Like the majority of income humans, I visit a massive quantity of customers and potentialities every month, some become buying some do no longer, however each single certainly one of them has my commercial enterprise card. I attend business breakfasts, seminars and different networking event in my look for new contacts and in the long run new business, each person I meet additionally gets a enterprise card.
One day a few years in the past I realised that I now not simplest hand out a huge quantity of cards, but I also get hold of a honest few myself. I decided to go back via some of the older ones to see if I may want to find some new prospects. As I started out to sift via them I started to realize that maximum peoples cards are surely meaningless in isolation. Unless you figure for one of the few organizations who’s name actually displays what you do, you can as properly be writing your cellphone quantity on a bit of paper and forgetting to add your name.
ABC Company
Mr Bob Jones
General Manager
Telephone quantity
Mobile variety
Fax quantity
Email cope with
Website
Without going on line and searching at every single website I haven’t any idea what the companies do!
Likewise, all the ones people I have been diligently handing my enterprise card too had each possible technique of contacting me, written there in black and white, but no concept what I do! It’s my task as a sales man or woman to “positioned my face approximately”, ensure I am usually contactable and keep in mind as a good deal as I can approximately all my prospects (with perhaps, a touch assist from my CRM). My prospects are also every person else’s prospects, they do no longer need to don’t forget me, and so that they need a bit help.
I realised the solution is simple. WRITE ON YOUR BUSINESS CARDS!!!
Here’s the state of affairs: The prospect receives back to the office one day and is instructed they need a brand new provider for widgets, it’s his process to find one. He recollects speaking to 3 suppliers at the seminar however can’t bear in mind precisely who, so he quickly flips thru the cards amassed, then, he comes throughout one, he can’t take into account the call or the face to healthy it, however, in best clear writing it says “Widgets, budget to high quit” Who receives invited in for a assembly?
I’m one of these people who protect my commercial enterprise cards at meetings. I don’t like meaningless cardboard connections (exchanging business cards without a cause). I’m cast off by means of a person who says, “Hello, my name is…. Here is my commercial enterprise card, can I actually have yours?” My suspicion is that I’m going to be put on a person’s direct mail list. However, by way of first putting a chord, you have done something very critical on your networking challenge — you have found a cause to increase the relationship past the event at that you met.
Not all prospects you meet are going to suit your perfect client (or middle of influence) profile. This is especially real for me, considering that I actually have a quite specialized area of interest. Focus your interest on folks who meet your criteria. Jot down notes on the again of the card (the cause for the stable connection), after which you may have a communique point wherein to construct your relationship at the subsequent meeting or for your correspondence. Follow up fast after the meeting by using sending information you promised.