The demise of the Business Card
In the professional services industry, business cards are alive and well, but they are in decline in most other sectors. Traditional networking involves professionals meeting at events and exchanging business cards during coffee or lunch breaks. Still, questions are being raised, especially among rising stars, about how effective and efficient it is for developing business. Now, there is a strategic way to win business where QR codes can replace business cards and provide much more valuable information.
The purpose of the business card is to exchange contact details, including name, job title, and contact information such as telephone numbers, office, and email addresses. The polite way to receive a business card, perfected by the Japanese, is to hold the card in both hands and scrutinize it before storing it away. But no matter how hard you look at it, it tells you very little about the problems the professional you have just met is skilled at resolving or the type of clients they work for.
Furthermore, what do these professionals do with the business cards received? Store them in a drawer, or are the details filed in a CRM and not looked at again, even if accompanied by notes on where you met, what was discussed, and when to follow up? If you do follow up, how many times? It takes between five and twelve ‘touches’ to overcome the ‘innate fear of the influence of strangers’, so one or two follow-up meetings are hardly going to generate new business. This is why traditional networking takes so long to generate work and when it does, it is not always profitable because it is non-strategic.
You can save some time by exchanging contact details through an iPhone-to-iPhone link, which is what is happening in San Francisco, according to Christina Criddle in the Financial Times.
However, even with a more sophisticated system of exchange, the details remain meaningless as a business development exercise if neither party knows what the other does for their clients and whether they have clients that each party would like to work with.
At Caroline’s Club, we teach our members through Strategic Business Development Workshops how to convey their services effectively and efficiently, first by studying the psychology of communication and secondly, knowing the five ways to sidestep the ‘innate fear of the influence of strangers’.
Third, we assist our members in curating meaningful marketing material through mini events with colleagues called ‘Clusters’ or through events with other professionals who serve the type of clients you would like to work with called ‘Pods’.
The marketing materials generated, such as blogs, podcasts, or case studies, are then uploaded to the Club’s digital aggregation platform, which is publicly accessible for browsing. The material is then linked to the members’ profiles on our private members directory page. Each member can then browse the directory to find other professionals who they may wish to work with who have their ideal client type as clients. They can then use our connect buttons to get in touch.
We use case studies, podcasts, blogs, satisfied client quotes, and awards won because our research into the psychology of communication makes it clear that using these methods are the most effective way to convey what you do for your clients with others.
But the links to your effective marketing material need not be limited to strategic digital networking. They can also be uploaded onto your QR code and shared with everyone you meet at an event, in the office corridor or on an aeroplane.
QR codes can be generated for free (if you want a one-off). They can upload a photo of you, your business logo, address, satisfied client quotes, your podcast, case studies and blog. The recipient needs a QR code reader, which can be easily downloaded for free onto a mobile device.
This new methodology of winning business is called ‘Client Mapping’ which Great Companies has called a ‘Client First Revolution’.
We have a short slide presentation that we can share with you to introduce you to our ‘Workshop on Strategic Networking’.
Our brief slide show takes you through why being busy is not enough. In this highly competitive professional services landscape a professional needs to be profitable, not just busy. To be profitable means strategically attracting the type of work that is profitable to do. Then, to look both within the organisation and beyond to find other professionals who are already working with this type of client, but from a different perspective.
It is then necessary to curate a mini-event with these other professionals, where they can meet, share, and record case studies of what they do for these client types. These recorded case studies can then be uploaded onto the platform, where they can be shared with contacts, colleagues, and clients. They can also be linked to a QR code and shared with anyone who comes into contact with that professional. This will lead to more informed connections and generate a higher quality of work with minimal effort.
In this way, not only will your contact details be shared, but also what you do for your clients, and what type of clients and for what work you are most skilled at.
If you would like to learn more about why and how to communicate your message to contacts, colleagues and network, contact me to find a time and date when I can share with you our research in our ‘Workshop for Strategic Networking’. Use the comment button to get in touch.