Oscar Wilde once said that “you will never get a second chance to make a first impression”: an obvious but insightful statement. In business, we meet new people everyday whether it is at a conference, in a sales meeting or through colleagues and we all know the value of making a good first impression. In reality, a good first impression builds an initial connection with the other person but it is keeping that connection that can be the difference between winning and losing new business.
A business card is one of the main physical pieces of information that we exchange with people on our first meeting and getting it right is essential for your business. Your business card represents your brand, it represents who you are and what you and your business stand for. When you have a meeting with a potential customer, it is worth remembering that they could be meeting five different salespeople on the same day so you want your business card to sell your business and stand out from the crowd. Even though you might have made a good initial impression, it is your business card that remains with the customer and continues to make an impression.
Brand Positioning
An effective business card can position your brand so that it occupies a distinctive place and value in the target customer’s mind. No matter how great your first impression is of a person, when you exchange business cards, that business card can affect your impression of them.
The Ugly
I have met with many sales people and at the end of the meeting we go to exchange business cards but they don’t have a business card, sometimes they write their details on a piece of paper or ask you for your card so they can write their details on your card!
This gives you the impression that they are unprepared. They are trying to sell you a product or service but how could you trust them or their business to deliver.
The Bad
I have met people with flimsy cards that are badly cut with an uneven edge, they are poorly designed, the paper is too thin and the list goes on. I have bought cheap business cards in the past (and I have regretted it) and it can depend on your type of business and the service you provide but cheap cards suggest you are cheap.
This can leave the customer wondering whether they will get the level of service or quality of product that they desire from you.
The Good
A good business card can make your business stand out. This article from Canva.com, details over 50 examples of great designs and ideas for business cards including metal cards, embossed cards, wood cards and the list goes on. Smart, professional and or quirky design, quality paper, inclusion of tagline and more can create the right impression and make your business memorable over your competitors.
In my experience, I have found that more expensive is not necessarily better. For example, I recently changed my business cards and I invested in new expensive cards with thicker paper. However, I found that the quality of finish wasn’t what I wanted so I changed to a less expensive card with a different finish. Now, I regularly receive positive comments from customers when exchanging cards so it is worth investigating different options before you invest.
Business Card Front & Back
Conclusion
When you are meeting a potential customer for the first time and you create a great first impression, don’t let your business card ruin your hard work. A business card not only contains your business information, it represents your business and it helps you position your brand in the mind of your customer. Do your research and invest in professionally designed quality business cards that accurately represent your business.
I hold an MSc in Digital Marketing from Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, UCD and I am Google Adwords Certified.
If you would like to discuss what we can do for your business you can contact me on (083) 1026964 or email: cathal@www.www.enablemarketing.ie
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