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Well, it’s finally good to see someone other than me talking about the importance of nametags.
Thanks, Seth!
LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Aren’t nametags great?
LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Post your best nametag story here!
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Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That Guy with the Nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com
I just realized it’s been WAY too long since I’ve given a shout out to my favorite nametag company!
For the past 2,308 days, I’ve been using nametags made by MACO (an Acco brand of Wilson Jones, Inc.)
They rock.
Best nametags in the world. And trust me, I’ve tried just about everything.
Here’s why they’re so good:
1. Bold colors
2. Smooth, fax-like paper
3. Unbelievable adhesive.
Pay close attention to that last one. Because these babies STICK. Unlike most nametags (ahem, Avery), MACO’s tags actually stay on your clothes. Thus avoiding the ever unfortunate “corner curl,” which ultimately makes the person’s name impossible to see.
Of course, sometimes I DO forget to remove my nametag before washing my shirts. Which can get pretty disgusting. (OK, so maybe I forgot to read the MACO Nametag Disclaimer, which is clearly printed on the back of every label:)
“CAUTION: Not suitable for leather, suede, velvet, corduroy, silk, vinyl or plastic.”
Woops.
Anyway, MACO doesn’t pay me to write this stuff.
I do it because I love their product, which (in 2,308 days) has never failed me.
So, if you want the best nametags in the world for your next meeting or party, take a hint from The World’s Foremost Expert on Nametags. Click here and pick up a few cases. I suggest the MNB-264 Red Border.
Tell ’em Scott sent ya.
LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What’s your favorite kind of nametag?
LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Tell us why!
* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That Guy with the Nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com
Today’s article in the Pittsburgh Tribune Review proves (once again) that I am, in fact, insane:
PITTSBURGH – There have been a lot of changes in the last 2,288 days of Scott Ginsburg’s life — from the constant need to buy shirts to a change in his attitude.
“I’ve always been a pretty friendly, outgoing guy. Now that I’m always wearing a name tag, I’m even friendlier,” said Ginsburg, 26, of St. Louis. “Plus, I’ve had to buy a ton of shirts. I never realized what a name tag can do to your clothing.”
Ginsburg, commonly known as “That Guy with the Nametag,” was the featured speaker at Tuesday’s International Networking Day event at the Hilton Pittsburgh and Towers, Downtown. He’s worn a name tag daily since Nov. 2, 2000, and has built his life around the idea of always being approachable.
Deanna Tucci Schmitt, executive director of Business Network International of Western Pennsylvania, said Ginsburg’s idea of approachability is the crux of what networking is about, something she realized after hearing a presentation by Ginsburg last fall.
She said people often don’t know how to approach networking in a way that doesn’t alienate others. What people should do, Schmitt said, is take a cue from Ginsburg and be friendly and open, and find common ground to break the ice.
“He took this silly little thing of wearing a name tag and has applied it in a global way everywhere else in his life,” Schmitt said. “He must be the most approachable guy I’ve ever met.”
Ginsburg wants people to market themselves, something he does convincingly. In the six years he’s been wearing a name tag full-time, Ginsburg, the author of three books on networking and approachability, estimates he has met 100,000 strangers. Some have become close friends, others have become clients and many he’s never seen again. Ginsburg even took wearing a name tag to a new level when, in November 2005, he had one tattooed on his chest.
“It really wasn’t practical to wear a name tag in some situations. It starts to look like a scene from ‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin,’ ” Ginsburg said. “I figured, what better way to solidify my commitment to this as my life than to desecrate my body.”
Mary McKinley, an adjunct professor at Duquesne University and director of its Chrysler Corporation Small Business Development Center, said Ginsburg has the right idea. Approachability, she said, is something many people don’t think about. But it can affect that ever-so-important first impression.
“You only have about 30 seconds to make an impression on someone,” McKinley said. “And a lot can be said in those 30 seconds.”
Ginsburg said his philosophy can work in any aspect of life, whether people are looking to enhance their business or their personal lives.
“You want to take every one of the opportunities you get to engage a person, no matter what the setting. Broadcast your uniqueness,” Ginsburg said. “It’s about being ‘that guy’ and being known for something. Who knows what’s going to happen, or how it will turn out. But you have to try.”
LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Ever had a steak cooked Pittsburgh Style?
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Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That Guy with the Nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com
Little did I know that I would be doing staff training at the Minneapolis Hyatt one week after this happened:
Man Falls From 17th Floor at Minneapolis Hotel, Survives
According to the article, a Wisconsin man in town for a dart tournament apparently was goofing around Saturday morning at the Minneapolis Hyatt Regency when he crashed through a window and fell 16 stories.
