Stop Being Impossible to Find!
I recently attended two relocation events that brought together several hundred relocation professionals and broker owners. It was a chance to reconnect with many old friends and associates and make some new ones.
I don’t always ask for business cards, but often people will offer them while networking, and I happily take them. You may find yourself an unwilling recipient of my quarterly newsletter, but other than that, I am unlikely to bother you except to say it was nice to meet you and connect with you on LinkedIn. If I have had a conversation with someone and promised to send something or follow up, I definitely ask for a card.
Make yourself unforgettable.
Offering your business card creates several opportunities:
Business cards reinforce what I call creating a ‘triangle of recognition’. If people can’t associate your name with your company and your market, then you are doing them and yourself a disservice. I can’t tell you how many directors I have known for years, and I have no idea what market they serve. Do you see the problem? Not every RMC or broker who has a referral will take the time to do a deep search. They often go with the first person or company that pops into their head, and it may not be you.
Business cards reinforce the quality of your personal and company brand. Don’t underestimate the power of a well-designed business card, a company logo, and a headshot. Don’t skimp on the quality. I am also a fan of easy-to-pack, meaningful company swag. I received some really fun, high-quality swag with clever messages and reminders of their market.
Business cards let the recipient find you elsewhere if you list your website and social handles. You don’t necessarily need your address on there, but you do need to list your general service area with the state(s). They are a tiny billboard for you.
And how are we to enter drawings at conferences without a handy dandy business card?
Don’t be a secret agent.
A couple of things stood out to me on this trip. Several people did not have business cards at these events. Some said they forgot them, and another person told me he simply didn’t have any. He said he had a digital card. I gave him mine, and he emailed me his contact information. But of course, I forgot his name, and by the time I got back to the office, that email was buried under hundreds of others.
Another person I met did not have a card with them. I wanted to follow up on our conversation, so I went to their company website. There was no email listed, only a form to fill out to contact them. Then I went to their LinkedIn profile. I connected there, but no email or phone number was listed in the contact information. Even a company marketing flyer on their LinkedIn feed didn't include any contact information. Then I went to their network’s website and only a generic relo@_______ was listed for the email. While those relo inboxes are effective for ensuring referrals are monitored by multiple people, they shouldn't be the only forward-facing way to be contacted.
Business cards are not old-fashioned. They are efficient.
They convey everything you need to know to contact me in a tiny rectangle. Sure, QR codes and digital cards are cool. But if I use those to add you to my over 1500 contacts in my phone, you will never be seen again because I will never remember you are there.
Why make it so hard? We should be shouting our phone numbers, emails, and social links from the rooftops.
Collected business cards will likely end up in the trash. But the brief moment the recipient spends previewing them when they get home may imprint on their mind and lead to your next referral.
