Well, that’s what I still experience after 18 years of being in business and seeing thousands of cards travel across my desk. It’s also the opinion of this veteran “pitch man” in the video.

Business cards are vital branding and selling tools for any company - here’s why:

To start with, they are, in many cases, the first impression a customer receives of your business so the design, the content and the professionalism says a lot about your company.

I then makes sense to ensure your card sells.

For instance, imagine what would happen if your business card include information that people refer to all the time … so it’s not just a boring name, rank and serial no. card.

What kind of impact do you think that would have on your sales?

Most business owners give and receive hundreds if not thousands of business cards each year so it makes sense to ensure they sell.

Here are some tips to create a business card that:

• Gets you a wanted response – wouldn’t it be neat if your potential customer got so excited about something they read on your card that they get back to their office and decide they want to take a further step with you. Achieving that result is as simple as featuring a special offer on your business card. Offer a free report or white paper on a really interesting topic, or a free consultation. Enable them to download the report from your website.

• Gets referred to regularly and kept. Most business cards get looked at 3 times:

1. When you hand it to them

2. When they take it out of their pocket

3. When they file it or bin it.

You can increase the chances of your business card being kept by writing a personal note on each card you hand out. People are much more likely to keep cards that have personal information on them. You might write down an additional phone number for them to call or a website for them to visit.  Or - feature useful tips or industry advice on the card and there’s a much better chance that people will keep referring to it.

• Gets passed on

What’s the “chuckle factor” of your card? The more interesting or unusual it is, the more likely people are to pass it on. Try funny pictures or an optical illusion … something that makes it stand out enough for people to want to pass it on.

If you’d like to find out how to make your communications material (including your business cards) sell, call us at Words that Sell and we can help you with that. The number is 07 3353 1107 or visit Kristina on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/kristinamills or on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/kristinamills