I was at a recent luncheon during Martin Luther King day recently and just inside the entrance door to the luncheon I heard a man dressed in a nice business suit ask a young professional looking lady for her business card. She responded to the man by saying she didn't have her cards with her.
This past Tuesday at our office meeting, those of us that were on time were asked to place our cards in a hat for a drawing at the end of the meeting. There were actually 2 Realtors out of about 10 of us that were on time that did not have their business cards with them.
Early in 2007 I wrote the post Is there marketing 101 overkill? This Lady seems to think so. If you have not read this post it will amaze you what this Realtor has accomplished with the simple use of business cards. I guarantee you if you read this blog you will never take the proper use of business cards for granted again.
It amazes me how inexpensive business cards are and 1) How little thought most of us put into buying an eye catching card and 2) How many of us can buy 1,500 cards (to get a good price) and it may take most of us 3-4 years to go through that box!
Add a nice looking name badge to the look and you could be deadly!
Hellooooooooooooooo! How can we get our name out to the public with our cards in the box at our office or sitting in the car???!!!
 |  |
George,
You never know who you'll be in contact with, and it does look so unprofessional when someone asks for a card and you don't have one, it just looks like you're not prepared. Very nice post.
Michael A. Caruso
Oh wow - I'm one of those that orders 1000 business cards and it takes 1-2 years to use them all - NOT ANY MORE! Thank you for linking to that post - things are going to start changing! :-)
George,
Placing a double order of business cards today....Thanks for this simple reminder of effective marketing: the business card.
Cindy - "Get Er Done"!
Tina - Get them out of the box and watch your world change!
Harold - You are very welcome
I use Andrew's method also. Some in my wallet, some in each car, some in my office desk, some in my day planner. Never know when you might run out of supply in one location!
I go through cards like crazy! And pens! I give them out everywhere (which my daughter finds extremely embarrassing), drive through windows, with a tip in restaurants, convenience and grocery stores, etc. At my local walmart, I'm known as "the pen lady". I even got a hug from a waitress after leaving a pen with a tip. She claimed that everyone but her had one.
One way to never forget to carry them with you is to lay your card case with your keys every time you put them down. Just put the case in your pocket and keys in the ignition when needed and you'll always have them with you.
George,
I'm one of those that usually only order 1 box of cards a year. I found a small print company that did a really good job of custom designing my cards the end of last year and ordered 2500 at once. I've made a point of keeping them in both of my coat pockets, my vehicle and my desk along with my husband's billfold this year. I think I've pass out more so far this year than I normally do in 6 months.
James - Right on!
Matthew - So very, very true!
Lissa - "You go girl"!
Gary - I am proud of you!
Tammy - Way to go girl!
George,
It never ceases to amaze me how many folks don't have a business card handy. I always have a pile of them in my purse, a bunch of them in the glove box of the truck, and a bunch in my laptop bag. I've been known to pass them out like candy, and even suggest some folks receive more than one "just in case they want to share" with someone else. So far this has worked well for me.
My husband also carries a bunch with him, and my friend that owns a local coffee shop has a stack that she hands out for me. I leave them at doctors offices, dentist offices, restaurants, anywhere I can. It's a really inexpensive form of advertising and those that don't take advantage of it are quite foolish.
Rick - Well said!
Leesa - It's the best thing you can stash legally! LOL
Jill - You got it going on my friend!
Hi George..I love that story, it really sends everyone a strong message just get out there and hand out your cards!
I'm on my second box of 1,000 cards starting next week!
Barbara - Right on my friend!
Roberta - You got it going on!
Susan - You are "Smart"!
Jim - Glad the light went off my friend!
Fred - Go for it my friend and watch your world change!
George,
I put on my name tag just to respond to your blog...
Thanks for a great article and for redirecting me to your previous post...I'm nowhere near 200 transactions/year, but knowing that I can be makes working hard everyday on the basics so much fun!
Best Wishes,
Kelsie
www.TriangleChoiceRealty.com
www.TriangleBuyerAgent.com
Tamara - Good for you and keep up the great work!
Patricia - Thank you and you are very welcome. Good luck to you.