Does Your Business Card Belong In a Dumpster (pt.2)

 Here’s $1,000 worth of information (continued)

1. If your business card has a big, shiny logo on it that makes you feel proud-throw it out.

 2. If your business card is 1 sided-throw it out.

 3. If your business card is missing your website name-throw it out.

 Last week I promised I would explain my 3 statements above.  If you didn’t read part 1 CLICK HERE

1. Let’s start with the big shiny logo.  This is completely ego driven.  50 years ago before we were pummeled with over 3000 marketing/advertising messages a day your company logo had a lot more impact.  “Old School” business people and companies push the belief of brand awareness as the main reason for the shiny logo that means nothing to most clients.  Don’t get me wrong; Coca-Cola, McDonalds, and Starbucks are all logos known worldwide and probably help sell sugar water, heart attack food, and expensive brown water, it’s just impossible for the business to measure the effectiveness.  For the small to medium entrepreneur who’s reading this… 

…NONE of that matters.  That being said, have a congruent theme meaning same logo on card business card and website, same company name on both, and having your e-mail address match your website are important.  But the logo should never be the focal point, and the other items help but will not guarantee success.  With the limited marketing dollars you have whether you’re trying to lease out a rental, get people interested in lending money to you, or wholesaling houses you MUST be able to measure your results.  If you can’t you’ll NEVER know if you have a winner or loser.  A shiny logo and your last name as the company name may give you some confidence, but your tenant, private money lender, or myself can care less.  All we want to know is what can you do for me?

2.  If it’s 1 sided throw it out.  This one’s a no-brainer.  Recent studies show that you have 3 seconds today to get someone’s attention-back to my example of the internet.  We care psychotically click happy.  I know because I’m guilty of it to just like you.  We click all day on our computer then we go home ad click all night on our television.  If you’re a child of the 80’s or younger you clicked all day on your Nintendo or Playstation before you became a click-happy adult.  My point is in you’re out meeting people, making good impressions, and spending time away from your family doing it-make it hyper effective.   effectively-when you give it to the person, write where they met you on the back.  This will help jog their memory when they’re going through their “pile” to see who gets added to their e-mail address book and who get the old DUMPO.

Your business card should have your commercial on the back of it.  Of course you think that if there’s too much text people won’t read it.  Maybe not, but how much better is the contact or client that does?  For example, the back of my business card has where The REIA of Macomb events are held, the time that the doors open, and what day of the month it is.  This has worked as a great conversation starter for me with people I meet for the first time, even if they’re not interested in real estate investing.  Some have been impressed that I’m onstage every month, month-in-and-month-out, and it gives them a way to refer people to The REIA if they know or meet someone interested in Michigan real estate investing.  If it was blank or I had a big, shiny logo they wouldn’t care less.  Now there is an occasion where I believe you can use a 1 sided business card very

3. If your business card is missing your website name-throw it out. It’s 2010.  I repeat it’s 2010.  If you don’t have your own web presence, NOT just your Facebook account, but your own website or blog you are severely handicapping yourself.  You can literally start a professional looking blog that’s totally point and click for FREE at Blogger.com.  It’s absolutely point and click.  That means anyone can pretty much do it.  Then you’ll need your own domain name likeREIAofMacomb.com, it’ll cost you less than $10 per year to look more professional, not to mention to give people a way to check you out and get a hold of you.  But this isn’t about websites it’s about having your website name on your card with a matching  e-mail address makes you look more professional.  It’s certainly not a must, but for $10 a year you’re silly not to give yourself a leg up.

Check back next week for important information on legislation changes that will affect all Michigan real estate investors who are taking advantage of the Foreclosure BOOM.

Make It Happen,

Dylan Tanaka-Founder