By Brent Durell
There is a fine art to keeping your collection of business cards in order, and it takes some professional skill and finesse to be able to accomplish this while at the same time to avoid offending any of the professionals or companies within your network.
Business card printing, after all, is probably the center of all of your networking efforts, and while some people do not put much gravity into the proper handling of high quality business cards, it would really be better if you do. Setting aside concerns with high quality prints, design templates, and printing designs, focus for once on the cards you receive and smart business card handling.
1. Business card holder. First off, if you are planning on keeping some full color custom business cards, you must invest on a proper and formal business card holder. This way, you would have something to keep your business cards in and avoid offending anyone by simply shoving their company cards in your walletor worse, in your back pocket. Business card holders will not cost you anything too extravagant, and if you compare this value to the benefits of having a proper storage space for your cards, you will not be able to deny that it is worth it. Whether as a container for the very cards you give out or for the business cards of the different professional you meet, a good card holder is a must.
2. Choosing your cards. You have probably already realized this, but you cannot just go around the city taking business cards from every single person you come to. This is impractical and quite unadvisable, and it is simply a waste of perfectly good card printing paper when you take a business card without a single bit of intent to follow up in the future. It is acceptable to take cards from people offer them as well as from people whom you think will be of help to any of your succeeding business ventures, but when the possibility of your doing business with each other is slim to none, do not bother wasting space in your card holder.
3. Put a face to business cards. In the printing business or in any other business, you have to shave a certain amount of public relations and people skills. This includes being able to remember faces and names that you have met while on business. When you are able to put a face into each and every single business card you receive, you are avoiding hassles in the future and situations wherein you do not recognize someone who you should be doing business with. Even if you cannot describe someone accurately enough for a sketch, you should at least remember the circumstances behind how you got a business card in the first place.
Smart business card printing goes hand in hand with smart business card handling, and while you want to have good personal business cards, at the same time you should be able to know how to properly keep the identity cards of other professionals. Do this and hopefully others will do the same for yours.
Brent Durell writes articles about advertising and marketing strategies such as using business cards to improve your business image. More information on business card printing.
