What I've noticed from years and years of successful networking is that there are smart ways to wear that nametag and ways to avoid wearing it.
The first thing is WHERE to put your nametag or sticker. Most people are right-handed and if you put your sticker or nametag on the left hand side, you make it more difficult for the person to actually see your name. Put it on the RIGHT hand side instead, and it falls right in their line of vision.
I usually only write my first name, in large letters, instead of my full name. You just want to give them enough info to get them to remember your first name (they don't really need your last name until later, and they'll get that when you exchange business cards).
I also don't always put the name of my company, instead preferring to put WHAT I do, which is more Client Attractive. I'll give you an example: A while back, I was on my way out of a networking meeting with my coat in hand and someone stopped me right in my tracks. I'd written "Fabienne, Business Coaching" on my nametag in BIG BOLD letters instead of crowding the little sticker with my last name, the name of my company, etc.
Well, he stopped me and said, "Hey, you do business coaching? I need that. Can we talk?" If I'd just put the name of my company (which was not very descriptive at the time) or kept a lot of info crammed into that small space, there's no way he would have been able to read it and no way would he have stopped me in my tracks.
It can make a big difference. Now, when I network, I just put the following on my nametag: FABIENNE, CLIENT ATTRACTION. People always seem to ask what that means and it gets a conversation started (which is what you want).
Oh, and by the way, that guy who stopped me in my tracks? He became my client that same week and stayed for well over 6 months, which was a great surprise.
YOUR ASSIGNMENT:
The moral of the story is, make it simple! Keep it to your first name, write it BIG, write WHAT you do (perhaps a descriptive about the results you get for people) instead of the name of your company, and lastly, put your nametag high UP on your right shoulder, so that it's in their line of vision. It can make ALL the difference in whether you grab someone's attention or not and in turning networking colleagues into clients.
About the Author:
Using the very principles she teaches, Fabienne Fredrickson went from a mediocre private practice to a practice that was bursting at the seams, in less than 8 months! She then did it again with a second practice a year later, again filling it to capacity in less than 8 months.
Fabienne Fredrickson is the founder of ClientAttraction.com and creator of The Client Attraction System™, the most complete one-on-one Client Attraction training program for private practices and small businesses in North America.
Fabienne is also the celebrated author of the Client Attraction Home Study System™ entitled "How to attract ALL the clients you need" and "The Secrets of Networkers™", both available on the www.ClientAttraction.com Online Store.
Fabienne is known for combining a unique blend of innovative, straight-shooter, no-fluff strategies that really work, with an endless compassion for small businesses owners that are rarely seen together.
Fabienne's motto about filling one's practice quickly is, "If I can do it twice, you can do it too!" and her unique ability is getting people who've never had real success to take immediate action on a systematic basis to produce a full practice with more clients, in record time, every time.
She is a well known and respected expert on marketing for small businesses and coaches clients internationally to attract more clients, in record time, every time.
Using the very principles she teaches, Fabienne Fredrickson went from a mediocre private practice to a practice that was bursting at the seams, in less than 8 months! She then did it again with a second practice a year later, again filling it to capacity in less than 8 months.