letter that nothing else has changed then they won't care. I doubt they hired you because of your past name and a new name isn't going to matter to them at all. I would have the bank leave your old name open on the account just encase you get checks made out to the old name. If this happens you can then address each customer personally about the new name so they can make note of it. Some people don't read all their mail. I would also make sure your letter uses the old name as a header and as the return address so they know it is coming from you. Mention in the letter that all new correspondence will be addressed with the new company name. Make sure you add new business cards too. I included business card magnets for them to put on their refrigerator so the new name would be right in front of them.

Good luck with the new name. I like it and think it opens a lot of possibilities for a good logo.

[justgeorge]

Thanks for the replies.

How about some ideas for a logo?

I thought about the name with a picture frame kinda in the background.
What do you think?

Just throwing out some ideas

Eric
For a logo, I used legalzoom.com/logo to design it for me. It was only $149, included 10 different designs to choose from then unlimited minor alterations/color changes/font changes etc.. 4 day turnaround (or less) for each new set. Then they provide the final design to you in about 15 different file formats. They did an awesome job - mine is in my avatar.

George

[tonygreek]

Eric, the first thing i thought of when you posted the new name was how well it would lend itself to being the base for a great logo design. i've paid tons of money over the years for design work and i can honestly say that designoutpost is the best work i've seen, especially given the scrub-like prices. the designers are all pros and they do it for side money. hit the site, look at the logo forum, and subsequently the archives, and you'll see how it works. given the number of lcos they've done work for, most with a name that connotes lawn care, they'd probably love to have a different concept, the photography inference, to work from. $150 is the price i've seen that seems to be the most "fair" to entice more designers to submit pieces.

p.s. - i've never actually used the outpost, but would if needed. i do my own work, so until time doesn't allow me to work on that side of my business, i'll continue to do so.

keep us informed over in the "elements of business forum" (where this thread is more appropriate) on how the process is going or feedback on designs.

tony

[tonygreek]

sorry to veer a bit off course, but JustGeorge can't PM yet.

JustGeorge:
Whereabout are you located and what's your service area (I'm in Dayton)? Besides the lco, I also own an exterior remodeling company and am always looking to add partner companies to my referral list for services we don't provide. just shoot me an email through my site at caexteriors.com thanks.

[Henry]

For those of you that have changed your names, how long were you in business before the change?

[VnDrWLawnCare]

I have been in the business for about 5 years commercially. Many more years before that cutting around the neighborhood. If i would have thought about this new name many years ago i would not have changed. I dont have a bad reputation and need to change it, it seems to work just fine, but i just wanted something with some more pizzaz like i mentioned earlier. And i thought that if i want to sell the business in a few years, then the name will be a little more appealing.

Eric

[VnDrWLawnCare]

Here are a couple of logos that i came up with. I know many said that my new name would lend itself to many opportunities, but i did not get any examples/ suggestions.
Let me know what you think. What should be changed?? colors??

Thanks
Eric

For my other logo check out this thread
http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?t=96684

[walker-talker]

No offense, but $100 on designoutpost.com will go a long way. It's a very cheap price for such a professional looking logo.

[VnDrWLawnCare]

I am looking into maybe having something done at that designoutpost. I have visited the site a few times to see their work. Looks pretty good.
Thanks
Eric

[Smithers]

Decided to change the name of my business today, went to the county and got it all taken care of. Thought i could use a little more pizzaz in the name. I changed it from Eric's Lawn Care, to Picture Perfect Lawns. I wanted a name that really backed up my work. I want people to say -that is a PICTURE PERFECT LAWN, not a ERIC LAWN. The name just has a lot more "catch" to it. I have a lot of work ahead to change over business cards, send letters to customers, etc.

Eric


Great thinking....a lot people should think like you!!! i am tired of the "george's fluff and buff" or the "linda's pawn shop"..... :dizzy: :dizzy:

i saw this after i replied to your logo thread. tony is right. just go there in person. much better.

