Up here in Arkansas, (we are higher in elevation than Austin) and we all know what flows downhill.....
Anyways, there was a Surveying Co. called "Ball and Paulus Surveying". Hard to forget a name llike that!
The two owners names, was all that was. But, it was catchy...
Maybe we could discuss what kind of name fits McMillimeter, and Associates the best?
Picking on Shawn to this extent, makes various names come to mind. Personally, I think it is a pendulous task, to help Kent be more respectful, polite, and kind. To say he was potty trained wrong, might seem sophmoric. And, none of us would stoop to that. We are all too mature.
Hey, someday, maybe we could have a pin pounding contest, and find out just who can pound them fastest!
N
Yep. Using an anonymous name on a public forum means that the person can't possibly provide a professional service. That's laughable. My original point was Kent spends a lot of time worrying about someone else's company name, and stirring up things here when he could be providing constructive discussion that may help bring on new users to the forum. Most of his post turn into an arguement between a few people, I occasionally let myself get in the middle of the debacle. Case in point being this entire thread.
I'll jump on this bandwagon--as a straight man woman. If I were able to open a business that required a professional qualification, I would almost certainly not use my own name as part of its name for several reasons.
- First name is unusual. That can help people to remember it, but they're more likely not to remember it.
- Initials would end up MLK. Um, no.
- "Kennedy" has both good and bad connotations. Nope, not related to that family in Massachusetts.
- There is still the possibility of discrimination due to being female.
So, Surveyors'R'Us?
Melita
I can easily accept AAA Towing Company because they are, well, a towing company, and want their name up top in a search list.
However, I read with scorn when I see AAA Best Surveyors. That just doesn't look good and I think it degrades the profession. On the other hand the name will attract the price shoppers and if the name lures them away from phoning me that is a win-win as far as I'm concerned.
I'll stick to my name on the door and clients by referral only.
RADAR, post: 377363, member: 413 wrote: As a savvy client; I know that the surveyor I hire must perform to the minimum standard set by the state. If they don't I am well within my full legal right to sue the firm for all damages.
You hire a licensed plumber, you know whether the toilet flushes correctly and whether the water heater works. You hire a surveyor and you know what? You know that you have maybe a piece of paper that looks all official and as if it means something to someone, but how long does it typically take for that someone to tell you that you didn't really get what you paid for?
The obvious difference is that it takes years for most surveying misadventures to come to light and the surveyor is the only party to the transaction who really knows which corners were cut and how deeply. The fact that professional standards exist and that some surveyors choose to ignore them for reasons of momentary commercial advantage are unfortunately two separate facts.
mkennedy, post: 377374, member: 7183 wrote: I'll jump on this bandwagon--as a straight man woman. If I were able to open a business that required a professional qualification, I would almost certainly not use my own name as part of its name for several reasons.
- First name is unusual. That can help people to remember it, but they're more likely not to remember it.
- Initials would end up MLK. Um, no.
- "Kennedy" has both good and bad connotations. Nope, not related to that family in Massachusetts.
- There is still the possibility of discrimination due to being female.
So, Surveyors'R'Us?
Melita
Melita Kennedy, Land Surveyor sounds perfectly fine to me. Would you really want a client who was put off by your first name?
Bruce Small, post: 377384, member: 1201 wrote: I can easily accept AAA Towing Company because they are, well, a towing company, and want their name up top in a search list.
However, I read with scorn when I see AAA Best Surveyors. That just doesn't look good and I think it degrades the profession. On the other hand the name will attract the price shoppers and if the name lures them away from phoning me that is a win-win as far as I'm concerned.
I'll stick to my name on the door and clients by referral only.
I think it would be an ethical violation to use the word Best in the name For what that's worth
Hmmm unless you are the Larry Best
Robert Hill, post: 377390, member: 378 wrote: I think it would be an ethical violation to use the word Best in the name For what that's worth
Hmmm unless you are the Larry Best
Yes, the minimum test is whether the name is either expressly based upon a false claim or works to leave a false impression in the minds of members of the public.
Kent McMillan, post: 377386, member: 3 wrote: The obvious difference is that it takes years for most surveying misadventures to come to light and the surveyor is the only party to the transaction who really knows which corners were cut and how deeply. The fact that professional standards exist and that some surveyors choose to ignore them for reasons of momentary commercial advantage are unfortunately two separate facts.
You forgot that I am a savvy client. I know that when I hire a professional, to do a professional job, that I should expect nothing less than the minimum professional standard as set forth in my state. If I hire a Doctor, Lawyer or Plumber; I should expect nothing less than what they tell me they will provide.
If the doctor takes out the wrong kidney; or the Lawyer is found in contempt of the court; or my toilet doesn't flush; and I suffer from this or anything else that is less than professional. You can rest assured that I will be compensated. After all, I am a savvy client and I live in the United States of America.
If it was to matter to me, that not all that live in the United States of America are as Savvy as I, then chastising fellow professionals because of the naming convention of their business would hardly do any good. A sucker is born every minute; a fool and his money are soon parted. There will always be someone there willing to take their money, regardless of the front presented.
