What does your business card do for you? Well, it might be time to change it a little. Business cards have been around for centuries and came into use around the 15th Century. One of the initial purposes of a business card was to promote trade. It is one of the reasons a business card is often called a trade card.
I can still remember my first set of business cards. The business card was simple and contained all the information required to reach me.
Unfortunately, by the standards of today, the information was NOT complete. The card did not have a fax number or an email address on it and many new methods of communication for today. All that the card included was my name, title, company name, address and telephone number. However, this was enough and in many cases, the card would be stapled to a 3x5 index card or rolodex and be filed away by my contacts. Sometimes the card would make it to a special wallet where It would remain there until it was needed to locate my contact information.
My first business card was simple, because there were only a few ways to reach me. Today, there are more ways to reach me than I want to admit. We live and work in a digital web of on-line, social networking opportunities in addition to the traditional means of communication. This means, we should consider adding our on-line and social network information to our business cards.
What was on my First Business Card in 1980:
Contact name
Title
Company name
Address
City, State, Zip code
Telephone number
What should be considered for businesses cards today:
Contact name
Title
Company name
Address
City, State, Zip code
Telephone number
Fax Number
Email address
Website address
State Contract Lic.
Text Message ID
Blog address
LinkedIn URL address
Face book URL address
Twitter URL address
and other appropriate social networking addresses that are primary methods of contacting you.
With all this new information, it is no wonder that two sided cards are becoming common. Now, I am not saying that you should put all your contact information on your cards. Doing that might be going over board. What I am suggesting is that you need to have a place where all your contact information is listed or available for prospects and customers to find you. Fortunately, many of the social networking tools are based on your email address. One thought is to add the logos of the social networks you belong to. Additionally, One place where you should put all your contact information is on your contact page of your website and your blog.
How to Sell to Followers and Not Leaders For Better Results
As much as I think of myself as a leader, I'm must admit that I'm really a follower like most people, including you.
Leaders are doomed to a 50% failure rate and are often thought of as being just a little crazy. A successful leader is really a calculated risk taker that is fortunate to survive and tell about it. Let's think about this for a minute. Most of the successful trail blazers like Louis and Clark were lucky to survive. Being a leader is very dangerous. The survival rate of a point person or leader is not all that good. Because I'm not much of a gambler, I take calculated risks that ensure I'm making the right decision. If I have to rely on luck to be a legend and be a leader, I'm sure that I will stick with being a follower. The difference is that I want to be an early adopter with limited risk. It is one of the reasons I read a lot about what is going on in the world.
The reality is that Louis and Clark tried to minimize their risk much as they could. They sought the help of Indians and guides who knew parts of their trail and information was critical. They surveyed the land up ahead of their trail as much as they could. They took the recommendations of anyone they could to forge a successful trail as they documented their path to the west coast.
As a hiker, I have hiked the Grand Canyon about seven times and I stick to the trail on every occasion. I know that if I venture off the trail, someone will probably find me dead. I also like to hike with other people for safety and it makes it more fun. I'm saying this to share the reason why prospects ask for referrals. Your customers and mine like to make calculated decisions and they will seek out the best route for their adventure.
If I'm going to invest in something, I do my research and will look up as much information as I can. Once I am satisfied that the route I'm traveling is right, I will invest in the product or service. This is one reason prospects want information. One of the great things about the Internet is that you can post as much information and your testimonials on it for the world to see. This helps you state your case as the right source for success and generates more sales.
Prospects are followers - Salespeople are Guides to Success
Whenever I start working with a prospect who is looking for an automated marketing solution, I know they are looking for the best and safest route they can find. This is also a reason you need to have a Return on Investment Calculator. This is also why sharing testimonials and providing a road map to success for them is very important. When this happens, all I have to do is wait because, if I'm doing my job, the prospects search will lead to a conclusion in my favor. This is true for you as much as it is for me.
Based on this post, do you think of yourself as an adventurer and leader or more as an early adopter and follower? More importantly, are you guiding your prospects to a conclusion that leads to them doing business with you? Are you using enough testimonials to help prospects along the trail they must take to reach a decision in your favor. Good Selling - Steve Martinez
Leaders are doomed to a 50% failure rate and are often thought of as being just a little crazy. A successful leader is really a calculated risk taker that is fortunate to survive and tell about it. Let's think about this for a minute. Most of the successful trail blazers like Louis and Clark were lucky to survive. Being a leader is very dangerous. The survival rate of a point person or leader is not all that good. Because I'm not much of a gambler, I take calculated risks that ensure I'm making the right decision. If I have to rely on luck to be a legend and be a leader, I'm sure that I will stick with being a follower. The difference is that I want to be an early adopter with limited risk. It is one of the reasons I read a lot about what is going on in the world.
The reality is that Louis and Clark tried to minimize their risk much as they could. They sought the help of Indians and guides who knew parts of their trail and information was critical. They surveyed the land up ahead of their trail as much as they could. They took the recommendations of anyone they could to forge a successful trail as they documented their path to the west coast.
As a hiker, I have hiked the Grand Canyon about seven times and I stick to the trail on every occasion. I know that if I venture off the trail, someone will probably find me dead. I also like to hike with other people for safety and it makes it more fun. I'm saying this to share the reason why prospects ask for referrals. Your customers and mine like to make calculated decisions and they will seek out the best route for their adventure.
If I'm going to invest in something, I do my research and will look up as much information as I can. Once I am satisfied that the route I'm traveling is right, I will invest in the product or service. This is one reason prospects want information. One of the great things about the Internet is that you can post as much information and your testimonials on it for the world to see. This helps you state your case as the right source for success and generates more sales.
Prospects are followers - Salespeople are Guides to Success
Whenever I start working with a prospect who is looking for an automated marketing solution, I know they are looking for the best and safest route they can find. This is also a reason you need to have a Return on Investment Calculator. This is also why sharing testimonials and providing a road map to success for them is very important. When this happens, all I have to do is wait because, if I'm doing my job, the prospects search will lead to a conclusion in my favor. This is true for you as much as it is for me.
Based on this post, do you think of yourself as an adventurer and leader or more as an early adopter and follower? More importantly, are you guiding your prospects to a conclusion that leads to them doing business with you? Are you using enough testimonials to help prospects along the trail they must take to reach a decision in your favor. Good Selling - Steve Martinez
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