Go Ahead And Ditch The Business Card, UNLESS You’re Doing This

by Erica Wiley

I was cleaning out my desk drawers this weekend and found  boxes of business cards.  All the boxes were full, I mean literally no more than 5- 10 cards had been removed. One set of the cards had my previously married name. Another  had a special promo on the back. All represented different phases in our company’s branding and a few hundred dollars in printing.

Got me thinking…Do we even need business cards anymore?

Traditionally, the purpose of business cards is to hand someone a pocket/wallet-sized document with your contact info, hoping they will call you.

But let’s be honest, in the past 2 years, has that really driven your business?

At the most recent event I went to, none of the start-up owners had business cards; they apologized and explained were being ordered or something wrong with printer. Folks who had been in business 2+ years had business cards with phone, email, twitter or facebook url.

As a possible partner or client, having a business card or not didn’t effect my opinion. What I’m more keen to observe is whether those without cards are confident and still able to convey what they do, while giving me an option for follow up.

In the case someone has a card and we had a stirring conversation, I’ll usually make notes on the business card and will follow up within 24-48 hours. After coping the info into my CRM, I toss the card. The only time I don’t throw a card away is when I’m particularly attracted to the design.

Internet printing company, MOO, does a fabulous job with print. In fact, I’m totally comfortable saying they re-invented business printing, particularly the business card.

MOO is all about beautiful, high quality print. And creativity.

So going back to the question, “do you really need to have business cards?” The answer is Yes, IF your goal and commitment is to create an experience.

See I’ve found that most people don’t mind if I don’t have cards. When I run out, I casually explain I ran out and I continue the conversation by engaging them in setting a follow up appointment.

I operate on the belief that if they ask for my card, they want to continue the conversation, and to increase appointment setting conversations, I set the appointment on the spot every time I can. It’s never an issue because not having a card did not affect their ability to continue the conversation, in fact it got us further down the process.

That said, I without a doubt believe you can create a strong impact with a business card.

MOO sets itself and it’s customers apart in 2 ways, quality and design. Combined together, something as small as a business card, can actually create an experience for the person receiving it. It’s product packaging psychology on a micro scale.

A business card that establishes high value and invokes emotion is a valuable tool. It gives the receiver the impression that you’ve already invested in them and that what you offer is high quality.

So when you’re up for a reorder, consider whether your card will end up dusty in a roledex, or worse, in the bin. Might be worth only ordering less than 50 for those must-have moments, or time to invest in a pocket-sized showpiece.

Have a business card story to share? Would love to hear from you- go ahead and comment below.

Photo Credit: alittlestranger.com via Compfight cc

Read more from Erica on She Owns It here.