The business card is dead, long live the business card

When last did you order new business cards? 

Was it 100, 250 or 500, perhaps you went over 1000? 

Paper, card, plastic, film, metallic or wood?

Bet they cost a fair amount too?

Probably not enough to break the bank, but enough to make you look at them sitting there on the desk and wonder who'll you will be handing them out too!

In Japan, a typical business meeting begins with outstretched hands but unlike in the west where they are greeted by yours and a hearty handshake, they are holding a business card. Protocol dictates you swop cards, whilst you bow and introduce yourself. There's even a hierarchical structure that dictates who offers and who accepts first but I shan't go into that here. 
That's what google's for or even other blogs.


But what is a business card and why do we insist on giving them out?
Think back to the 80's, the time when our desks were full or random objects like a filofax, a rolodex, a contacts book and possibly even a PDA!

Those were the days when you'd pick up the phone, (a landline with a cable attached), dial a zero followed by the number of the person you were wishing to contact. 
Prior to this you'd have spent a good 10 to 15 minutes scratching through the assortment of random objects that are now strewn across your desk, trying to find their card so that you could track a number for them. 
The business card was gold as they usually had a direct number, IE you didn't first have to call a receptionist who would then attempt to convince you that the person your wished to talk to was extremely busy and as such they would be given a message to return your call, before eventually directing your call.

Yes millennials, there was a time when people didn't have mobile phones, email and or any of the multiple forms of messaging there are today.

If you wished to contact an individual, you had two choices. You sent them a letter or you gave them a call. If they were new clients or suppliers, you'd probably have sent them a letter a week prior to the call stating your intent.

Those were the days when you got to know associates by referrals or by word of mouth. Perhaps even at social events or at the local pub. The next morning you'd find a slightly clammy card or two in a pocket and you'd piece together an idea of the previous evenings events. 
You relied solely on the card and what you could remember about what the person who handed it out had told you. Not particularly reliable but we managed to muck-in and somehow we got through to today.

So it the business card, as we know it, dead?
In my opinion, YES.

This is the age of social media and as such we should be using it to our benefit. 
When you're asked for your contact details do you scratch about for a dog eared card or simply suggest that the person follow you on facebook or twitter? 
Social media not only allows a new contact the opportunity to connect with you, it exposes them your entire network. 
It instantly brings them in from being an outsider to a place where you can begin to win their trust. Remember the 4 steps to successful sales, Awareness - Like - Trust - Sales. 
By getting them to follow you, you'll have accelerated them through Awareness and you're straight into getting them to Like you and liking what you're offering.

People are strange creatures, they'll not only follow you but they'll also stalk all of your social media platforms. Even if they don't wish to do any business straight from the get go, the chances are that they won't stop following.

The business card is dead, long live the business card!

repeat business is sweet


You've spent time (which in reality is money) on finding and developing trust with your clients. You've done the whole dance and once you've won their trust, you've closed your sale.

Now, and I'm seriously shaking my head as I write this, why are you walking away from them?

Lets put this into a different scenario, dating.


You're single and you spend a good amount of your time thinking about a perfect partner.
You can see the two of you having dinners, going the movies, the theatre, holidays and you may even imagine settling down and having a family!
Then one day you notice a person who quite literally blows your hair back. Immediately you start going about getting their attention. You might cough or move into their eye-line or some other action that makes them notice you.
You make eye contact and the reciprocal smile tells you that its okay for you to come over and introduce yourself.
This is good and the two of you begin a conversation. After a few hours, you've exchanged contact details and vowed to call each other in the next couple of days.
Each time you meet/talk, you get to learn a little bit more about each other, you're also allowing the other person to see the real you.
After a batch of dates you know and trust each other sufficiently to get naked and consummate your relationship.

The progression of your union from this point on is entirely up to you. You could walk away from it there and then to start the whole process again, or you could build upon the foundation you've invested so heavily in.

The same applies to business.
What is sales if it's not building relationships.

• Awareness
• Like
• Trust
• Sale and or a Referral

First you create awareness thats then followed by the buyer liking you. Its only once they trust you that they will make a purchase commitment.

Going back to my question: why are you ignoring you past buyers in the pursuit of new ones?

I'm not suggesting you stop sourcing leads, I'm saying that your existing clients already know, like and trust you which is why they are more likely to go with a follow-up sale than a new buyer would be to make an initial purchase.

New business is good but repeat business is great!

Learn how to Master Online Business - http://tiny.cc/w6mtty

Video is experiencing something of a boom on Twitter and seems to be turning their fortunes in the process. Twitter assert that video now accounts for more than half of their ad revenue and was again the fastest-growing ad format in the first quarter of 2018; a fact they are clearly keen to capitalise on as the company announced during their 2018 Digital Content NewFronts event that they are upping the number of premium content deals they hold with traditional media partners to nearly double its current figure, and they’re bringing in some pretty notable brands as they do so.

Media companies now partnering with Twitter include the likes of Disney/ESPN, NBC Universal, Viacom, Live Nation Entertainment, Hearst Magazine Digital Studios, and Will Packer Media. The company have also expanded existing deals with sporting bodies such as MLB and MLS.

To give you an idea of the sort of content you can expect, NBC Universal will distribute live video from NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, Telemundo, and E!. Viacom meanwhile will reportedly distribute a total of four live shows based on MTV, BET, and Comedy Central properties.

Most exciting from my own point of view however is the deal with Disney/ESPN, which will bring live shows from ESPN, ABC, Disney Channel, Disney Motion Pictures, and the now global-behemoth that is Marvel.

In a blog post explaining the new deals, the company stated, “Twitter is what’s happening and this makes it a unique and powerful platform for premium video content that people watch and discuss in real time. With these new content offerings, we’re helping people enjoy more great video content, helping publishers drive more revenue, and helping brands align with the best mobile video content, all at massive and accelerating scale. If you’re a brand, there’s no better time to reach and engage your audience through premium video content.”

The timing couldn’t be better for Twitter, and investors are already getting excited about what these new deals may mean for the company’s prospects. I suppose only time will tell on that front, but as users we are surely on the winning end of this.

For a full breakdown of all new content coming to Twitter as part of the new deals, take a look at the summary provided in the original report from Variety.

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