How to Build an Empire With Business Cards


By Robert Short

Most business owners don't realize the importance of using a simple business card to generate tons of customers. It simply does not matter what kind of business you are in, you have to utilize this primitive business technique in order to grow your business fast.

The three main mistakes people make when marketing with business cards are:

1. Not having a business card.

2. Being stingy and only giving out one card per person.

3. Not giving a card to every person they come into contact with.

Not having thousands of business cards at your disposal at all times is not only stupid it is a crime against your business. If an employee of yours stole as much money from you as you lose from not utilizing business cards, they would go to prison for a long time. With today's super low cost business card printing prices there is no reason not to have business cards and an abundance of them for that matter.

I started my professional concrete cutting service business with absolutely no capital and grossed almost $400,000 in my first eight months of business. My only means of advertising was business cards. As many of you already know, it can sometimes take up to an entire year to get your ad placed into your local yellow page directory and it can be quite costly to a new business. The following are techniques that I used to generate tons of business from business cards and I believe that these same techniques can benefit any type of business.

1. I started with an eye catching logo and had a design that really said "this guy is a pro." It is worth the modest initial investment to get your cards designed right.

2. I kept my message "short and sweet." I have seen way too many people over do it with tons of bulleted text that cause confusion with the reader. I do concrete cutting and a few other services that relate to it but my business cards say only "Concrete Cutting."

3. I ordered my cards in quantities of 5000 at a time. Too often do I see new business owners print cards off of their computer and literally "ration" them off.

4. I never gave out a single card! I always handed out at least five at a time and sometimes more. I still look at my business cards as "lottery tickets." The first job I get from the batch pays for all of them so the rest can pay off huge. If they get thrown in the trash - Who cares? There are thousands more where those came from.

5. Any time I would meet someone in the construction trades I would hand them a stack of cards. I hand them to people that are standing next to me in line at the Home Depot or that are pumping gas across from me at the fuel pumps. I get questions like "What are these for?" or "What do you want me to do with these?" and I just simply say "You may not need my services now but when you do, you'll know who to call." At the same time I am thinking "I don't care what you do with them, they were basically free and the fact of the matter is that I get hundreds of calls from people that say "Remember Me?" "I met you at the Exxon Station or at parent teacher's night." Or "John Smith gave me your card and said I should call you" yet I have never heard of John Smith. Or "I've got your business card on my desk and I don't know where it came from but I need your services." I simply hand tons of my business cards out to people and the calls roll in.

6. I buy a mailing list of contractors from a list broker and I simply put three business cards in an envelope and mail a thousand envelopes at a time. I do not put an expensive brochure or a flyer, I simply put three business cards in and I get hundreds of calls and referrals from the mailing,

I now get hundreds and hundreds of calls from my existing customers and my yellow page ads but I still use business cards more than I ever have. I now have five trucks and seven employees and giving out business cards in the same fashion as I have described above is part of their job description. They have all seen the power of business cards and that business cards ensure each of our survival and actually gives them a good feeling knowing that they got a specific customer. If I contact a new customer and they happen to mention that one of my men did not give them a stack of business cards then I immediately contact the employee, ask them if it is true and explain to them that it is part of their job, then I hand them a big box of business cards and tell them not to let it happen again, ever.

