The old story ends "For want of a nail the kingdom was lost". You have probably heard it before. It starts with the need of a horseshoe nail to secure a loose shoe. A simple lack of a nail causes a chain reaction of events that brings about the loss of the kingdom.
For want of a business card, a sale was lost. Consider how important it is to be accessible for prospects and customers. It's true the internet provides ways to find people more easily than ever, but it is also true that as consumers, we can become distracted more easily than ever. I like to make things simple for my customers and it doesn't get much more simple than having a business card available.
"I'd like one of your business cards, please", I asked the professional horseman as we concluded our talk about horses she had available for sale. "They're in my desk at home", she replied apologetically, "but I can write my number on this horse show program for you. Do you have a pen I could borrow?"
Conversations like the above make my eyes bug out and my ears pin back. If you want me to pay you $20,000 for your horse, please don't make me work to contact you!
Keep these ideas in mind when having your new business cards printed:
Use good quality card stock. Do you want to be perceived as cheap or unprofessional? How do you feel when someone hands you a business card printed on his home printer? You know these cards from the perforated edges if you can't tell from their unbalanced design.
"Plain vanilla" and black ink on white card stock is boring. ZZZZZZ. A four-color process card professionally designed is worth the little extra investment.
It's a business card, not a prospectus. Keep it simple. Make your message stand out.
The message of what you do or for whom you do it, should be obvious and not hidden. Business cards find their way into others' hands that may not know you at all. A concise tag line will convey what you do if the business name doesn't.
Buy 1000 at a time. They're less expensive.
Start storing them in these places: your glove compartment, purse, wallet, tack trunk, horse trailer, inside hat bands and coat pockets, planners, and the tack room. I carry a supply in a leather business card holder and have them with me all of the time.
Remember, the idea is to pass business cards out so that you can order more to pass out. Recent studies have found that storing your cards in your top desk drawer is not effective advertising.
About the author:
Doug Emerson helps professional horseman make more money in less time. Subscribe to Free Newsletter about the horse business at http:/www.ProfitableHorseman.com
Picture this. You're late for work one day. You look at your watch and notice you have about three minutes to feed your horse before you have...read more
(c) 2004 Andy Curry All Rights Reserved To the uninitiated, voice commands for the horse are nothing more than words. But to the horse they are only...read more
Have you ever tried to get your horse to go somewhere (like through a door or in a trailer) and he rears as he approaches? In this case, the...read more
