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Write You - Your Business Card Should be Your Best Salesman
One of the leading career choices of college seniors in the past and still is today, to become an entrepreneur. Surveys continue to show that one out of three working Americans want to be their own boss. What’s stopping them? Lack of capital. Capital is the fuel that energizes the business.Money is not difficult to find. Available cash always exists in great abundance, but you’ve got to know where to look for it and the proper way to get it. Most start-up entrepreneurs look to family, friends, or banks to get money for their businesses, but one the best yet often overlooked sources of working capital is venture capitalists.Venture capitalists are essentially risk-takers, whose strategy is to grow their assets through judicious investment in promising new enterprises. Such firms have the ability to offer a
3. Include Your Most Important Sales Message
Even more important than giving prospects your basic contact information is conveying your Most Important Sales Message. According to Cesar Crespo of Free Card Business Card Opportunities, "Business people often miss a golden opportunity to make their business card a powerful sales tool. Our clients are often surprised at how much more
When was the last time you had to deal with a difficult customer? It was probably and external customer but perhaps it was an internal customer, such as a member of your team, a colleague or even - your boss!I'm sure that you always want to provide exceptional service to both your internal and external customers. However, in the real world, things go wrong and mistakes are made. These "customers" will often judge your level of service based on how you respond to a mistake. Do it well and they'll probably forgive you and possibly even say positive things about your business or your abilities to other people.The important thing to realise when dealing with an upset customer, be they internal or external, is that you must - deal with their feelings, then deal with their problem. Upset customers
In other words, your business card is much more than just a piece of paper with your name, address and phone number printed on it. It is a powerful sales tool. And it should be designed with that purpose in mind.
What can a business card do for your business?
Before asking the inevitable questions about the design of your business card, you should ask what its function in your overall marketing plan is supposed to be. A properly designed business card has at least four important marketing functions. Here they are:
1. Your business card helps you to introduce your company. 2. Your business card provides critical contact information about your company. 3. Your business card conveys your most important sales message. 4. Your business card communicates your corporate image.
1. An introduction to your company
This may seem obvious, but think about it for a minute. Think of your business card as a tool for opening doors. Think of yourself at a meeting, or even at a social event. What better way to introduce yourself to a person than to hand them your business card?
I'm not talking about shoving your business card onto people who don't want it. I'm talking about using your business card as a tool to make useful connections with people who are likely to appreciate the introduction.
This suggests you should think of appropriate introductory "openers" to accompany your card. For instance, say you're at a business connections meeting. Since the purpose of the meeting is to meet people and do "networking", you might try a simple business card swap strategy: "Hi, I'm Harriet Phillips. I'm swapping business cards with as many people as I can. Here's my business card. May I have one of yours for my contact file?"
Every situation will be a bit different, but the function of the card remains the same: it provides you with an excuse to introduce your business to people who might be able to use your services.
2. Provide critical contact information on your card
Before you put your business card into the hands of prospects, you want to make sure it communicates the most important things about you and your company.
Deciding what information is "critical" will vary from situation to situation. The basics are pretty obvious: your name, your company name, your business address, and the most effective way for people to get hold of you -- probably your telephone number and email address.
Rather than putting your cell or pager number on all your cards, you might make a point of writing it on the card when you think it is appropriate: "Here, I'll give you my cell number, just in case you can't reach me at my office number." That gives the impression you're giving this person special treatment.
3. Include Your Most Important Sales Message
Even more important than giving prospects your basic contact information is conveying your Most Important Sales Message. According to Cesar Crespo of Free Card Business Card Opportunities, "Business people often miss a golden opportunity to make their business card a powerful sales tool. Our clients are often surprised at how much more
Finding what the “Top Franchise” actually is varies from person to person. It is important to keep an open mind and find the best franchise for yourself, not the person next to you or the person you work with right now. There are a few things that can help direct you on a path to finding the top franchise that fits your needs.There are thousands of franchises out there to choose from, it just depends on how much money you are willing to invest and where you are looking to begin. If money is no object, then according to Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 list of America’s top franchises Subway comes in at number one. Quiznos sub, curves, UPS, and Jackson Hewitt Tax Service round out the rest of the top 5 franchises. A complete list of the 500 top franchises can be found at:http://www.entrepreneur.com/franzo
1. Your business card helps you to introduce your company. 2. Your business card provides critical contact information about your company. 3. Your business card conveys your most important sales message. 4. Your business card communicates your corporate image.
