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How your businesscards can get you more sales!
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If you're using your businesscard simply as a convenient way to give people your contact details, you're wasting it. Your businesscard is a powerful tool to get more customers to come to you. Have a look at these two examples:
Which would you find more convincing? Where would you prefer to take your car? We've changed the names for privacy reasons, but this was an actual example. Christine originally had the black and white card printed. She had some contacts, but it was more of a part-time business. She would get an average of only 5 or 6 jobs a week. I took my Porsche to her to get it detailed. I was doing it mainly to help her out, because she was desperate for customers. She said she charged a flat rate of $50, which was pretty cheap. But when the car came back, I was delighted at the quality of the job she did! It was shiny and immaculate - better than when I bought it! So I asked her what her secret was. She explained how she had worked in a Rolls-Royce showroom, and was trained to get the cars to a beautiful finish by being very very gentle. No-one is fussier than a Rolls-Royce customer! So we had a cup of coffee, and I told her that I thought her card wasn't really telling customers what they wanted to know. Working out what is special or different about the business I wrote down a few things on a piece of paper. I listed the things that I, as a customer, found special about her business. These were: 1. Great value for money - quality car detailing for only $50.
Others charged $80 upwards. She agreed that these points made her different. So what to do about them? Firstly, the name was useless. I valued my car, so I wanted to hand it over only to Christine as a person, not "Supaclean" the faceless company. Secondly, putting a title like "manager" on the card when it was a one-person business was silly too. Christine said that she used the title because it sounded impressive, like she had a big company. I disagreed, saying that if anything, it took away from the personalised service that I loved. "So how should I change my card?" she asked. I said, "You've got to put things on your card that will be attractive to customers. You need to seduce them - make them understand what is so special about you. Think from their perspective, not yours". The name had to go. I suggested putting the $50 flat rate in its place. That way, even if customers didn't read anything else on her cards, they knew one of the main benefits she offered - car detailing for $50! Then, instead of ignoring the fact that she is female, turn it into a benefit. Most people will perceive, rightly or wrongly, that women are more gentle. Yes, I know it's a stereotype, but if it helps women like Christine grow their businesses I don't see anything wrong with using it. So we agreed on "Gentle car care by Christine Smith". This also emphasised the fact that it is Christine that will be taking care of the car. For someone handing over an expensive prestige car, knowing who will take care of it is very important. Instead of a meaningless title, I suggested telling customers that she used to work for a Rolls-Royce dealership. Instant credibility! Who do you think would be better at detailing cars - someone from Isuzu or someone from Rolls-Royce? Finally, I suggested using colour. Simply by using colour, you can often double response rates to advertising.
Notice how the colour card grabs your attention? Christine agreed to try using the new design, and passed the card to all her contacts, friends and customers. The result? 3 months later, I was very happy to receive a phone call from an excited Christine telling me that she was going to employ a full time assistant to help her with her work. She was going to become a manager after all! She said that she was now getting 6 to 8 jobs a day, a huge increase when it used to take her a week! My main point is: your businesscards can be used as sales tools! Just use them carefully. Of course, not all the things we did for Christine will apply to you. You may want to build your company name as a brand, instead of making yourself the heart and sole of the business. You may not want to highlight price, and instead concentrate on quality. Remember that the trick is not to copy Christine's card, but to use the same principles. And what are they? 1. Pretend you're a customer Put yourself in your customer's shoes. What is important to your customers? Often these things are different to what is important to you. What do they like about your business? If you can get an actual customer to help you, even better. Get it straight from the source. 2. Make a list of the things that make you different Marketers call these your USP (Unique Selling Proposition). A fancy term, but easy to do. 3. Work out how you can put these on your card Maybe you can integrate these into your company name - ie call yourself "Smith's Handmade Chocolates", instead of "Smith's Confectionery". Do you need the title? Maybe you can change that too, from "Managing Director" to "Chocolate Craftsman". Sounds corny? Not if your customers are looking for beautifully crafted, handmade chocolate. 4. Use colour Make your card stand out. The average businessperson will have hundreds of cards. If they're looking through their businesscard holder and seeing a sea of black and white, a flash of red (or blue or green) can make all the difference! Use an Internet based printing company to create your own design. Not only will you find them cheaper than going to your corner quick printing shop (which has higher overheads), but you will be able to sit in front of your computer and tweak the design for as long as you like. Try different headings and fonts to get the effect you want. If you want to get the right effect on sales, you will need to experiment with headings. You can spend as long as you need without having to deal with impatient people at the shop counter! Where else can you spend 40 minutes trying 20 different configurations for your businesscard? At no extra cost. Lastly, these principles apply to everyone, no matter how big or small your company may be. If you want to maximise the return you get from your investment in your businesscards - and yes, they are an investment - you should think carefully about what appears on them! ______________________________________ If you liked this article, please tell your friends and colleagues about this site. If we have enough interest, we will set up a regular newsletter with many more useful and practical articles like this. We want to use our experience to help you increase your sales! Want to use your businesscards to increase sales now?Click here ______________________________________
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