Weiss' Monthly Marketing Brief

Weiss' Monthly Marketing Brief is published in Law Practice Today, the ezine of the Law Practice Management Section of the American Bar Association.

Nametags

Firm Issues

By Bob Weiss
September 2009

I walked into a firm open house recently, after dutifully making a reservation as requested, and there was no check-in table or nametags for guests.

The firm’s lawyers and staff were wearing nametags. Not one guest was given one -- even when they asked if one was available. The hosts said the firm had decided it would be fun to make the guests “… work to find out who was there” and besides “… the event is about meeting us anyway.”

The firm’s guests had a different opinion.

They were frustrated and several mentioned how difficult the lack of nametags made conversation. Several lawyers from the host firm’s other offices didn’t bother to do their nametags, and that just added further to the confusion.

We all forget names, it occurs even more often when you unexpectedly see someone at an event. This can cause embarrassment. Why set your guests up for such stress?

In his article the Seven Deadly Sins of Ineffective Nametags, Scott Ginsberg, author of The Power of Approachability, says “Your nametag is your best friend. It is a lifesaver in meetings, trade shows and events to start conversations when you meet groups of new people. It also identifies you as well as your company in the minds of others. As a result, you will become more approachable so you can connect and communicate with anybody.”

Nametags, Ginsberg adeptly explains, “…invite people to ‘step onto your front porch,’ and cross the chasm between a stranger and a friend, or a prospect and a customer.”

Common mistakes to avoid when doing nametags:

Make the type big enough — so it can be read from 8 to 10 feet away. If you are in one conversation and a face seems familiar across the room, if you are walking up to someone you want to be able to see that person’s name so you can be ready to talk with them. According to a nametag survey done by David Alder of Biz Bash, 50% of a group of meeting planners claimed that “illegible font size of nametags was a major problem.”

Have you ever seen a billboard on a major highway with a solid border around the edges? Same rule applies to nametags, no borders.

Another billboard rule: three elements only. The person’s name is one, the firm/company name is two and their title/position is three. No more.

Sticking with the well-known billboard rules, the most effective background color for nametags is white. The human eye reads white (so-called reverse) type on a solid color background color at half the pace.

A frustrating nametag problem that people face is “the nametag turnaround.” No name. No logo. No company. Just the blank back of the badge. “While lanyard or necklace style nametags reduce clothing damage, no doubt these will get accidentally turned around and tangled at some point!,” Ginsberg says. Use sticky tags.

Wear nametags on the right where they are easily visible in the line of sight that correlates to a handshake. Wear it just below your shoulder line. Lower than that and your arms get in the way and it is hard to see if you are sitting.

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