“Calling cards, good or bad, tell a (surprisingly) large tale. Like the best packages, the best calling cards convey trustworthiness and WOW! At once.”
The Brand YOU from the Reinventing Work series by Tom Peters, page 135
Your Business Cards
This is a delicate subject, but one I am about to address in today’s column. Most business cards in our industry (the travel industry) are less than satisfactory. As Mr. Peters reminds us above, these small mini-billboards speak volumes.
I am quick to agree that in most instances the information of the cards do the job. The question emerges, however: how easy is it to glean this information? My reply: Not very.
Since this is one of the first purchases a fledgling entrepreneur undertakes when venturing into business, they err on the graphic element, making the presentation too… too. They think they are saving money by deploying free clipart and usually lay out the entire card themselves. Not good decisions in and of themselves.
And don’t get me started on the email address listed in the smallest of print. Gmail. Yahoo. Comcast. All free email subscriptions that scream “amateur” to the recipient of each card.
Do the cards work? Yes. Do these free emails work? Yes. Is the entrepreneur jeopardizing their professional positioning statement? Absolutely.
Back to Tom Peter’s quote: Does your card scream “Wow?” Or does it say quietly, “Read me if you can?”
Mike presents a business-building webinar on the third Thursday of every month sponsored by AmaWaterways. To receive monthly invitations send Mike an email with the words “business training” in the Subject Box. You will also receive a link to the recorded version. mike@mikemarchev.com