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Look for this button Business Tip #1: Get More BU$INE$$ from your BUSINESS CARDS! © 1999, Diana RatliffWhat has your business card done for you lately? The humble business card has evolved considerably since its beginning as a convenient way to leave your name and contact information with a business associate. Today, business cards can and should be an integral part of your marketing arsenal. They should be designed to complement your other promotional materials and reflect your unique business identity and purpose. Very often, your business card will determine what (if anything!) that your prospect remembers about you after your initial meeting. Make sure it sends a positive message!Maximizing the functionality of your business card begins at the design stage, and any reputable printer you contactshould be able to guide you about the "basics" (card stock, style, type size, color, fonts, et cetera). Your business card, first and foremost, must be legible, with easy-to-read fonts in a size large enough for the "bifocal crowd" to read. A common mistake is to try to cram every possible contact number onto your card. The truly essential information is your name, your company name, and your primary phone number (which should be in bold text, if other numbers are on the card.) Many of the other attention-getting ways to put your business card to work, too, begin at the design stage. This is where you can add color, modify the shape, print on the back of the card and use humor to make your cards more memorable. Designing a completely new and improved business card, however, is not always possible. Many business people are restricted to the use of company-designed cards, or simply cannot afford to replace their existing card supply. Fortunately, the way you present your business card, and the way you use the cards you receive, has far more to do with the sales you generate than your card design itself.Keep the following points in mind: 1. Remember business card etiquette. Don’t pass out cards during a meal, or give them to senior executives or CEOs unless asked. Leave your cards at home during social (as opposed to business networking) functions. Instead, ask for permission to contact someone at his or her place of work, or mail him or her a card afterwards.2. Stay organized! Jot "memory triggers" on the back of cards you’re given (date, event, interests or physical characteristics of giver). Develop a system for carrying and collecting business cards, and file them the way you remember them (by company name, person’s name, or industry).3. Prospect creatively. Consider exchanging cards with like-minded entrepreneurs through business networking groups. Tuck your card into related books at the library. Introduce yourself with your card. Write on your card — your name, a brief message, or personal reminders ("Send brochure.") Copy the information for your files, then send the card back to the giver, with a note "We need to talk!" 4. Present your card(s) in style. Offering your card with both hands, for example, creates an enormous psychological impact. Purchase several handsome business card holders and display your best customers’ cards in your office. Attach a label to the back that reads "Referred by (your name/your company),"and give them to likely customers. Treat cards with respect (your cards, as well as those you receive) by using an attractive business card case to keep them looking clean and crisp. 5. Consider ways to use additional marketing tools, such as advertising specialties, to maximize the impact of your cards. Magnetic cards are a wonderful way to keep your contact information in a highly visible location, and work especially well for businesses whose clients call on impulse (pizza chains) or in emergency situations (plumbers). A letter opener with a special slot to insert your business card is another useful and very visible promotional item. Diana Ratliff is a nationally published writer and speaker on marketing and homebased business issues. Her low-cost NEW tips booklet, "How to Get More BU$INE$$ from your BUSINESS CARDS", contains 143 specific, condensed, and simple strategies to maximize the effectiveness of your cards, attract attention, and make more money. Visit her website at http://www.bizbooklets.com, or send a blank message mailto:bizcardbooklet@sendfree.com for details via autoresponder. |
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