The man, identified in a police report as 29-year-old Joshua S. Hanson, of Blair, Wis., landed on a roof overhang near the hotel’s main entrance along Nicollet Mall. His most serious injury was a broken leg.
This picture shows the glass from the window, and if you look closely, a wood panel covering the hole in the roof. Wow!
So, other than the obvious looming of such a miracle around the hotel, the training sessions went excellent. Great group of staff at this hotel. Several of the third shift employees told stories about how they dealt with the incident.
They handled it like pros.
LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Is that the luckiest dart player in the world, or what?
LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Post a story here about your most memorable hotel incident.
* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That Guy with the Nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com
For the second year in a row, Colchester, CT is celebrating Annual Nametag Day!
Jason Cohen and I (mainly Jay) started this holiday back in 2006.
This year we actually got a decent amount of local press, thanks to all the hype around my new friend Joe Porcelli from Neighbors for Neighbors who (unrelated, believe it or not) wore a nametag every day for the past year. Way to go Joe!
IF YOU LIVE IN COLCHESTER
In order to make it as easy as possible for people to get involved, the Wyndham Price Agency and the Norwich Bulletin are both providing free nametags, which will be available for pickup Thursday through Tuesday, January 18th – 23rd, at many locations around town, including Colchester Parks & Recreation and a number of local businesses.
Also, this is pretty cool:
The Norwich Bulletin will attach a fantastic nametag ready to use right on their front page! There will also be a complimentary edition of the Norwich Bulletin delivered to all non-subscribers in Colchester. Everyone in Colchester will receive a nametag and a Norwich Bulletin on either January 20th or January 22nd.
Nametags and special promotions will be available at many supporting businesses. See the growing list below!
The fun does not end there! Colchester Parks & Recreation will be hosting a wrap up Nametag Day event on Tuesday, January 23rd from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Colchester Youth Center located on Norwich Ave. Come and share your unique experiences of wearing the nametag for a day and meet new people and join us for some “getting to know you” type activities!
Way to go, Colchester. Hopefully more cities will follow suit!
LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Would you and your town want to participate in Annual Nametag Day?
LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
If you’d like to be a participating city for Nametag Day ’08, please contact Jason Cohen at Colchester Parks & Recreation.
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Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That Guy with the Nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com
LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Did you see the look on those anchors’ faces?!
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Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That Guy with the Nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com
Lately, a lot of people have been asking me the following question:
“How much information should you put on your nametag?”
I say: nothing but your first name. Here’s why…
It’s simple. Too many nametags are jam-packed with too much information, thus decresing the font size of each word, thus making the nametag harder to read. First name is enough.
It’s easier to remember. Sigmund Freud explained that “a person’s name is the single context of human memory most apt to be forgotten.” Why make someone remember ANOTHER name?! They have a hard enough time with one! First name is enough.
Pidgeon holes. You can put your company name or job title on your nametag, after all it IS free advertising. But in so doing, you give people a chance to size you up: “Oh, so you’re only a sales rep? Well then…” or “Wow you’re the CEO! Amazing!” I believe in leading with yours PERSON before PROFESSION. Because people buy people first. First name is enough.
Sterotypes. Face it: when someone looks at your last name, they can get a pretty good idea of your ethnic background, religion and the like. Now, I’m not saying last names are always accurate, but you’re just asking for stereotypes. First name is enough.
Security. I’ve been emailed by several retail employees in the past few years who’ve encountered stalkers, thanks to the last name on their nametag. In fact, I even had my own stalker a few years back – and I didn’t even have a last name on my tag! First name is enough.
That’s my two cents.
LET ME ASK YA THIS…
How much information should be printed on someone’s nametag?
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Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That Guy with the Nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com
A is for ATTITUDE
B is for BREAK PATTERNS
C is for CONSISTENCY
D is for DISCIPLINE
E QTis for EVOLUTION
F is for FRIENDLINESS
G is for GOOD WITH NAMES
H is for HAPPINESS
I is for IDEAS
J is for JOY
K is for KNOWLEDGE
L is for LAUGHTER
M is for MUNDANE
N is for NAMETAGS
I need to apologize.
See, sometimes I get so wrapped up in the big picture of approachability, be that guy, make a name for yourself, that I lose sight of why I started this in the first place: because nametags rock.
Plain and simple. Heck, that was the whole point of my first book!
But last month, something happened that really got to me.
After giving a talk at a hospitality conference in Columbus, I noticed a woman I’d met a few months prior. Unfortunately, I couldn’t recall her name. So, when I first approached to say hello, I was hoping to read her nametag to jar my memory.
But her hair was covering it.
“Forgive me for blanking on your name,” I said, “but, well, your nametag is sort of covered!”
