Are You Keeping Your Best Business Tool In Your Pants?

There is a good chance that at this very moment one of your better business tools is lying dormant, maybe in your pants pocket, jacket, wallet, or purse. Yes I am talking about your business card.
We start a business, we are all excited about setting it up, and on of the first few things that we do is buy business cards. We’re ambitious and the cost is right so we buy somewhere between 1000-3000 cards. A year passes and we are cleaning the office and we happen upon a pile of 2980 cards, we think ‘wow I still have a tone of cards, I better start giving them out’, so you take out another 20. You replace the ten worn ones in your wallet, and maybe give out another 10 the following year.

What is a business card?

In your pocket or a drawer, it is a space taker, clutter.
In the hand, drawer, or pocket of a potential customer it is advertising, the reminder of an encounter, an experience, a relationship.

The trick to making business cards effective is quite simple. “Give them Out”.

If you buy 5,000 cards know that by the end of the year those 2,000 have to be gone, no question about it.
Just this tip alone can help your business grow incredibly.

Now don’t assume that your card is a magic bullet, and all you have to do is hand it out and the business will come. In order for the card to be effective it has to come with value.

Here are a few tips:

If you are using the card for advertising (ie. the customer is not interacting with you)

Make sure that it is designed well. Higher a professional who can ensure your message gets across to the client.

Don’t create cards that you have to explain. As one of my clients (AN) suggested, ‘If you have to explain it, you probably shouldn’t use it.’

Put the cards in places that your target market frequents. For example if you are a videographer, you might want to put your card in windshields at weddings and events (this is very effective if the videographer at the event does a great job)


If you are using the card to be a reminder of personal interaction.

Make sure the card is detailed. Who you are, what you do, all your contact information.

Make sure that when you interact with the prospect, you are leaving a strong and positive impression on them, so six months down the road when they have need of your type of service, they will remember you because of the positive impression and then look for your card.


    Commit:

Theories are great but useless if never applied.
Over the next week commit to giving out 20-60 cards. Thats just 3-9 cards a day.

If you want your business to grow, take the steps to achieve it.

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