1. An introduction to your company
This may seem obvious, but think about it for a minute. Think of your business card as a tool for opening doors. Think of yourself at a meeting, or even at a social event. What better way to introduce yourself to a person than to hand them your business card?
I'm not talking about shoving your business card onto people who don't want it. I'm talking about using your business card as a tool to make useful connections with people who are likely to appreciate the introduction.
This suggests you should think of appropriate introductory "openers" to accompany your card. For instance, say you're at a business connections meeting. Since the purpose of the meeting is to meet people and do "networking", you might try a simple business card swap strategy: "Hi, I'm Harriet Phillips. I'm swapping business cards with as many people as I can. Here's my business card. May I have one of yours for my contact file?"
Every situation will be a bit different, but the function of the card remains the same: it provides you with an excuse to introduce your business to people who might be able to use your services.
2. Provide critical contact information on your card
Before you put your business card into the hands of prospects, you want to make sure it communicates the most important things about you and your company.
Deciding what information is "critical" will vary from situation to situation. The basics are pretty obvious: your name, your company name, your business address, and the most effective way for people to get hold of you -- probably your telephone number and email address.
Rather than putting your cell or pager number on all your cards, you might make a point of writing it on the card when you think it is appropriate: "Here, I'll give you my cell number, just in case you can't reach me at my office number." That gives the impression you're giving this person special treatment.
3. Include Your Most Important Sales Message
Even more important than giving prospects your basic contact information is conveying your Most Important Sales Message. According to Cesar Crespo of Free Card Business Card Opportunities, "Business people often miss a golden opportunity to make their business card a powerful sales tool. Our clients are often surprised at how much more
A reader suggested recently that some of my articles should be submitted to Digg, an online website where readers submit and vote for newsworthy and interesting pieces. The advice was flattering, and indeed it seems that some of what is said here is by all accounts of interest to a broad spectrum of readers, but more interesting still is the process by which Digg aims to achieve objectives of newsworthiness.The website operates on the democratic principle that readers can pick and choose what submitted articles they want to read and whether they want to “digg” them, with the obvious result that those articles with the most number of “digs” receive front-page coverage and therefore exposure. For articles that readers deem uninteresting, instead of just not voting, readers have the option to choose “This is lame”
I'm not talking about shoving your business card onto people who don't want it. I'm talking about using your business card as a tool to make useful connections with people who are likely to appreciate the introduction.
This suggests you should think of appropriate introductory "openers" to accompany your card. For instance, say you're at a business connections meeting. Since the purpose of the meeting is to meet people and do "networking", you might try a simple business card swap strategy: "Hi, I'm Harriet Phillips. I'm swapping business cards with as many people as I can. Here's my business card. May I have one of yours for my contact file?"
Every situation will be a bit different, but the function of the card remains the same: it provides you with an excuse to introduce your business to people who might be able to use your services.
2. Provide critical contact information on your card
Before you put your business card into the hands of prospects, you want to make sure it communicates the most important things about you and your company.
Deciding what information is "critical" will vary from situation to situation. The basics are pretty obvious: your name, your company name, your business address, and the most effective way for people to get hold of you -- probably your telephone number and email address.
Rather than putting your cell or pager number on all your cards, you might make a point of writing it on the card when you think it is appropriate: "Here, I'll give you my cell number, just in case you can't reach me at my office number." That gives the impression you're giving this person special treatment.
3. Include Your Most Important Sales Message
Even more important than giving prospects your basic contact information is conveying your Most Important Sales Message. According to Cesar Crespo of Free Card Business Card Opportunities, "Business people often miss a golden opportunity to make their business card a powerful sales tool. Our clients are often surprised at how much more
A Qualified Person is required to perform routine duties in line with the general principals of a QP. A Qualified Person must ensure that the following criteria is completed before batch release is possible:The batch must meet 'The Marketing and Manufacturing Authorisation or Investigational Medicinal Products Authorisation' requirements for Medical Products.The GMP guidelines as stated in Directive 2003/94/EC (human) or Directive 91/412/EEC (veterinary).Validation of the principal manufacturing and testing processes.Performed the necessary quality control checks and tests in line with manufacturing procedure.Review of batch records.Any deviations in packaging, quality procedure or manufacture to be notified in accordance with the defined reporting system be
2. Provide critical contact information on your card
Before you put your business card into the hands of prospects, you want to make sure it communicates the most important things about you and your company.
