Business Cards are not dead, yet

First impressions are important in every aspect of life. For that first date or for the first sales call with a prospective customer, you need to look sharp, well rested, and successful. There are few things that shock me as much as when I ask you for a business card and you say, (sometimes apologetically), “Sorry. I left them in my car, home…I don’t really have any.” You’ve just lost money. Let me tell you why. When you hand me business cards that are sharp and professional, I now have your information in my pocket, literally. When a customer is looking for health insurance, and you’re a health insurance agent that I trust (with business cards), I’m going to immediately pull out one of your cards, instruct the potential client to call you immediately, and perhaps create some closed business for you. If you don’t hand me a business card, or a stack of business cards, I may, if I really like and trust you, search for your contact information online or on my phone, but your prospective customer is probably going to lose that little piece of paper on which I scribbled your info.

Let’s go back to that beautiful scenario when the stars align and I have your business card in my pocket and I have a potential customer standing next to me. That new customer that you treated well will now tell all of his friends that you were able to create a solution to his problem. Now, with that one business card, I may have created thousands of dollars of closed business for you.

Let’s go back to my “sharp and professional” description of your business cards. Business cards should look like someone professionally designed them and include all of your pertinent information. It takes just a few days to get new professionally made cards, so don’t hand me business cards with crossed out phone numbers and new barely legible numbers written on the card. The business card is almost a vehicle of prophecy- I can predict how quickly you will grow or not grow your business.  It is your first impression. Use that easy, inexpensive first impression to help grow your life and your business.