Friday, February 5, 2010

You put your business card where?

There they are.

Just sitting there. Sad, unused, and dusty.

No, I am not talking about those weights that you aren't using to work out with or the pile of books on your night stand that are unopened and unread. I am talking about the most valuable marketing tool you already have: your business cards.

Business cards are not just for exchanging with people you are meeting for the first time, they are a valuable tool that can be used to give to people who you have not yet meet. Just like every time you talk with someone it is an opportunity to talk about your business, every place you go is an opportunity to strategically drop your business card.

Remember you can never have too many business cards or have too many ways to get them into the hands of people, you can always get more.

Here are a few examples:

- We all go out to restaurants. Leave your card with the payment of your bill. Write a "Thank You" on your card for an extra personal touch.

- When you go to the library, find self help books that have to do with your business and leave your card with the introduction of the book. So, if you are in construction, find the "Dummies" books on self home repair and leave your card.

- Find a day care in the area of your office, near your home or your own day care and ask if you can put a display up for your cards. Purchase a card holder and go fill it up every few weeks.

- Airports are full of people from all walks of life. After you check in for your flight, place cards in high traffic areas: Starbucks, the bathroom, magazine racks, snack bars. Just place a few cards on tables, sinks and food centers.

- Any time you mail a letter, put in your business card. Bills, friends, teachers, investors, strangers, mail all of them your card with the document or letter.

- Put your card on the sinks at the Gym. Everyone goes to check their make-up and hair before they leave that room, so you know a lot of people will have the opportunity to grab your card.

- When you go shoe shopping place your card INSIDE the shoes. The most popular shoe sizes are 8 for women and 10 for men.

- Any where there is a waiting room. Find the table with the magazines and leave a stack there. Maybe even put them inside the magazines in the waiting room.

- Keep a container of thumb tacks in your car and every time you come across public bulletin boards, tack your card in a few places around the board.

- After you leave a networking event, slide them into the drivers side window of the cars you walk by on the way to your car.

4 comments:

  1. great blog post Desiree! I'm putting up a link on my blog to here later today

    http://www.AskJeremyJones.com

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  2. hmmmm, seems a bit excessive to me. I ignore most random cards I find. Food for thought though.

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  3. Jeremy V,

    It never hurts to try. Like I say in the post, you can always get more.

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  4. Can't say that I disagree, just not sure that's the direction I want to take.

    Network marketing isn't for everyone IMHO, only because not everyone is ready or willing.

    In the spirit of "what can I do for you", providing help to others is based upon some sort of connection or relationship.

    I prefer to leave nice comments and smiles laying around. If a point of connection occurs it's very easy to ask, "are you open to other ways of making money"?

    If they say yes, I simply gather contact info, usually an email, and send them a link that provides further information.

    Not saying that someone might not randomly pick up your card and make contact, and there's certainly no harm in doing it, but isn't how I would approach it.

    Great site, and some real nuggets you have hear. Keep it up....and best of luck.

    Take care... Tony Logue

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