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Most business owners don’t realize the importance of using a simple business card to generate tons of customers. It simply does not matter what kind of business you are in, you have to utilize this primitive business technique in order to grow your business fast.

The three main mistakes people make when marketing with business cards are:

1. Not having a business card.

2. Being stingy and only giving out one card per person.

3. Not giving a card to every person they come into contact with.

Not having thousands of business cards at your disposal at all times is not only stupid it is a crime against your business. If an employee of yours stole as much money from you as you lose from not utilizing business cards, they would go to prison for a long time. With today’s super low cost business card printing prices there is no reason not to have business cards and an abundance of them for that matter.

I started my professional concrete cutting service business with absolutely no capital and grossed almost $400,000 in my first eight months of business. My only means of advertising was business cards. As many of you already know, it can sometimes take up to an entire year to get your ad placed into your local yellow page directory and it can be quite costly to a new business. The following are techniques that I used to generate tons of business from business cards and I believe that these same techniques can benefit any type of business.

1. I started with an eye catching logo and had a design that really said “this guy is a pro.” It is worth the modest initial investment to get your cards designed right.

2. I kept my message “short and sweet.” I have seen way too many people over do it with tons of bulleted text that cause confusion with the reader. I do concrete cutting and a few other services that relate to it but my business cards say only “Concrete Cutting.”

3. I ordered my cards in quantities of 5000 at a time. Too often do I see new business owners print cards off of their computer and literally “ration” them off.

4. I never gave out a single card! I always handed out at least five at a time and sometimes more. I still look at my business cards as “lottery tickets.” The first job I get from the batch pays for all of them so the rest can pay off huge. If they get thrown in the trash – Who cares? There are thousands more where those came from.

5. Any time I would meet someone in the construction trades I would hand them a stack of cards. I hand them to people that are standing next to me in line at the Home Depot or that are pumping gas across from me at the fuel pumps. I get questions like “What are these for?” or “What do you want me to do with these?” and I just simply say “You may not need my services now but when you do, you’ll know who to call.” At the same time I am thinking “I don’t care what you do with them, they were basically free and the fact of the matter is that I get hundreds of calls from people that say “Remember Me?” “I met you at the Exxon Station or at parent teacher’s night.” Or “John Smith gave me your card and said I should call you” yet I have never heard of John Smith. Or “I’ve got your business card on my desk and I don’t know where it came from but I need your services.” I simply hand tons of my business cards out to people and the calls roll in.

6. I buy a mailing list of contractors from a list broker and I simply put three business cards in an envelope and mail a thousand envelopes at a time. I do not put an expensive brochure or a flyer, I simply put three business cards in and I get hundreds of calls and referrals from the mailing,

I now get hundreds and hundreds of calls from my existing customers and my yellow page ads but I still use business cards more than I ever have. I now have five trucks and seven employees and giving out business cards in the same fashion as I have described above is part of their job description. They have all seen the power of business cards and that business cards ensure each of our survival and actually gives them a good feeling knowing that they got a specific customer. If I contact a new customer and they happen to mention that one of my men did not give them a stack of business cards then I immediately contact the employee, ask them if it is true and explain to them that it is part of their job, then I hand them a big box of business cards and tell them not to let it happen again, ever.

Interest stories:
Business Cards Types
Business Card Holders
Business Card Design Tips

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Do you remember how proud you were the first time you saw your name in print?

Most entrepreneurs feel that same flush of pride when they gaze on their new business cards. That small piece of paper represents years of planning and effort and hard work and dreams. The thrill of seeing “your name in print” on a business card is hard to beat.

Unfortunately, other people couldn’t care less. Your business card, the one you’re so proud of, is just another advertisement ? another piece of clutter to file. It’s no more or less important than any of the many business cards that cross a prospect’s desk at any given point in time.

So how do you make sure that your card is one of the few that attracts attention, gets kept, filed, and actually used when your prospect needs your product or service?

It pays to think about the reasons people keep cards to begin with. Often, it’s not for the reason you expect. Understanding this critical concept can dramatically affect the design and ultimate effectiveness of your card.

Let’s say that you install and maintain swimming pools. You meet Nancy Newcomer and have a great conversation about landscaping around in-ground pools. You’re eager to conclude the conversation by giving her your business card because she certainly displays a lot of interest in your service. She’s a “hot prospect” for sure!

Not necessarily.

Nancy could just as easily be asking because her neighbor has a pool, or because her mom had a bad experience when they installed their pool, or because she’s always liked to swim and loves plants too, or because she collects high quality business cards and doesn’t have one with a pool on it, or because she’s new in town and you’re the only friendly person she met today.

In fact, according to Dr. Lynella Grant, author of “The Business Card Book”, there are eight reasons that someone may decide to keep your business card.

1. As a link to a potential customer or client

Let’s say you’re in network marketing, and John Johnson mentions that his wife used to be in MLM, too. She liked the business model but just wasn’t happy with the company. Odds are you’ll keep John’s card because it’s a means of contacting John’s wife about your own business opportunity.

2. As a link to a resource or a supplier

If you’re in the construction business and meet someone who sells hard-to-find lighting and fixtures, you’ll probably keep their business card.

3. As a link to a colleague

Many business people keep business cards of colleagues and competitors. Perhaps you refer business to each other during busy periods, or work together as members of an industry association.

4. For social, non-business reasons

Maybe you couldn’t care less that Kelly sells car insurance. She’s awfully cute, though…

5. For referring business - it may be passed on to someone else

If your neighbor has had a hard time finding someone who washes windows, and you meet someone who’s just started a residential window washing service, you’ll probably accept their business card and pass it on to your neighbor.

6. To update information they already have

Maybe they have an old card of yours with your old phone number on it, or without your website address.

7. “Just in case”

Some people have a hard time parting with anything because they might need it someday.

8. Finally, a business card may be kept because of something likable, unusual or useful about the person or their card

I kept the business card of a police officer named “Sarah Justice” just because I think she’s got a great name for her line of work (it’s called an “aptronym”). Other people keep business cards that contain useful information such as amortization schedules or lists of emergency phone numbers.

Keep these reasons in mind when designing your card. Make it clear what you do and who you do it for. Your card may be passed on to someone else, or the recipient may be trying to remember you later after a long day of meeting people at a convention.

More strategies:

• Add useful information to the back of your card.
• Get in the habit of jotting notes on the back of business cards (”Likes football. Send catalog.”) Encourage card recipients to do the same.
• Ask people who receive your cards to pass them on and reward them for referring business to you.
• Develop and memorize a catchy tagline to say as you hand out your card, especially if your card isn’t particularly unusual or useful.

Stuck with boring or generic company-designed cards? Create your own online and choose from thousands of business card templates for a truly unique design.

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The business card you present is a vital part of your first impression; why not make it memorable and attractive? This guide to business card design and presentation focuses on using an original approach, avoiding cookie-cutter designs or generic card types in order to make your networking more of a success.
Misner suggests making sure that your free business cards match the design of your other marketing materials (web site, brochures, ads, etc.), and reflects your company’s image appropriately. It’s also important to make sure that your most essential information is included on the card; this includes not only your contact information but a slogan or other expression of your company’s purpose. Misner also examines alternative types of business cards, such as those with alternative material types that are made of unusual materials or gimmicks such as cards that fold into a box, or businesscards printed on thin pieces of chocolate. By maintaining identity, credibility, and clarity, and using some imagination in the process, the business card becomes much more than a simple tool - it makes an important statement on your business.

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