Why does handing out business cards not work?

Have you ever thought about the rules, which though do not guarantee success, enable us to avoid failure? You can find plenty of them on the internet. Some of them are a result of the life and business experiences of the authors, others are historical facts, and still others the effect of scientific studies performed to come to these conclusions.

Each of us professionals has knowledge of a certain field and the rules that govern our field of expertise. There are also rules which can be applied in general, such as: savoir-vivre. Many of them are highly refined and very useful knowledge in certain situations. Some of them we ignore as they have no practical use, while others are very important to our careers. I have been work in networking since 2006, building business relationships, and developing business via word of mouth and recommendations. Every year I take part in at least 100 different events: conferences, seminars, open houses, galas, job fairs and product expos. At these events, I hold networking meetings with the members of the Networking Concierge Club. I speak at seminars and do mentoring, as well as share my experiences via magazine columns, books, and short films. I observe how many businessmen and professionals manage to do things while at these events. The most active individuals by far are salesmen, consultants, and freelancers, who spend their time actively selling their or their company’s products and services. They always have a business card with them and are always willing to hand them out. Is this effective? Since they are always doing it, then probably.

But as it turns out, not always.

Let’s start with the fact that a business card can have many different functions:

• Informative – we learn the name, company, position, and contact information of the individual
• Demo – financial status, philosophy, values, clan, or club membership
• Useful – to write important information on it

Also, the exchange of business cards can vary in procedure:

• At the beginning – allowing for easier communication by letting us remember the name of the person, or to use as a pretext to the next part of the conversation at hand – such as the company logo or location
• During – as a sign that the individuals involved have something in common and see a value in keeping in contact after the meeting has ended
• At the end – same as above, though this could be just politeness

People who rarely come to such events usually either do not have any business cards or have very few, and do not know when to exchange them or even what to do with them.

Initiating the exchange of business cards is in and of itself a bit of an uncomfortable type of ritual. To give or not to give? When? Who? How? Suddenly there are a lot of doubts. What if they take me as being pushy and importunate? Social or business?

Based on my own experiences, I find that it’s easier to simply suggest the exchange by saying “I think it would be good to exchange business cards to facilitate contact in the future” or “May I ask for your business card?”

When standing in a small group, then whoever is the “group leader” should also make it easier by saying: “I would like to encourage you to exchange business cards so we can all stay in touch.”

That would be all when addressing the issue of the technique and philosophy behind business cards. Now for its effectiveness:

From a sales perspective, the handing out of busi- ness cards is inefficient for the following reasons:

• No matter how many you hand out, it does not guarantee anyone will call
• It is far less important how many business cards you hand The bigger issue is how many you collect from others.

From the perspective of image:

• Handing out your business card without being asked for it you will be viewed like an unwanted peddler
• It’s better to be introduced by someone at the event than to introduce yourself and hand out a business card

Handing out business cards doesn’t work. What works is: conversation, keeping in touch via email, and requesting to connect on LinkedIn… In other words, the first steps to starting a relationship. ■

Let’s start with the fact that a business card can have many different functions:

• Informative – we learn the name, company, position, and contact information of the individual
• Demo – financial status, philosophy, values, clan, or club membership
• Useful – to write important information on it

Also, the exchange of business cards can vary in procedure:

• At the beginning – allowing for easier communication by letting us remember the name of the person, or to use as a pretext to the next part of the conversation at hand – such as the company logo or location
• During – as a sign that the individuals involved have something in common and see a value in keeping in contact after the meeting has ended
• At the end – same as above, though this could be just politeness

People who rarely come to such events usually either do not have any business cards or have very few, and do not know when to exchange them or even what to do with them.

Initiating the exchange of business cards is in and of itself a bit of an uncomfortable type of ritual. To give or not to give? When? Who? How? Suddenly there are a lot of doubts. What if they take me as being pushy and importunate? Social or business?

Based on my own experiences, I find that it’s easier to simply suggest the exchange by saying “I think it would be good to exchange business cards to facilitate contact in the future” or “May I ask for your business card?”

When standing in a small group, then whoever is the “group leader” should also make it easier by saying: “I would like to encourage you to exchange business cards so we can all stay in touch.”

That would be all when addressing the issue of the technique and philosophy behind business cards. Now for its effectiveness:

From a sales perspective, the handing out of busi- ness cards is inefficient for the following reasons:

• No matter how many you hand out, it does not guarantee anyone will call
• It is far less important how many business cards you hand The bigger issue is how many you collect from others.

From the perspective of image:

• Handing out your business card without being asked for it you will be viewed like an unwanted peddler
• It’s better to be introduced by someone at the event than to introduce yourself and hand out a business card

Handing out business cards doesn’t work. What works is: conversation, keeping in touch via email, and requesting to connect on LinkedIn… In other words, the first steps to starting a relationship. ■