Products sit on shelves. Services exist in promises. Service brand names must create tangibility, making the intangible feel real, reliable, and worth paying for. "Accenture" does this. "Bob's Consulting" doesn't.
Create Perceived Substance
Accenture, Deloitte, Capgemini. Abstract names feel substantial despite selling nothing physical.
Avoid "& Associates"
"Smith & Associates" signals small firm padding numbers. Modern buyers want specialists, not loose confederations.
Process-Based Names
"Catalyst," "Momentum," "Pinnacle." Imply transformation and results. Service buyers purchase outcomes, not hours.
Professional Services Patterns
Law: founder names (legacy). Consulting: invented words (modern). Accounting: merged founder names (PwC, EY). Different industries, different conventions.
Credibility Signals
"Partners," "Group," "International." Imply scale and permanence. Solo consultants using these risk looking dishonest.
Warning: Service names can't promise outcomes legally. "Guaranteed Results Consulting" creates contractual obligations. "Results Consulting" doesn't.
Generic Names Can't Be Trademarked
If you want legal protection and a name competitors can't copy, make it distinctive from day one. "Consulting Services" protects nothing.