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Yes - You CAN Compete with Offshore - Part II
IN PART 1 of this two part article, we looked at Quality of the Product and Friendliness of the Service. In Part 2 we will consider alignment to particular requirements, responsiveness to needs, ability to deliver to schedule, and cost to the purchaser. Let’s get started.ALIGNMENT TO REQUIREMENTSA big part of competitiveness is found in the alignment of the product to the customer’s requirements -- if it does what it’s supposed to do, they’re gonna consider buying it. This was discussed back in Quality of the Product, but it also means that you, as the producer, have to consider needs that the customer has in keeping his/her own costs down. You will have done that, of course, when you set up initial sales with the client, but it should be done on an ongoing basis, too.RESPONSIVENESS TO NEEDSDo you know what your customer is dealing with, and what

on the list. From that major list, cull the duds, and arrive at what you and your legal advisor determine is a workable number of names.

The next step in the game is a legal process. Next, the lawyers have to search the databases for possible previous uses of the name in question. The chances are almost assured that your name is taken, the question is, is it taken in an industry related closely enough to yours to bump you out of the running. For instance, Mustang® is already taken as a car name but I suspect it could be the name of a catheter if anyone cared to register it. The way the Trademark Office looks at it, a person looking to buy a car is not likely to get mixed up and accidentally buy a catheter because it has the same name.

Many wonderful names will get bumped out of the running in the initial trademark searches. It is a good idea to treat new names like puppies; don't get too attached to them at first because you may not be able to keep your favorites.

Even if some names survive the first searches, the legal team will keep tightening things up. It generally tak

For Anyone Wanting To Start Their Own Home Buisness
For those of you who have always wanted to try the making money online thing, but have thought it would be too hard or didn’t know where to start.I am new to the internet and was looking to make money at home on the computer; at first I tried the paid survey thing while it did bring in some cash. It also bought a lot of junk mail and to get the best paid surveys you had to pay to signup.” Well that was a waste of time.My mail box was filling fast with heaps more junk, and every survey I was invited to participate in, I would get “you don’t qualify for this survey”.Then in one of the Emails I found a lead to a website that was fully stocked and setup. I thought this doesn’t look real bad, after all I had nothing to lose and everything to gain.I bookmarked the page and returned to the page a few times but pushing the signup button didn’t come till ab

If you've ever held a brainstorming session to come up with new product names, you know that it is usually not hard to get people to attend. In fact, such meetings generally start off with a lot of enthusiasm and elation. This quickly fades though as the cold reality sets in. Naming a new product is really difficult.

Naming a product is about as close as you can get to having a root canal without going to the dentist. Even done well with an expert team, it's an exercise in pain, frustration, and disappointment.

Nevertheless, there are some things you should know about the process.

First of all, get a reality check on how important a product name really is. Some people tend to think that it's a life and death matter, others rate it as inconsequential, and the truth is probably somewhere in between. Having a great name is a definite asset. Having a poor name is a major liability. But in the area between, there is probably not much difference as to whether a product has a good name or a mediocre name.

Second, it is vital that you enlist the support of some legal experts, perhaps an on-staff paralegal or an attorney with expertise in trademark registration. They will tell you that you cannot trademark descriptive names. For instance, if you ran a chain of motels, you could not trademark the name Motel. By the same token, you can't call your new drug Cholesterol Pill or your new heart monitor Heart Monitor.

Fanciful names are best. Fanciful is a legal word for "made up." Pharmaceutical companies do this all of the time as they invent not only drugs but totally new words as product names. Viagra® is a made-up name; so is Aleve® and Tylenol® and Lipitor®. Some of these words sound so normal to our ears it's hard to believe that they were literally crafted, made up by somebody in marketing.

Legal eagles will tell you that fanciful names work best, mainly because fanciful names are easy to protect. After all, there is not likely to be a rush of people fighting to trademark some word you just concocted.

The drawback for fanciful names is that they sound dreadful at first and if you have some knee-jerk bosses or executives in your company, fanciful names almost always die the first time the boss hears them. Few bosses are good at naming products but most of them are pretty good at throwing out serviceable fanciful names. Keep in mind, all made-up names sound clumsy at first.

The second drawback to the fanciful name is that it takes a lot of marketing muscle to get the name into the customer's awareness. That means a lot of ads, a lot of promotional materials, a lot of literature. You are literally teaching your customers a new word and most adults resist efforts at educating them.

Sometimes marketing people will try to invent a word that has associations with other words. For instance, words like gem, jewel, ace, expert, accurate, precise, rapid, quick are all words that carry connotations that you might want to appropriate. Some product names use intriguing but seemingly distant real words to make a powerful name (the Mustang from Ford was that kind of name) or you can dissect various positive words and paste together something that sounds familiar but is, in fact, made up (Microsoft's name is a combination of terms to form a new word that was instantly familiar-sounding). SlimFast® is not a real word, but it's recognizable to us in terms of its parts.

When reaching for names with associations, don't reach too far. Many marketing people are bright individuals and they may ponder a name for hours and come up with an association that they expect a busy customer to make instantly. For instance, if you name your product ChessPlayer because buying your product would be a strategic move for smart "masters" of your industry, don't count on your customer making the leap. Customers live in the same lightning-fast world you do and don't have times to ponder the hidden meanings of product names. The truth is that sound marketing principles would turn that around!

