Did you know the 19th January was #NationalPopcornDay? And, while, no, it isn’t a day when the entire UK celebrates our services (sadly), we thought we’d take the opportunity this week to celebrate popcorn: who we are, and what we do.
So Why ‘popcorn’?
Simon Washbrook, founder of popcorn, already had a history of working with branding, from his previous experience as a marketing consultant.
As any business owner knows, the company name has to reflect the ethos of the business—what you provide, and what you set out to do. For Simon, he needed a name that wasn’t associated with anything except the feel of his company.
Lots of businesses take this approach. We use association with other words to convey a feeling, instead of highlighting the person behind the business. Because, although highlighting the person is an advantage for some companies—if your own skill is central to how your business operates, e.g. “Simpson’s Plumbing”—other businesses, like Apple, Egg, Google, are reliant on wider resources, and want to reflect a broader message.
So what was important to Simon was reflecting how the company was going to be, moving forward: an innovation, a disruption; a fresh idea that would evolve with small businesses to suit what they need.
It needed to be non-traditional; dynamic and engaging. What better, then, than the word ‘popcorn’?
Popcorn, after all, is associated with the good times. Sweet, salty, just how you like it; the perfect accompaniment to the fun experience of sitting in a darkened cinema, completely absorbed by the thrilling film on the screen. It’s a satisfying food, evoking that warm feeling of nostalgia for cinema trips. The action, and the word itself, of popping corn, speaks to that dynamism that our company is built on. When it explodes (do you see what I did there?), it transforms into something new—the way a prospect transforms from an anonymous lead in your database to a customer, with popcorn’s help.
That association with popcorn has therefore become an association with us. We want you to feel that same feeling as you would with a box of popcorn at the cinema: satisfied, and delighted; like the final piece of the puzzle has slotted in, and now you can enjoy the moment. Simply put, we want you to enjoy working with a CRM.
This is foundational for popcorn, and informs everything we do, even ten years on. To keep that ethos alive, we ask ourselves ‘the 4 questions’ in everything we do:
1. Does this really matter to our customers?
2. Does it help them with:
– Growth?
– Productivity?
– Time?
3. Is it clear to understand?
4. Does it have a clear purpose?
If we can answer ‘Yes’ to all four of these questions, we know we can deliver the best service possible for small businesses.
Why We Do What We Do at popcorn
However you have your popcorn—salty, sweet, a bit of both, maybe even caramelised—they’re still part of your entertainment experience. The same is true of popcorn, the service; if you make a CRM suit your company, it doesn’t matter what industry you’re in.
popcorn, our service, is made to be simple. Crucially, this is because of the core mission that drives us: that CRMs can be a huge asset to a small business. For businesses to explode with growth, they need to take advantage of every targeted lead they find, and it’s only with CRMs that they get this full experience. Think about it: a memorable night at the cinema is the sum of all its parts: a good film, friends or family to go with, and good refreshments. Watching a film in the cinema just isn’t the same without a drink and a bowl of popcorn. In the same way, a successful small business is the sum of all of its resources, and CRMs make sure you can take full advantage of all the resources you have.
With a CRM that keeps all of business’ data in one place, a key function of popcorn is that it highlights the leads that have that the potential to become customers. Like corn kernels being cooked, the kernels all stay in one place, getting warmer and warmer until they pop, and jump out at you. After you nurture your leads, they become hot prospects, with the right conditions for you to convert them.
Our service exists this way because Simon noticed there was an opportunity to provide for small businesses. This was a film without the popcorn, and it needed fixing!
71% of small businesses that have used CRMs stopped using it, because it was too expensive or complicated. But this has a knock-on effect—they miss as many as 29% of sales opportunities and leave prospects behind. To fix this, they simply need a CRM that works for them.
Knowing all this, Simon saw the fateful entry in the dictionary and knew it would reflect what he wanted his company to be: a solution, a simple CRM to set businesses on the right course and make their sales pop.
Choosing a Company Name
If you’re at the start of your journey with setting up a business, choosing your name will be one of the most important steps you ever take. In order to get it right, you need to know what you want to say to the world. Are you offering up your skills, as a professional? Is everything going to be pulled from your talent? Or is your business tapping into a bigger concept?
For example: ‘Apple’ might, on the surface, seem like an odd choice for a technology business, but it has good connotations of freshness, and desire. Nowadays, Apple is ubiquitous, much like the fruit itself. The company want you to believe that you can’t go without it.
There’s a whole language for you to make the most of. Find the idea that fits your business; how it works; what you offer. You can be creative, go for what evokes the most feeling, over describing your company exactly. You can even change the spelling! Ultimately, what matters is what your audience is going to associate with your business. If you can make yourself sound appealing, or intriguing, you’ve already caught their attention.
There is a name out there that will work for you and your business. You can find your niche, and own it. Don’t describe something you’re not; celebrate what your business can do. After all, the best film experience doesn’t need a three-course meal. In the end, nothing can beat the satisfaction of a simple bowl of popcorn.
Enjoyed this post? You can find out more about popcorn and how it helps small businesses make their sales pop here.
