Business Cards Center : Articles

You probably already have your own business card sorting system in place back at your office and out of sight, but what about when you’re on the go and at an event where you typically receive hundreds of business cards in just a few hours? When you’re in the comfort of your own office later that day, will you remember who these cards belong to; who is worth calling; who you are supposed to send an information package to; and who is a waste of time?

Create yourself a quick and simple “coded system” which can easily be implemented while you are at a business event or in commute. Give yourself a way to classify business cards and separate the important from the less important. Such a clever system will save you many hours later on.

There are four corners on a business card. Assign a meaning to each corner. After you receive a business card, fold down one of the corners, according to the corresponding meaning. For example, the top right corner folded down could mean “Great contact, definitely phone next week”; a folded top left corner could mean “Information package requested, send it off ASAP”; the bottom left corner could indicate “Not an exceptional contact, but worth an email follow up”; and finally a folded bottom right corner could tell you “This contact was a waste of time, no further opportunity exists”.

If you are someone who always carries a pen with you (which you definitely should – especially at tradeshows or conventions), instead of folding corners, you could draw a shape, symbol, or letter on each business card. A checkmark could mean “excellent contact”, an X could mean “useless contact”. A triangle could indicate “Set up a meeting”, and a circle could stand for “check email for further information this contact will send me”.

The type of system you implement must be directly correlated to your personal preferences. It needs to make sense only to you. The purpose of such a system is for your own benefit so that you aren’t sifting through piles later on, trying to put a face to every card. Create a system that works, so that those hours that you would have spent organizing business cards, can now be used more productively.