Make lists of lots of viable names. Some brainstorming sessions start off with rules that say no name will be rejected and no suggestion is to be hooted at. While you don't want to discourage people, there are some names that deserve to be hooted off the list right at the beginning. On the other hand, let any name with any shred of potential stand on the list. From that major list, cull the duds, and arrive at what you and your legal advisor determine is a workable number of names.

Even if some names survive the first searches, the legal team will keep tightening things up. It generally take

What May Be Included in an Aromatherapy Gift Basket
Are you interested in giving the gift of an aromatherapy gift basket? Although aromatherapy gift baskets are ideal for just about anyone, they make the perfect gift for women. If this is your first time buying an aromatherapy gift basket, you may be wondering more about them, namely what may be included in one. If you are, you will want to continue reading on.When it comes to examining aromatherapy gift baskets and what the contents of them may be, it is important to remember that aromatherapy gift baskets come in a number of different sizes, shapes, and styles. Many different individuals and companies make aromatherapy gift baskets; therefore, you are likely to find a large number of different aromatherapy gift baskets to choose from. Despite the possibility of a variance, there are a number of common items can be found in an aromatherapy gift basket.One of t

perhaps an on-staff paralegal or an attorney with expertise in trademark registration. They will tell you that you cannot trademark descriptive names. For instance, if you ran a chain of motels, you could not trademark the name Motel. By the same token, you can't call your new drug Cholesterol Pill or your new heart monitor Heart Monitor.

Even if some names survive the first searches, the legal team will keep tightening things up. It generally tak

Global IP Outsourcing Services Provider in India
Patents had been long identified as most valuable informational source of the technical and competitive informations. During the last few years these have gained a lot more attention. Due to increase in the globalization and competition, it is very important for the companies to protect their innovations and also make their R&D activities more efficient. India is well recognized as a knowledge hub, due to it’s highly talent pool. A lots of IP services providers; emerge in India during the last few years. Most of them have are being started by 2-3 people with their contacts in mostly in US. Now these firms are become the giant in providing specialized IP services. Lots of Indian law professional and law firms are also now trying to enter into the market to provide the highest quality analysis and research services.Most of these companies are located in the Bombay, Del

names almost always die the first time the boss hears them. Few bosses are good at naming products but most of them are pretty good at throwing out serviceable fanciful names. Keep in mind, all made-up names sound clumsy at first.

Even if some names survive the first searches, the legal team will keep tightening things up. It generally tak

GAME Your Way to Greater Productivity
There are many events outside of the workplace that can negatively impact workplace productivity. A major holiday and major sporting events (like the Super Bowl, World Cup or NCAA Basketball Tournament) are a few of these possible distractions.As people begin to think about, talk about and focus on these events, their focus may leave their work. Think about it: how many tournament brackets are filled out on office time? How much Christmas shopping gets done online at the office every year?This change of focus can lead to significant losses of productivity. As leaders we can’t remove the distractions – the events will still occur. Our job instead is to do what we can to recognize and take advantage of the situation however we can.I suggest the GAME approach to maintaining focus and productivity in the face of these outside distractions. Let me explain.rm a new word that was instantly familiar-sounding). SlimFast® is not a real word, but it's recognizable to us in terms of its parts.

Even if some names survive the first searches, the legal team will keep tightening things up. It generally tak

Living Proof of The Joint Venture Mindset
Frank Schroeder was one of the most successful insurance salesmen I ever met. He owned two Porches and two sets of electric drums and lived like a king. We did some business together and I asked him what the secret to his success was. And at this point I must digress. I have sold insurance very successfully in Canada and in South Africa. I no longer sell insurance; I specialize in Joint Ventures. But I have found very few insurance salespeople who share Frank’s philosophy or his success. Many of them have very strange labels and titles that they have concocted for themselves in order to disguise the fact that they sell insurance, yet they should be proud of their important work. And they are so focused on selling that they are proof of the self-fulfilling prophecy syndrome. But let us not waste time discussing what we should not do.Frank was living proof of the power of

on the list. From that major list, cull the duds, and arrive at what you and your legal advisor determine is a workable number of names.

Even if some names survive the first searches, the legal team will keep tightening things up. It generally takes a few searches of increasing depth before the name is pronounced clear. When you reach this goal, the appropriate papers are submitted.

One thing many legal people do not tell you too loudly is that just because you apply for a name and start using it does not mean you own it. Companies who have claims to that name or similar names can come after you. Sometimes two companies will file for names around the same time and then have to duke it out in court. And sometimes the Trademark Office will not let you have the name you applied for even though your lawyers thought you had a solid case. Trademark judges are apparently human and subject to making unpredictable decisions.

What happens if your name becomes part of a tug of war? At that point, the lawyers get involved and will be your best source of advice. But just like any legal dispute, things like this can often be settled amicably out of court.

What about global issues? Trademark protection is a national thing so just getting a name trademarked in the U.S. does not necessarily mean you'll enjoy trademark protection in other markets. Beyond making sure your legal team registers in the appropriate geographies for your market, you should also consider linguistic and cultural nuances that your new product name carries.

It is always wise to talk to your teams in other geographies to get their input on a new product name. Sadly, it is just about impossible to find any name that everybody will adore. Instead, consider yourself successful if you find a name that no one really hates.

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