In the speaking business, we develop ideas and tools that can help our clients achieve results, build our credibility and scale our business.
While we know that any book or any product needs a title, what we often overlook is labeling the ideas and tools that are part of our processes, or even still just in your mind but not yet in the execution queue. Why is this important? Because these items can become proprietary to our business and considered intellectual property that you will want to promote (and possibly protect).
Let me share some real examples from my business that might help you to understand better the importance of labeling your ideas and processes.
- We have a grid process for helping people pick a lane, which is labeled as the “Focus Form.”
- Our “Speaker Launcher Assessment Form” is completed by every new client before we schedule a coaching call. Returning clients fill out our “Client Check-In” form before their coaching call.
- During our 16-Week Accelerate Course, we run a “Positioning Bootcamp.”
Each of the forms or processes outlined above were ideas that we labeled and might consider trademarking if people use and share them.
In all honesty, I did not recognize that I was creating these labels until my coach, Dan Sullivan of Strategic Coach, brought it to my attention! However, it has worked out to be an effective way of creating additional items for our brand that can be used in different ways, should we chose.
3 Quick Steps to Labeling Your Ideas and Processes
To help you start labeling your ideas, try these three quick steps:
1. List all of the processes, graphs, charts and systems that you use in your business.
2. Think of a name for each of these ideas (if you do not have one already). Make sure that the name is unique (you do not want to infringe on anyone else’s trademarks!) and will sound intriguing to people who might use your process. An excellent way to gauge if your name is intriguing is to ask yourself, “Does this name make people think, “yes, I want that”?
3. Go back through your marketing and business documents and update with your names to ensure that you are using these proprietary items effectively.
By labeling our ideas we make them more important and continue to grow our expertise.
See you soon Wealthy Speakers!
