Are you a business card collecting junkie?
March 13th, 2007 by Cristina Favreau
I used to be, until I ‘got’ that networking was about relationship-building, not card stacking! What are you supposed to do with all those cards?
Sarah B. Hood shares 5 tips for becoming a better “card collector” in her article Better card collecting in the January 15, 2007 edition of Canadian Business magazine.
- Target specific people. Don’t just randomly pick up business cards… unless your goal is to spam them later or indiscriminately add them to your mailing list without their permission. The article advises you to plan ahead of time — have an idea of the most important potential contacts you’d like to meet, target only those people, and only take cards from those who meet your criteria.
- Opposites don’t attract. Use and trust your gut on this one — if something about someone just turns you ‘off’ don’t try to force a relationship. The article proposes speaking to the first person you make eye contact with, and try to find 3 things you have in common.
- Take notes. This is great advice. Right then and there, write — on the card — the reason WHY you picked up this person’s card. It’ll be easier to practice tip #4.
- Follow up right away. Call or send an email no more than 12 hours after meeting. This keeps you fresh in their minds. The article goes on to suggest forwarding a small piece of useful information, like an article, that relates directly to their business or the conversation you had.
- Keep in touch. This is the secret to building long-lasting networking relationships. Go out for coffee, phone regularly to find out how business is going, send invitations to events… Yes, it requires effort, but what you’ll get in return is well worth it.
Does your networking strategy involve better card collecting habits? I hope it will now!
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