First impressions are everything.
Whether it is a job interview or your first attempt at chatting up that new neighbor who moved into your building, how you present yourself tends to govern how well the situation will play out.
After all, who wants to be associated with a person who can’t present himself accordingly when the occasion calls for it?
Blogs and motivational websites have consistently harked on this by advising you to always ensure you look dapper and speak with a confident, assured voice. Well, I wont delve into that.
Instead, I want to talk to all the successful, or prospective, professionals reading this today. Whenever you plan to pitch your services to a potential client, how does that discussion play out?
Of course you would attempt to relate your area of expertise to whatever problem they seem to be having. After that, you would encourage them to call you so as to set up an appointment for further consultation.
At this point in time, many novices would want to exchange numbers with the client. This is where it all goes wrong.
As a professional, one of the most crucial items you should always have on your person is an updated, relevant business card. This not only allows you to easily pass on your contact information but also look credible as you do so.
Many people have the skewed notion that business cards are exclusively meant for the extremely wealthy members of society. “Why have a business card when I only pull in two clients a week?”
If this happens to be you, read on and let me enlighten you.
Assumed Professionalism
Most businesses start off slow then gradually develop by increasing their clientele and the services they provide. During the slow periods, any business is good business.
Even if all you do is break even, or even make a minor loss, a transaction in the early days tends to feel like a hypothetical drop of water in a desert.
At this point in time, not many clients would line up to acquire services or products from your corporation seeing as the market may already be flooded with more credible alternatives.
With a well designed business card, you could essentially hoodwink any prospective clients into believing you are an industry leader in whatever field you are involved in.
As I said earlier, first impressions are everything.
If I were approached by two insurance brokers, one has a business card while the other does not, I will comfortably side with the former just off of the impression he has made with his card.
In my mind, his firm seems more stable and professional because they took the time to print out business cards.
Increased Credibility
We live in a world where many people would rather con you out of your money as opposed to working hard to make their own. The sooner we face the facts, the faster we can eradicate this menace.
However, unlike in past generations, modern day cons tend to be extremely elaborate with surprisingly convincing facts. Really, nobody is safe.
Therefore, as a business man trying to round up clients, you have to work really hard to prove your authenticity before you begin pushing your services.
Business cards serve as makeshift background checks seeing as they not only list your name and contact information, but also the details of your company. This transparency enables prospective clients to trust both you and your organization.
With everybody’s radar on alert for Ponzi schemes, why wouldn’t you invest in ensuring your credibility?
Physical Reminder
All businessmen attempt to sell their ideas to their clients so as to have it reverberating in their minds inadvertently coaxing them to take action. However, in this era of short attention spans, this may prove slightly challenging.
You may wow a single mother of five with your daycare concept today but once she gets back home, and has to contend with the struggles of raising her rowdy children, your proposal may just slip out of her mind.
In my opinion, you can’t really blame her; life is a never ending circus and you cannot expect everyone to keep you in mind amidst all the noise. This is where a business card comes in.
It acts as a souvenir from your discussion thereby ensuring that whenever the prospective client goes in their pocket, he/she is reminded of the coneniences you could bring to their life.
Just as a colored wristband may remind you of your time at that music festival, your business card ensures you remain relevant.
Exuding Class
Everyone wants to receive service from a top-of-the-line establishment. This makes them feel classy and socially relevant.
It is for this reason that ladies would give an arm and a leg to share a hair stylist with popular personalities such as Beyoncé and Nicki Minaj. Although class is commonly determined by your clientele, proper presentation goes a long way in ascertaining elegance.
With the emergence of innovative business cards, you can set your organization aside from the rest and give yourself a competitive advantage.
If we consider nightclubs as an example, there always tends to be a new one popping up every week. Despite the already saturated nightlife market, they still manage to wrangle up decent crowds.
This is because they publicize themselves either through pamphlets or billboards that are enticing enough to coerce party lovers to shift from their trusted bars to a new location.
This is what you business card could be for you; that extra incentive to push unsure clients over the line.
Many people may mock your decision to print out hundreds of business cards for an unestablished startup, but, if you stick to it, you will have the last laugh.
While they peddle their services by swapping phone numbers with potential clients, you will live long in your consumer’s memories with your revolutionary business cards.
Don’t let the train to potential success pass you by, book a ticket and enjoy the ride.