“Oh, sorry about that,” Sarah said as she moved aside her brown locks.
“You should make your nametag more visible,” I joked.
“Well, I could,” she whined, “but my hair looks just hideous when I put it up!”
Oh. I see.
And then it hit me: nametags are not about you.
Nametags are about everyone in the world BUT you.
Nametags are about making someone else feel comfortable; maybe because they’re shy, or maybe because they’re bad with names.
And yet, so many people still complain about wearing them:
“I feel silly wearing this thing.”
“My nametag doesn’t match my outfit.”
“Everybody at this meeting knows me already.”
That may be true, but the problem with these (common) objections to wearing a nametag is this: they’re all about you.
If you’re attending a meeting or event – especially if you’re an existing member – one of your duties is to make guests and newbies feel comfortable. So whether you’re extroverted or shy; friendly or caustic; aloof or gregarious, at least some part of that goal can be easily accomplished by one simple act: wear your nametag!
Because sometimes you have to put the comfort of your guests in front of the comfort of yourself.
LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What’s your best objection to wearing nametags?
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Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That Guy with the Nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com
Hey look, it’s That Guy!
And look, he’s with That Bloke!
Meet my friend Pete Williams. Referred to in the media as “Budding Richard Branson”, 24 year-old Pete Williams has been an entrepreneur from an extremely young age.
During 2003 while reading the book The One Minute Millionaire, Pete Williams got a business idea…
The MCG (The Aussie version of Madison Square Garden) under its own redevelopment and as Australia’s number 1 sporting ground, PeteWilliams took action to recreate the certificates using the timber that was once the seating at the ‘G.
On the back of a few phone calls and self-confidence he was able to track down the wrecking company which was demolishing the Ponsford stand (at this stage the Members Pavilion had not been touched), who informed him they had a significant amount of timber from the seating and flooring as hoped, however to his amazement they also had a considerable amount of the world famous MCC Crested Carpet – which originally lay in the members dining room. After viewing the carpet lying in the corner of the wreckers’ warehouse the following morning he took the entire sum along with a mass of timber at a very ‘pleasing’ price.
From that point on he developed and created a series of limited edition sports memorabilia pieces which sold from $395 – $1495. These included a photo of the G, a piece of the famous carpet and even a limited number series that had their frame created out of the timber which was once the stadium. Amongst a wide range of creative and unique marketing techniques and strategies employed, a press release created with the headline ‘21 Year Old Sells MCG For Under $500’ generated over $50,000 of FREE advertising and publicity in media via Channel 7 news, Herald Sun articles, AM and FM Radio interviews and trade magazine articles – which generated a huge proportion of sales at no cost.
His new book comes out this month, How to Turn Your Million Dollar Idea into a Reality. I’ve already read some of it, and it’s awesome.
Also, Pete and I happened to be in Dallas on the same day, so we shared a cab to the airport. Then we got lost for about an hour at DFW. It was a lot of fun. I guess we were so excited aboue meeting that we blanked out on our sense of direction.
Oh, wait, I forgot: I have no sense of direction.
Anyway, thought you guys would like to meet Pete. He’s a cool dude.
Er, I mean, “bloke.”
LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Aren’t Aussies the coolest?
* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That Guy with the Nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com
Tuesday, April 29th, 2003.
5:47 AM.
Standing at the corner of 6th and Morrison, I was the only person around for three blocks. I anxiously awaited the 5:50 train to take me to the Portland airport.
To my amazement, I was off to New York City to do the biggest interview of my life. In less than 24 hours, I would appear on the CBS Early Show before an audience of five million people to talk about my new book, HELLO, my name is Scott.
Suffice it to say, I was FREAKING out.
In my left hand: an overnight suitcase full of books.
In my right hand: a copy of the USA Today.
And as the habitual Portland mist smeared the fresh ink on my paper, I read through several of the day’s headlines.
Let me share with you – word for word – what they said:
1. Identity theft cases rise this month
2. 75 million Americans living without health insurance
3. Luther Vandross catches pneumonia after stroke
4. SARS outbreak troubles China workers
5. The end of Buffy feels like a dagger to the heart
6. War letters from the Iraqi front lines
7. Cost of AIDS drugs for poor nations
8. Studies find disturbing amounts of contamination in lettuce
9. Hubble telescope catches approaching storm of turbulent gases
10.Man wears nametag 24-7 for a friendlier society
What’s wrong with this picture?
Actually, I should say, “What’s right with this picture?”
Because that exact moment, my 23 year-old mind realized something:
Oh. My. God. This is it. This is what I’m supposed to do with my life.
This is how I will make a name for myself.
Ahh…memories 🙂
LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What was the greatest day of your life?
* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That Guy with the Nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com