Her questions and responsive interest indicated
to me that she was genuinely interested in the
services I offered so I handed her my finest
business card which she tucked into her pant
pocket while gather her luggage from the over
head compartment; as she did this I suddenly
thought of all the paper wads I had found in
the bottom of the washer that had been business
cards I really wanted to save. So I decided to
scientifically measure the value of this age
old marketing / networking tool. Here are the
results:
Over 600 people interviewed
Subjects sampled more than 29 states
(a very scientifically substantial and relevant
sampling)
40% said they discard cards received because
of no value.
So what happens to the other 60% of cards we
hand out?
40% said they usually lose or misplace business
cards.
10% said that most cards are difficult to spot
in piles, files or organizers so they turn to
resources like yellow pages.
Less than 5% said they have secured services
from a business card.
Let’s sort through the data. By the way
if you search the web you will find studies that
conclude the business card is your most vital
business investment. So, who’s right and
who’s wrong? Actually no one is entirely
wrong. Business cards have their place and uses.
What research and experience tell me is that
business cards are a great value when used well
and in a timely fashion.
Business cards are seldom a good front-end marketing
tool. This is true because most of them are discarded,
lost or avoided due to obscurity. The exception
to this rule is the creatively valuable business
card.
Some examples of creative business cards include:
calendar cards, magnet cards, coupon cards, info.
Cards, etcetera. I will never forget the first
business card I had ever actually kept and used;
it had been handed to me by the owner of a print
shop, on the back was a years calendar, so I
placed it in my wallet and referenced it often
for nearly a year before I was asked to lead
a project at work that involved securing printing
services, you know who I called first. Another
example was a magnet card I picked up just because
I thought it would be nice to secure notes to
the front of my file cabinet; several months
later I needed to buy tires for my car and the
first call I made was the tire shop on that magnet.
Another card I held onto for months was one that
had some interesting facts and statistics that
I thought I could reference in the future. The
bottom line is, be creative and come up with
a reason your potential customers should hold
onto your card.
Business cards make great back-end marketing
tools. Once you have you foot in the door they
can and should be used frequently to ensure the
customer knows how to contact you. I include
a card with all correspondence. At the front
end and back-end it is important to make sure
your business card stands out.
Precautions and Tips
•Avoid depending on the business card to get
the potential customer to contact you.
•Ask for the potential customer to give you
their contact information in exchange for yours.
•Make notes that will be helpful for the potential
customer on the back of the card.
•A photo of yourself is a nice personalizing
touch.
•Follow up with card recipients within five
days if they’ve never done business with
you, ten if they have.
•Include a card with every correspondence.
•Personalize the business card by writing
on the card what you can offer in your own handwriting.
The same precautions and tips may apply to the
business card alternatives I’ll suggest
next. If business cards aren’t all they’re
cracked up to be what are the alternatives? There
are actually many, and here we’ll explore
just three that I have found are powerful.
Promotional Items
Instead of carrying business cards consider
carrying a book of promotional checks. I like
to ask this sales question, “If I could
give you a blank check that you could fill in
the -in the amount of- blank with any amount
and cash it with guaranteed payment would you
be interested in hearing more?” I then
give them a check from my “special” checkbook
that contains my contact information, a hand
written expiration date, unique authorization
code (the check number) and states that it is
valid for a FREE 30 minute coaching session with
me via telephone. They tend to generate second
hand leads because the person I give it to finds
it so interesting that they talk about it to
others and they then contact me as well. You
can order your checks from Current checks. Obviously
you will not want any account information on
the check. You will want your contact information
and Key selling information or services on the
check. You may also consider ordering look-alike
checkbooks from a printer; unfortunately they
may lack authenticity and resulting novelty as
well as the unique check numbers.
Brochures & Booklets
Brochures and booklets are a great alternative
to cards because they provide valuable information
that encourages the receiver to keep it or better
yet pass it on after retrieving your contact
information. Brochures can offer research information,
tips, innovative ideas, interesting facts or
even fictional writing. Because brochures are
relatively inexpensive you can distribute them
liberally.
The most important rule to follow is, make sure
your brochures are content rich. Put time and
effort into brochure design to make them stimulating
and attractive. You may consider having several
different brochures to ensure you have a brochure
that will best meet the potential customer’s
need.
Consider including coupons, special offers and
free gifts that must be claimed by an expiration
date. You may also consider providing space where
you can add handwritten notes to customize the
piece for the customer.
Charles Carpenter, affectionately known as "Bill" by
friends, has inspired and empowered audiences
to reach peak performance and dreams for more
than a decade. He is known for being a “straight
forward” communicator who shares practical
ideas that help listeners overcome the most difficult
challenges of life and business.
Charles serves his clients and customers through
keynotes, seminars, literature and personal career
and life coaching. His clients include small
non-profit organizations and Fortune 500 & 1000
companies. He has taught Project Management,
Leadership, Management Skills, Communication
and Conflict Management at the University level
for more than four years.
Charles’ wit and wisdom has been published
in numerous periodicals, books and multimedia
resources. His works include university curriculum,
magazine articles and two best selling books: “Core
Success Journal” and “Real World
Project Management”.
