As I had promised at the end of Part 1, I’m going to share a sample of the letter you should send to customers announcing your company name change, plus a bunch of great tips for executing the name change the right way. This is also the same letter you will need to reformat a little to do an email blast to your customers.

Remember, I said that all the great marketing knowledge I learned from my marketing guru, Leo, is still working great for my one-to-one clients to this day. I’m going to share more of it with you here.

Here’s a sample of a letter I wrote for a client of mine who was changing the company name to end some confusion in his market and to launch his rebrand:

“Hi [insert the customer’s name]

“Our name has changed … a little!

“I was 24 years old when we opened the doors of [old name] Plumbing, Heating, Cooling and Electrical. My wife and I just had our second child. We didn’t know everything we needed to know to be successful in business. So, we committed to growing this company based on what our parents taught us — treat people the way you would want to be treated. 

“Since then, it has been our goal to be of service to you, to treat you the way you would like to be treated. That’s why we decided it was time to change the name of our company to better reflect who we are and what we do. 

“We’re now [new name]!

“Rest assured, only the name has changed. We’re here and plan to be here a very long time, ready to provide the great service and the technical expertise you’ve come to rely on. 

“We continue to commit to ongoing training and advanced technology that has already made us industry leaders. Every day, our company is growing bigger and better. And we wanted to let you know that and thank you for fueling that growth.

“More and more well-trained staff are on board and eagerly awaiting their chance to serve you. You’ll experience an even higher level of service than you’ve enjoyed in the past. 

“The official name changed to [new name] Plumbing, Heating, Cooling and Electrical on XX/XX/2022. So, please make the necessary changes to your records.

“Our New ‘Worry-Free’ Warranty:

“One more thing to show how we live to serve you better than any other company could; we’re also introducing our new ‘Worry-Free’ Warranty policy on any service work [new name] Plumbing, Heating, Cooling and Electrical does by giving you a full [XX] years parts and labor warranty! 

“We know our competition typically provides only a limited 30-day warranty on parts and labor. But with our superior training, operations manuals, hands-on training center and state-of-the-art technology, we’re so confident about the work we do we can offer this unique peace-of-mind warranty to you.

“[New name] Plumbing, Heating, Cooling and Electrical is ready to help, and we always will be! 

“Sincerely,

“[Your name],

“President”

Notice how personal this letter is; don’t be afraid to tell a story! Then, remember to remind people of the benefits of working with your company.

More tips

Here are some additional tips for doing a name change the right way.

The two biggest mistakes people make when choosing a company name are:

1. Naming it after a person or a family name can be problematic. If that person isn’t coming to the door, it’s a “less-than” experience.

Note: At my company, one of our company names was my grandfather’s first name. They would ask me to put them in touch with him and he was long gone.

2. Naming it after a city, town or village means anyone calling from somewhere else thinks you’re not in their area regularly and just some outsider visiting.

A good company name means something positive to a potential customer and tells your staff what you’ve promised them. Know that a neutral name can be made a little better with a good tagline; a bad name usually can’t. 

Note: A bad company name can be overcome but at a huge investment in marketing dollars.

Remember, changing the company name is just the first step to unifying your brand. Following are just a few of the many things you’ll have to change once that process is complete:

• Licensing (sometimes a dba (doing business as) is sufficient).

• Truck redesign, which is very key to a great rebrand.

• Letterhead.

• Envelopes.

• All sales items that are still in paper and even those you do digitally.

• Invoices, if still using paper, and even those you do digitally.

• Advertising and marketing pieces.

• Bank accounts.

• Uniforms.

• Stickers.

• Valve tags.

• Leave-behinds.

• Door tags.

• Governmental agencies needing compliance.

The right new name can increase your credibility and visibility with customers and prospects exponentially. Marketing all companies under one name will make all the difference, especially if you’re growing by acquisition. To get it right, remember to trust Leo —
or whomever your marketing guru may be.