We intend to change our company name, and are after new ideas and
suggestions! It is a 15 year old recruitment and selection company,
and is all about PEOPLE, CAREERS and FUTURES. It needs something that
is powerful, meaningful and memorable. Directors of this company have
a very high reputation for excellence, quality, and confidentiality,
and both clients and candidates have much trust and respect for
management. It's a specialist recruitment and selection company for
executives mainly in the textile and property industries.
This is a subjective request, but a good answer will be rewarded.

I am going out on a big, big limb here with this answer and probably
going against everything GA stands for as well as what you might be
wanting from us, but I think it is very worthwhile to do so.

I have no idea what your current company name is. But since you have
already invested 15 years building the reputation for excellence you
claim to have, there is no reason the name you are now using can't
become the powerful, meaningful and memorable name you want it to be.

With the directorate of your company having the reputation it does,
the power of your current name, whatever it may be, is already
established.  It is already meaningful and memorable.  You would not
be in the position you are if it weren't and you would not have the
trust and respect you do.

A glitzy sounding name is not going to make your business.  Only you
and your directors can do that.

Don't throw away a decade and a half of investment by muddying the
waters with a new name, regardless of how classy it may sound.  You
already have name identification to go along with your reputation. 
Call it "brand" recognition if you want to.

I can understand if you want to change a logo.  I can understand if
you were a new business just getting off the ground.

But you are not a new business.  You are one that is already flying.

Don't ground that flight by having to re-educate your prospective
clientel to a new name.

Other companies have done this in the past.  And while they were doing
well with the name they had, too often they have vanished from sight
after a name change.  To many consumers, a name change does no more
than send up a red flag that something might, just might, be wrong. 
And even if it isn't, it can often be difficult to change popular
perceptions.

So, my answer to your question is keep the name you have, regardless
of how unclassy or miserable it may sound to your own ears or to the
ears of your directors.

To the clients which praise you, and to the potential clients they may
recommend because of your good service, your current name already has
power, it is already meaningful and it is already memorable.

It can be summed up in a very old adage:  "If it ain't broke, don't
fix it."

Cheers
digsalot

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Request for Answer Clarification by larr-ga on 03 Jun 2003 15:36 PDT

The current name of this recruitment and selection business is of two
surnames of previous owner/managers, who are obviously no longer with
the company. One who left has gone on to use his surname again as a
new business name in the same industry, so there's confusion and
bitterness.

The current directors have a name for themselves in the industry
anyway, so a change in name will not impact on business levels or
reputation.

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Clarification of Answer by digsalot-ga on 03 Jun 2003 16:22 PDT

Thank you for the additional information.  So now I will dig in and
try to come up with something.  Would you want any current personal
names included and if so what would they be?

In the meantime, I'm on it.  Please allow a day or two for additional
responses.

I hope my first answer didn't offend in any way, but as you said, it
is a 'subjective' topic.

I'm looking forward to being of service.

digs

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Clarification of Answer by digsalot-ga on 03 Jun 2003 17:15 PDT

If I may ask one other piece of information, if you are in the US,
which state are you in so that I can check to see if a particular name
is already in use?

digs

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Request for Answer Clarification by larr-ga on 03 Jun 2003 17:59 PDT

The company is based in Australia.

The new business name will not include surnames.

No offence taken on your first answer - I actually agree with a lot
said, but unforunately it doesn't help in anyway!

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Clarification of Answer by digsalot-ga on 03 Jun 2003 19:01 PDT

OK - I can check against Australian business names as well.

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Clarification of Answer by digsalot-ga on 04 Jun 2003 22:05 PDT

Hello again

I will present a selection of ideas and the reasoning behind them
which may lead to a further exchange of ideas and thoughts whereby we
can narrow things down even more.  You are making an important step
and it may very well take more than just a note or two, back and
forth, to find exactly what you want.

First of all, with your type of business I like the word "inductions"
as part of a name.  It sort of signifies that the quality of your
candidates is sufficient that upon presentation to a client, it is a
"done deal" and that all that is left to do is induct that person into
his or her new position.  I have also targeted words such as
"accountability," "competency," "adaptions," and "synthesis"  All of
these deal with people, futures and careers in a positive light.

With this first presentation, some of the terms will be repeated in a
series of combinations.  Some will probably sound overly simple and
some pompous and stiff.  However, I can only apply those criteria to
my own interpretation of things due to cultural influences.  I'm not
that familiar with Australian business culture, only US, so perhaps
between us we can work it out.

You may also want to point me in a completely different direction
after going through these.

Dynamic Inductions

Dynamic Adaptions

Dynamics in Adaption 

Dynamic Accountability 

Competency Recruitment Solutions 

Synthesis Solutions

Dynamic Recruitment Solutions

Competency for Induction (s)

Competency in ( or "for") Accountability 

Synthesis (in) Adaptions

Synthesis Adaptions Inductions

Dynamic Synthesis

Dynamics in Accountability 

Targeted Competency

Targeted Adaptions

Targeted Management

Targeted Analysis for Targeted Adaptions  - (or "Targeted Inductions")

Competency Profilers

Competency Profilers & Adaptions

Competency (in) Recruitment Consulting

This initial list is general in nature and does not target either the
textile or property industries.  I could find none of them already in
use though you should do additional research from your end.  My
resources for such a search are only those found on the web and I'm
sure the record is incomplete.

Please give further direction from here.

cheers
digs

I am quite disappointed with the response to my request. Although the
researcher put some thought into it, he/she was the only one who did
reply, and initially advised not to go ahead. I was willing to pay for
a good answer, but did not receive anything close. I have given it one
week, and now wish to close the question.

I am aware of other people who have submitted a very similar
'quesiton' at a very similar price and have received a large number of
ideas from several researchers. I have not had this experience.

I would use google again for less subjective requests.