What do people say about your business card when you give it to them?

If they say nothing, that’s your answer. That’s what your business card says about you. Nothin’.

If they comment on how flimsy the paper feels or the difficulty of reading the font because of the poor design or print job, that says something too. And it’s even worse than saying nothing.

Maybe they puzzle over your convoluted logo, trying to figure out why there’s a globe and a bunch of squiggly lines and . . . what’s that . . . is that a dog? That sends a message too. (Also, not a good one.)

Or maybe, just maybe, they say, “wow, that’s a great card!”

That, my friends, is what your business card should say about you. It should say, “I stand out! I’m better than everybody else. I’m serious about my business. I belong in your rolodex.”

Your business card is a marketing tool!

Your card isn’t a commodity.

It’s not a stapler or a tape dispenser.

Your business card is your most prolific marketing piece.

Don’t get the cheapest, flimsiest most useless card you can buy. Or worse yet, get them for free (what does that say about you – with an advert for the printer on the back!). Unless, of course, that’s the impression you want to leave!!

Your business card helps—or hurts—as you sell. If it looks amateurish, plan to work a lot harder to be taken seriously.

I worked with a company whose business cards were so hideous that employees were ashamed to give them out. Some industrious folks made their own cards to spare themselves embarrassment. They understood what their card said about them.

Don’t skimp on design . . .

Have your card professionally designed. Professionally. By a professional. Unless you are a designer, leave this to pros.

Your (here’s that word again) professional logo should appear prominently on the card. Just because your wife’s sister’s son took a course in graphic design and can design your logo doesn’t mean he should.

A hard-hitting tagline that speaks to your audience and differentiates you is another must-have for a proper business card.

. . . Or cut costs on paper

This one really gets me. A company will spend the money for high quality business card design. Then they go to the cheapest printer they can find and get the cards produced on the flimsiest paper trees can produce. All that money invested in sophisticated design is wasted.

Think functional

What are people thinking when they produce cards you can’t write on? Anyone who does business knows cards must be functional. You should be able to take and share notes and follow up details.

Make an impact

Check out some fabulously clever business cards here http://designerscouch.org/show_news/481/taking-business-cards-to-a-whole-new-level.html

This is how you make an impression.

Serious must-haves for your card

If you’re trying to run a business, you need a grown up email address. Not Yahoo!, not Gmail. A real honest to goodness domain name. Your website URL has to match it.

If you’re on the sales or service side, you better believe your mobile number needs to be on that card. Customers should believe they’ll be able to reach you.

If you’re using social media, include your Twitter name and Blog URL. Send the message that you’re on top of what’s going on in your industry.

This is what your business card should say about you.

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