You’re an entrepreneur and you went through the steps of how to order business cards. Those shining, crisp cards are already stored in your wallet and you can’t wait to go to your next networking event to increase your business contacts. The question is, do you know the proper way to distribute those cards? You don’t want to be one of those who people consciously avoid during such events because you push total strangers to accept your business cards or your talk other people’s ears off about your business. There is absolutely nothing wrong in talking shop when attending such events, but you should never be that stereotypical entrepreneur who shoves his or her business card down everyone’s throats.
So what is the proper way to distribute those business cards? After you go through the process to order business cards, here are a few pointers to consider on how to distribute them:
• When attending networking events, do not force total strangers in accepting your business card unless they specifically ask for it.
• If you do want to give someone you just met your business card, subtly steer the conversation towards the nature of your work. If the other person seems interested with what you do, that’s the time for you to fish out one of your cards and carefully hand it over.
• If you were given a business card in turn, study it or jot a quick note at the back. This would mean that you are interested with what the other person has to offer. Carefully place the card in your wallet or briefcase – never your pocket – so that the other person would think that you would extend him or her the courtesy of safekeeping the card for future reference.
• Never hand out a damaged, out-of-date, wrinkled, torn, stained or bent business card. This would look unprofessional.
• Never hand out multiple business cards to one person unless he or she specifically asks for it.
These tips are simple enough to remember so that you would know how to properly distribute those cards after you print business cards.
