Ask Maria Column: What Should I Put On The Back of My Business Cards

by Maria Marsala

Summary: How do you determine what to place on the back of your business card? Some say, use it all. Others say keep it blank. Bottom line is that it's your decision Just know all the facts.

A subscriber asked me for suggestions on what she should put on the back of her business card. She had attended a marketing class and was told to put something of importance on the back. Something like a top ten list or a calendar, or something similar.

Maria answers

I have to say, that any time I've saved someone's card, for the back of the card, I really didn't care what the front said. And as a business owner, I would want someone to save my card because of what the front said.

However, there are many other reasons to leave the back blank.

Business owners you meet who are serious about building relationships (which should be all business owners) know that networking is not just about meeting some stranger and selling to them. It's much more. It's about connecting, collaborating and seeing how you can be a resource for others. What these business owners do, is write notes on the back of business cards they receive. They might write things like where they met you, the date, something they liked about you, something they heard you say, what they wanted to talk to you about, etc. Then they put that information in their databases and/or contact those they met to start the process of building a new relationship.

The back of the card is important for another reason, too. Let's say you're at a meeting and during the conversation the other person mentions that they're looking for "x" with "x" being a resource or contact that can help them in some way. Well, what you should do is take YOUR card, and on the nice white back write "call me about ___whatever resource they are looking for___". Yes, make them call you for the resource. If they don't call you, then be glad you know up front how they operate. However, when they do call you, you'll have another chance to speak to them, get to know them, maybe put them on your ezine list, or turn them into a client, best referrer or best buddy. But you'll never know... if you don't have a place to write things on the back of your card!

So, save your money and keep the back of your business card blank. Don't, of course, spend the extra money to have the back of your cards plastic coated, either. If you want a resource that prints colored business cards plastic coated fronts/no coating on the back or no coating on either side, hit reply and email me. I found a good one who prints 5000 cards for only $99

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©2007 Maria Marsala, former Wall Street Fortune 200 executive, business strategist, author and speaker. As founder of Elevating Your Business, Maria helps business owners and independent service professionals work smarter and earn more. Learn more and receive free business tools at ElevatingYourBusiness.com

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