Last week, a friend of mine did something that reminded me about a very important yet often overlooked tool of the small business professional. She handed me her business card. My friend is a college student, and she has had a pet sitting business for a while. However, until she handed me her card the other day, I had no idea that she was a pet sitter.
While I have not had to hire a pet sitter for my beloved cat Patrick since I took him in almost four years ago, and it is unlikely that I will ever have to hire a pet sitter because my in-laws live a few miles down the road, I have plenty of friends that have pets. Friends that sometimes go on vacation and do not have family in the area to look after their furry friends. Friends that I can share my friend’s telephone number with since I have her business card.
My friend’s simple action reminded me about an incident that happened a few years ago, after I had graduated law school but before I was admitted to the bar. I was at a family law conference, and during lunch I decided to plunk myself down at a table where I did not know anyone for two reasons: one was that I did not see anyone in the room that I knew and the other was that I enjoy meeting new people and thought that it would be a great networking opportunity. I enjoyed meeting my tablemates and talking about their work. After lunch, one of the people at my table asked me if I would be interested in helping her with a research project that she was working on. I was, and at that moment, I was very embarrassed. I had no business card to hand to her. I pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down my contact information. Perhaps it was because of my lack of business cards, or perhaps something else came up, but I never heard from her.
That incident embarrassed me enough that the next day I went to Staples and bought a package of business cards that I could print myself. They look nice, but I think that it is time for a change. There are so many options for business cards, why should I limit myself to very plain ones. Prices for business cards have gotten very reasonable over the past few years, and there really is no reason for me or any other home based professional to be without a stack of them at any time. It is possible that you could meet a potential client anywhere, at any time. Are you prepared to make a great impression with a memorable business card?