[RedWingsDet]

I like the new name. But what other people DONT think about is... Some people feel more confterbale with dealing with "erics lawn care" when looking in the yellowpages, because then they feel like they are dealing with the direct owner, even if they are dealing with the owner at picutre perfect lawn, they feel like they know your personally better.

I, myself, like names like "Three C's", "Premier Lancscaping", and I like names that are their lastname then "Landscaping". If my name wasnt so long and hard to pronounce I would consider it. Ive often thought of making up a lastname and useing that for my business. Something like "cooks landscaping"

[tonygreek]

I like the new name. But what other people DONT think about is... Some people feel more confterbale with dealing with "erics lawn care" when looking in the yellowpages

while it's hard to disagree with this, i'd counter it with... while it's great to do this if you have a business that provides self-employment, it doesn't lend itself to a business that's trying to grow into a business of tangible value. ie, where an actual exit strategy is involved.

[RedWingsDet]

while it's hard to disagree with this, i'd counter it with... while it's great to do this if you have a business that provides self-employment, it doesn't lend itself to a business that's trying to grow into a business of tangible value. ie, where an actual exit strategy is involved.

I agree 100%. They're both useful in different situations, and mainly a personal prefrence, because I know guys who have names that arnt assicoiated with their name, and only have them and maybe one guy. Then I know people who use their lastnames and have 6 crews, then I know people who dont even have a business name (dont pay taxes, totally illegal) and have 3 crews. So again, IMO its all a matter of personal prefrence. But yes, if you a one man band, then usually it'd be best to stick with a name that is assicoiated with your own personal name, whereas if you want several crews and future expansion, then a name like "Picture Perfect Landscaping" is good.

[VnDrWLawnCare]

As far as my customer base dealing with Eric's Lawn Care, i dont think many people think of me as Eric's Lawn Care they know me as Eric. So changing the name i dont think will effect my current customers. I am going to ensure them that i and only i will be doing the work. I will just tell them that the name change is to back up my work. I feel they recieve a picture perfect lawn each and every time i cut the grass. Sometimes i joke around and say i saw a golf ball- the golfer mistaked my lines for the fairway. So i really think the name change is for me, and for new potential customers. I am really going to try and get a few more commercial accounts. I sometimes think commercial accounts think scrub or young kid wanting to cut some grass when they see Eric's Lawn Care. So this name is more professional in my opinion.

My previous name was never registered with the county-somthing i considered doing, but since the name that i really wanted was not already taken, i decided to go that route.

what type of fonts do you guys prefer? names? sizes?
I dont plan on putting this logo on a vehicle or anything, just business cards and letterheads. So that is why i would prefer not to spend 100 or so bucks.
Eric

[Smithers]

Then go with something really basic that you can make yourself....once you get some money, go to designer outpost and spend the $100 and get a really catchy font and logo (if you have not picked one already). good luck.

[tonygreek]

look at it this way... what is your time worth to you to design your own? i'd set an over/under at 12 hours you'll spend working on a logo.

[Smithers]

look at it this way... what is your time worth to you to design your own? i'd set an over/under at 12 hours you'll spend working on a logo.
tony, that is true, but how about if Eric does not have $100 right now, and he has time since it's winter?

he might be staying at home and not have much to do, who knows.

[tonygreek]

i was pointing out what way too many people don't think about when it comes to diy projects that are not in their field of expertise. he's in illinois, the mowing season's right around the corner, but the advertising time is here and he needs to get the marketing material into the hands of joe consumer.

[VnDrWLawnCare]

The $100 bucks is not really a big deal. I did contact a friend of a friend that does graphic designing. So hopefully this weekend we will get together and come up with something. I will let you know how it comes out. And it that doesn't work, maybe i will use what i got for this year and use designeroutpost next year before we get so close to the season. Like someone mentioned i really need to get some advertisements out there, so time is a concern. I think it would take a couple of weeks for designeroutpost. JMO.

Eric