December 4, 2009 pre-flight checks
I’m starting to think about how, exactly, one goes about becoming “a business person”, as opposed to a person who does business. About what it is that we use to identify, to categorise and place into boxes, the people we work with.
In the new age, in the 21st century social media web 2.0 age, is the indicator of your seriousness about your profession still your address, or is it how many followers you have on twitter? What do we still care about in terms of providing the cachet of commercial confidence?
Business cards.
At their most basic, they are a physical method of passing your contact details to another person. In giving them you say “I found our conversation valuable, and I want to gain more information about you with a view to doing business”. In accepting them; “I thought you understood my needs and want to hear more about your ideas”.
But, if we’re being hip and groovy about it – do we need to use a piece of paper to do that?
I can learn far more about you by googling your name than by reading your business card, you can learn more about me.
Your company website will contain more details, mine holds examples of my work.
Your twitter feed will tell me what you thought after the meeting, mine will tell you how confident I am.
Your facebook will show me what your hobbies are, and if we have any friends in common, and where we went to school.
Does the profligacy of information in the data heavy world make business cards obsolete?
And what font should I use on mine?
Tags: accoutrements, Business
- 4 comments
- Posted under Business, Questions, Social Media
Permalink #
Paul
said
Nup.
There’s a whole spectrum of people who aren’t using social media or google profiles or twitter or anything like that – and a good many of those are possible clients.
I did a speed networking event at the wcsfp this morning (http://wcsfp.com/index.php/2009/popup/event/gaming_workshop/) and I only had 8 minutes each with about 15 people – not counting the other attendees – and the quickest way to get a handle on what they were about was to swap business cards at the start of our very brief conversations.
It also makes it easier to remember who they were when you’re sorting through your hurriedly scribbled notes. Names aren’t enough to remember who you’ve spoken to – and a business card is a compact aggregate of information about them.
Fonts though, I dunno. I’m sure you can get the same person who designed mine to design yours
Permalink #
cephlophine
said
Business cards!
I myself have been contemplating if I really even need them anymore.
Twitter followers, Facebook friends and the likes, seem to be deciding the popularity of companies, corporations, individuals, etc.
I, for one, can’t seem to loose the “warmth” of actually holding something tangible with my name on it. Somehow, it feels like an extension of my professional self.
About the font?
No idea!
Could use a suggestion myself…
Maybe comic sans
Permalink #
balkandishlex
said
ok – but if we reduce the term: “business card” to its attributes – a physical item that reminds the person of you and contains your contact details – then what’s the best way to do that?
Permalink #
Nerida
said
What font do you use for the tenders? Perhaps that, for a level of consistency… I’m rather partial to Verdana, Tahoma and Georgia, but that’s just me.