If I was to care about the less than savvy, the place to start would be with licensure and education; followed by regulation and accountability. Then maybe we could create a cadastral fabric that is easy to work with and everyone would get along. A pipe dream, I know; I can't do it alone. We need every good surveyor out there. It seems to me, that berating a few of them on a message board is counterintuitive.
Dougie
[USER=8332]@Smaltheimer[/USER]
I think Jack has a Smart name for his company...SMART SURVEYING, INC
DDSM:beer::beer:
Kent McMillan, post: 377387, member: 3 wrote: Melita Kennedy, Land Surveyor sounds perfectly fine to me. Would you really want a client who was put off by your first name?
No, but I'm thinking about marketing and word of mouth. What's easiest to remember: "Melita Kennedy" or "Hilltop Surveying" (innocuous name pulled out randomly) or, for my area, "Arrowhead Surveying" (there are at least 4 companies already with that name scattered across the US)?
I suppose the accounting and law firms get away with hard-to-remember names, but I wouldn't want to deal with that personally.
mkennedy, post: 377408, member: 7183 wrote: I suppose the accounting and law firms get away with hard-to-remember names, but I wouldn't want to deal with that personally.
"Hullo? Yes, I'd like to speak to Mr. Hilltop, please about a surveying matter. "
"I'm sorry, but there is no Mr. Hilltop here. That is just a catchy name I dreamed up to get people to call so that I could tell them my name is Melita Kennedy."
RADAR, post: 377401, member: 413 wrote: You forgot that I am a savvy client. [...] A sucker is born every minute; a fool and his money are soon parted. There will always be someone there willing to take their money, regardless of the front presented.
So, it's, like, the client's fault for being taken in by the deceptive firm names? Do you have any theory as to why professions are licensed in the first place if it is going to be the client's fault?
Kent,
Could you maybe, possibly post some actual statistical evidence that Professional Firms with out the Principals name on the door are "deceptive" or "out to take advantage of the public", or hiding behind a name. Or could it be no data exists, and you are on some rampage to read your own thoughts on some chat board and degrade your fellow surveyors.
Jones, post: 377420, member: 10458 wrote: Could you maybe, possibly post some actual statistical evidence that Professional Firms with out the Principals name on the door are "deceptive" or "out to take advantage of the public", or hiding behind a name.
So, is your point that you don't think there is any such thing as a business name that is inherently deceptive and you need to have social scientists demonstrate that there is? Wow.
RADAR, post: 377363, member: 413 wrote: I get them to fix it for free
It you've ever had to sue someone, you should know that it's hardly free. Winning a judgment and then collecting same takes a lot of time and can take a lot of money, with no guarantee of a favorable outcome. It's a last resort, not a trivial fallback.
Of course there are deceptive names, take yours, by your own logic your business Kent McMillan Surveying, should be esteem professionalism. However by your constant begrudging of other Surveyors based on their business name, and sheer arrogance that you bring to the board; it could lead others to question you professionalism. So Kent you are once again right.
Kent McMillan, post: 377418, member: 3 wrote: So, it's, like, the client's fault for being taken in by the deceptive firm names? Do you have any theory as to why professions are licensed in the first place if it is going to be the client's fault?
I can see where you might get that from my post, if you didn't read all of it; that was not my point. My point was; we are failing, as a society, when we allow the unscrupulous to provide professional services; when they are not qualified and take from the unsuspecting client, causing suffrage. Let me repeat myself: A CLIENT SHOULD EXPECT NOTHING LESS, FROM A PROFESSIONAL, THAN THE MINIMUM STANDARD AS SET FORTH BY THE STATE IN WHICH THEY RESIDE.
Take a look at how Australia and Canada license their professional surveyors and ask them if they have to deal with anything less than experienced qualified individuals and get back to me. That's how we should be doing it....
RADAR, post: 377432, member: 413 wrote: I can see where you might get that from my post, if you didn't read all of it; that was not my point. My point was; we are failing, as a society, when we allow the unscrupulous to provide professional services; when they are not qualified and take from the unsuspecting client, causing suffrage. Let me repeat myself: A CLIENT SHOULD EXPECT NOTHING LESS, FROM A PROFESSIONAL, THAN THE MINIMUM STANDARD AS SET FORTH BY THE STATE IN WHICH THEY RESIDE..
That's nice, but what is the inevitable result off generating endless legions of commercial businesses to provide professional services under names similar to those of companies that sell fried chicken, oil changes, or mobile homes? I think the obvious answer is that it wrongly encourages members of the public to view the service as a commodity no different than any other commodity, rather than a professional service for which specific license holders are entirely responsible. Do you think that encouraging members of the public to acquire surveying services on the basis of least cost is in the public interest? I certainly don't.
Kent McMillan, post: 377415, member: 3 wrote: "Hullo? Yes, I'd like to speak to Mr. Hilltop, please about a surveying matter. "
"I'm sorry, but there is no Mr. Hilltop here. That is just a catchy name I dreamed up to get people to call so that I could tell them my name is Melita Kennedy."
I doubt a caller would need to say that because I would answer the phone, "Hilltop Surveying. My name is Melita Kennedy [optional: professional land surveyor or whatever is usual for that state]. What can I do for you today?"
If you have separate business and personal cell phones/landlines, do you answer the business line with, "Hello?"