More Resources

Seven Ways to Kick Up the Power of Your Print Advertising - More Small Business Power Tools
If you're a retailer and the only kind of advertising you do is built around sales events, you don't need much in the way of advice. All your advertising needs to do is spell out as clearly as possible what's on sale, the amount to be saved and your store's name, address and phone number.
Double Your Sales Potential With Double-sided Business Cards
Swapping business cards is one of the most basic and common forms of networking in the business world. With something that is so common practice, people often hand out cards blindly while not really thinking about what the card does AFTER you hand it out.
How To Write More Powerful Brochures, Leaflets, And Catalogues
Probably the most interesting thing about brochures and leaflets is that they're seldom read in what we've come to know as the right order - as you would read a book. Rather in the same way that many people read magazines in dentists' waiting rooms, they will flick through brochures and leaflets and stop to take a longer look at bits that grab their attention.
Avoid Being Vague
We are bombarded with thousands of marketing messages daily?on television and the radio, on the internet, in magazines and newspapers, on billboards and other signs, and even at the bottoms and on the backs of receipts. The world is, indeed, a very noisy place.
Lamination of Signs
I suspect that everyone has an idea of what lamination is even if you have only seen it in passing. Restaurant menus are a common example.
What Is Most Important - Copy Or Pic?
When, some little time ago now, I first descended upon the advertising scene, we were a good deal more concerned than most people seem to be today about the nature of the business we found ourselves in. We were always holding debates - in the saloon bar of the Coach & Horses in New Bond Street, to be tiresomely precise - about the meaning of advertising, the significance of advertising, and the past, present and future of advertising.
Add More Pizzazz To Your Ad For More Profits
I recently completed a Marketing Makeover for an Adthat wasn't generating results for the owner of a Piano Tuning Business.Here is the original ad:========================================A BETTER PIANOA well tuned and adjusted piano is a beautiful instrument.
How Can All the Radio Stations Be #1?
Are you confused by all the information you receive from various radio stations? Do they all tell you they are #1 and you don't know who to believe? Most of them probably are #1 so believe it or not, they aren't lying to you. The question is, "What are they #1 in and is it a group of ears you want to reach?"Quite often a radio "Account Manager" or "Account Executive" which are pseudonyms for radio sales person, receives a call from someone who states they are gathering information for someone else, the real decision maker, someone who is looking at radio as a possible advertising medium.
Adding Art to Business Spaces
Larger companies have learned that collecting art adds something special to its overall corporate image. An art collection may include art on display in waiting, or general areas.
More Cheap Tricks for Promoting Your Business
In a recent article, I shared five of my top 10 favorite tricks for promoting your business without spending much (or any) money. Several readers wrote and said they enjoyed the first five tips, so I'm hoping the next five will be just as helpful.
Present Your Product On A TV Show for FREE
Would you like to get your new or existing Internet business moving nearly at the speed of light? Do you know what is required to get your business noticed and how to build your personal credibility fast, making clients secure enough to purchase from you over the Internet?The Simple AnswerThe primary answer is putting potential clients in a comfort zone relative to your product quality and your reputation as an authority in your marketing niche.One SolutionMarket it on television.
Media Planning: Smart Choices for Your Success
Media Planning for SmartiesYou say you're ready to advertise. How are you going to choose whether to place your ad in the local newspaper or a national magazine? Why not do a radio spot or place a banner ad on a related company's website? Understanding the benefits and pitfalls of these different forms of media will help you get the most out of your advertising budget.
Books, Bibles and Fast-Talkers
Every community has 'em. Fast talkers who rollinto town with a clever idea to sell to people inbusiness.
The Only Bad Advertising Is No Advertising - Or Is It?
Depending on whom you ask, you will get told many "truths" about advertising. The question I have for you today is this - "Is the only bad advertising, no advertising?"Before we begin, it might help us to agree on what advertising is, so here's one definition:"Advertising is the non-personal communication of an individual's paid persuasive information regarding products, and or services via various media.
Change, or Reinforce?
Do you know about the distinction - and it's a useful one - between communication that tries to reinforce and communication that tries to get change?If you follow politics you'll already be familiar with this idea: Incumbents send messages that reinforce existing voter behavior, while challengers call for changes.Any thoughtful marketing communication (and political communication is marketing communication) will be strongly influenced by this distinction, which affects not only the content, but also the presentation, and perhaps even the medium.
Effective Promotions Through Local Classified Sites
Today's online marketplace is extremely competitive. People want to market their products and services with the most cost effective manner possible.
Commercial: Consumer - Discounts - Misleading Advertising
Marketing is an important tool for attracting customers. It is commonplace to see banners announcing bargains of "70% off the retail price.
Can I Write and Print My Own Business Brochures and Business Cards?
If you have a computer and a printer, preferably one that can print in color, then you can make your own brochures and business cards that are very professional-looking! Be sure to use good quality paper (that is available at any office supplies store like Office Depot or Staples) for anything that you are going to hand out or send to potential customers and clients.Writing Text for Your Brochure and Business CardThe very best thing to do is to get a few examples of business brochures and business cards, preferably from the same type of business as the business you are starting.
Moving message Sign
Moving Message Signs are a unique, attention-grabbing way to communicate and motivate. They are used for eye-catching shop-front or under awning advertising, promotions of products or services, directing and/or welcoming customers, displaying safety and emergency information, directing customers to specific service areas or entrances etc.
The Benefits of Specific Advertising
The great Claude Hopkins (Author of Scientific Advertising) once said, "Platitudes and generalities roll off the human understanding like water from a duck. They leave no impression whatever.

