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Every business has business cards (and if you don’t,  you should), and in the day-to-day grind in your shop their place is usually sitting at the front counter, dormant and inactive.

Photo by Robert Scoble

Photo by Robert Scoble

This is a good place to keep them when your customers are in the context of being in your shop.

But what about that situation where you are outside your business, one-on-one, at a networking event?

How do you actually use your business cards? When is it appropriate to exchange them?

Let me tell you.

Business cards are not a deck of cards

When it comes to social business settings, business cards should be handed out with care. You should consider them as an option, if you are asked for it.

If you have a stimulating conversation about your business and the person you are speaking with is genuinely interested in your services,  then they will ASK for it.

You should not wander around the room dealing out your deck of business cards like a Black Jack dealer in Vegas.

How annoying would it be if someone jammed a business card in your hand and then just quickly walked away and onto the next guy?

You would feel awkward and annoyed…wondering, ‘ What do I do with this?!’

Don’t hand out your card when you should ask for theirs

If you meet somebody who’s services you want to use, the best thing you could do would be to ask them for their contact information.

That is polite and it will allow you to make the next call. It would not be polite to offer up your card and ask them to contact you!

That puts an unwanted obligation on them and they are as busy as you.

Also, if you do this, you have no control over whether or not you connect in the future.

It’s not Halloween and Business Cards are not candy

Photo by Sean Narvasa

Photo by Sean Narvasa

I know it’s a really easy way to end a conversation by asking for a business card, however do your best to avoid collecting cards from people you have no intention of contacting later.

Collecting cards may seem productive at the time, however your purpose in a networking event is to make personal connections with potential business partners, not to collect people’s info. If you wanted to collect people’s info, save yourself the hassle and go to LinkedIn. It’s easier to find people on that platform than randomly at an event.

Make you conversations count!

Remember business cards in networking events serve as a convenient way to respond to a request for your contact information, not as a tool  to promote yourself to everyone you meet.

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