Deciding what information is "critical" will vary from situation to situation. The basics are pretty obvious: your name, your company name, your business address, and the most effective way for people to get hold of you -- probably your telephone number and email address.
Rather than putting your cell or pager number on all your cards, you might make a point of writing it on the card when you think it is appropriate: "Here, I'll give you my cell number, just in case you can't reach me at my office number." That gives the impression you're giving this person special treatment.
3. Include Your Most Important Sales Message
Even more important than giving prospects your basic contact information is conveying your Most Important Sales Message. According to Cesar Crespo of Free Card Business Card Opportunities, "Business people often miss a golden opportunity to make their business card a powerful sales tool. Our clients are often surprised at how much more
Some get it instantly, but it often takes people attending my seminars days, or even weeks, for my partnering concepts to sink in. And some never get it. Helping people to see value in changing their paradigm can be a thankless job. Why it is that people cling so dearly to the lifeline of their comfort zone? They do so simply because it is just that, comfortable.Since 1988, when I Joined the National Speakers Association, I have regularly presented at association conventions, conferences and meetings. In that time I have met some stellar association executives and staff. And, I have had to work with a few that were less than optimal. While I’m sure the same can be said about speakers, this article is about association executives helping to deliver member value.Recently, I was presenting to a room full of
3. Include Your Most Important Sales Message
Even more important than giving prospects your basic contact information is conveying your Most Important Sales Message. According to Cesar Crespo of Free Card Business Card Opportunities, "Business people often miss a golden opportunity to make their business card a powerful sales tool. Our clients are often surprised at how much more effective we can make their cards."
If you don't have a "Most Important Sales Message", you should create one. It is a brief, succinct statement of what your company is about. It is the answer to the question: "What does your company do?" If you don't have a "Most Important Sales Message", you should create one. It is a brief, succinct statement of what your company is about. It is the answer to the question: "What does your company do?"
Sometimes this kind of answer is called an "elevator speech". You're on an elevator and somebody asks you "What does your company do?" You have six or seven seconds to give a memorable reply. Good elevator speeches go beyond hackneyed answers like "We do web marketing" or "We make bowling balls." They are confidence-inspiring marketing statements: "We create websites that sell tons of products for people." or "We make the world's most beautiful bowling balls."
Your MISM (Most Important Sales Message) will often be a "product" (as in the bowling ball example above), but it should always be accompanied by a "pitch" of some kind or another. Often this will be what we usually think of as a slogan.
For your elevator speech you need a seven second slogan. For your business card you will need the same slogan in four or five words at the most. It must be boiled down to an string of words that not only sounds good, but looks good on the card: "Websites that Sell Like Crazy", "The World's Most Beautiful Bowling Balls", "The Discount Real Estate Guy", "The Source for Cottages and Summer Homes", "Beautiful Color Vinyl Banners."
4. Be Consistent with your Corporate Image
Finally, make your business card marketing consistent with your corporate image and the rest of your marketing materials. Usually this boils down to basic things like your choice of colors, typeface, and layout style. And of course you will want to include your company logo.
Usually your marketing consultant or graphic designer will want to plaster your logo on all your marketing materials, using the logo as a substitute for real marketing design. "We must convey a consistent corporate image" is the usual mantra. What ever you do, don't ask "Why?" That question opens the way for tedious theorizing about "the long term importance of developing a corporate image."
You would be better to agree. "Yes, by all means, we want to present a consistent corporate image." And then add, "But I want this card to do some selling for me, so I would like to give the sales message a bit more prominence than usual."
In other words, use the usual corporate colors, typeface and layout style. Include the logo too. But give prominence to the sales message. Show a picture of your product. Or if you think you are the product (as most real estate agents seem to think), then include you
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