More Advertising Information:

Related Articles

Three Keys to Crafting Successful Print Ads
Want to create print ads that get results? Below are three keys to get you started.1.
Electronic Display Boards
Electronic display boards signify high priority messaging, allowing you to communicate critical, and time-sensitive information.Electronic display boards are present at many fast food restaurants today, aiding, and restaurants to increase sales, publicity and improve their service to you.
Avoid The Big Advertising Mistakes
Is your advertising copy getting the results you want? If not, look at your current marketing to see if you're making one of the major copywriting mistakes:Selling features instead of benefits. Telling your customer that your "fabulous new ALF-400 comes complete with AeroScan and BandControl technologies!" doesn't actually tell them anything.
The Art Of Fear Free Advertising
Is fear of failure an issue when you commit valuable money in advertising?Well how about if I showed you a way to remove this fear and you know that you would be able to spend money advertising KNOWING you would get a return?Is that a valuable lesson?Course it is!So, how do you do it?The answer is testing!It's simple really..
How High Soaring is Your Promotional Scheme
The emergence of balloons comes from a long series of evolutions from the time it was made out from animal parts of bladders, intestines, and stomach. The introduction of rubber in balloon making credits back to 1824 by British Professor Michael Faraday when he made experiments for use with hydrogen at the Royal Institute, London.
Offline Advertising Secrets: Using Offline Advertising to Get the Most from Your Name Squeeze Page
Many people online are not using one of the best advertising methods around. I'm talking about offline print advertising.
When Times Get Tough... or When to Really Advertise
The Pundits say the economy is slowly, but surely, recovering. Maybe not at the rate of the mid-90s stock boom, but recovering nonetheless.
The Ultimate, "Must-Have" Home-Based Business for YOU
The Ultimate, "Must-Have" Home-Based Business for YOU aUnderemployed, Unemployed, or Industrial Age IndividualAllow me to educate you on the issue of job security andpaint you a picture of what the aftermath can be if youremain comfortable at your regular job. Job security is anold-fashioned term that claims the longer an employeeworked for a particular company, the more precious thatperson became.
Advertainment is Sneaking Into Music, Movies, TV and More
The very name "advertainment" sends thrilling vibrations up the spine of anyone with marketing in their blood or communication in their genes. And it produces a strong shiver of disgust from many of my colleagues in the music industry.
What Is Most Important - Copy Or Pic?
When, some little time ago now, I first descended upon the advertising scene, we were a good deal more concerned than most people seem to be today about the nature of the business we found ourselves in. We were always holding debates - in the saloon bar of the Coach & Horses in New Bond Street, to be tiresomely precise - about the meaning of advertising, the significance of advertising, and the past, present and future of advertising.
Non-profit Coupon Books and Coupon Mailers for Small Businesses
Many groups like the Chamber of Commerce, ASB at the local high school, etc. will ask if their members can get a discount if they shop in your store or use your service.
Online Advertising: 10 High Impact Psychological Triggers To Super-Charge Your Ad
If you knew these 10 high impact insider's hidden psychological triggers and plug them into your Ad and website content,you can empower them and ignite a tornado of sales at your website.Read, understand and use them and burst open the floodgate of sales.
Secrets to Get Free Advertising
The opportunities to get free advertising for your product or services are limited only by your own imagination and energies. There are so many proven ways of promoting your objectives without cost that it literally boggles the mind just to think of listing them.
Radio Interview 101
Different Types of Station ContactReaching radio hosts (for the purpose of trying to get booked foran interview) can take on various forms, depending on the typeof station the show is done at. What's best? All of them at thesame time, of course.
Super Secret Tip For Using PPC Search Engine Advertising Successfully
It's not about traffic; it's about generating leads.That's right.
What Does the Back of Your Business Card Say?
Business cards with nothing on the back are wastedopportunities to sell.Use the back of your card to expand and reaffirmyour selling sentence (which should be prominenton the front of your card).
How Can All the Radio Stations Be #1?
Are you confused by all the information you receive from various radio stations? Do they all tell you they are #1 and you don't know who to believe? Most of them probably are #1 so believe it or not, they aren't lying to you. The question is, "What are they #1 in and is it a group of ears you want to reach?"Quite often a radio "Account Manager" or "Account Executive" which are pseudonyms for radio sales person, receives a call from someone who states they are gathering information for someone else, the real decision maker, someone who is looking at radio as a possible advertising medium.
The Shrinking Ad Dollar
CPR CPA CTR..
Marketing Advertising, While Advertising Your Market!
Today in the Business world whether online or off, it seems that everyone is vying for position, yet few are able to leap to the forefront of their competition.On the Internet there are thousands of programs and Business Opportunities being created every month or so it seems! Everyone is trying to find his or her niche in the Business world.
Power Headlines for Promotion Success
Do you send email to your Online audience to let them know about an upcoming teleclass, your service or your book? Do you have a seminar "flyer" on your web site? The biggest mistake professionals and entrepreneurs make is to announce, rather than promote themselves. Each piece you send or put on your web site should begin with the #1 copywriting winner--the headline.