Top ten things to look for in a naming company:

1. A pulse. Why do naming companies strap themselves into a straitjacket with terminally boring names like Namestormers and Nametrade and Namix?

2. Ability to get to the heart of the matter. It's important to keep digging until you get to the important stuff.

3. A nose for names. Naming companies that come up with names like Innova and Centrobe and Thrivent are barking up the wrong tree.

4. Aware of the importance of mystery. It is often, though not always, the case that the more descriptive the name, the more boring and ordinary it is, too.

5. A knack for coming up with names that are provocative and human. Most naming companies believe that all of the good names are already taken.

6. Can read and understand a bus schedule. Many consultants like to make things very complicated. Naming isn't easy, but it's certainly not an arcane science.

7. Understands where marketing and strategy fit into the picture. Linguistics is overplayed in the naming business. It¹s about the marketing, stupid.

8. Adept at reframing reality. The right name will help your audience take the imaginative leap. Sometimes all they need is a little help.

9. Doesn't pull any punches. A bad idea is a bad idea. A lousy name is a lousy name. We¹re always nice but we¹re always honest.

10. No evidence of terminal blandness. Marketing is not about risk avoidance. The biggest crime in marketing is to bore people to death.