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Business Card Collecting – Tips
Have you ever thought about a relatively cheap item to collect? The answer could be in collecting business cards. Almost every business and many individuals have printed their own business cards for exchange with people of like mind that they meet. Many businesses have them in a jar or tray on their counter. Be aware that collecting the early calling cards or visiting cards and trade cards may by costly, particularly the 17th and 18th century cards.
There are number of questions that you need to answer first.
1. What type of business card do you want to collect? Some people collect everything, some collect by themes, for example professional people, shipping companies, gifts stores, restaurants, hotels and the list goes on. Most collectors start by collecting almost anything ,and then when they choose categories they have cards to swap.
2. How do you want to collect them? Some collectors will only collect business cards given directly to them, other collectors will collect whilst on holidays, other collectors write away for them, whilst other collectors swap business cards. Again, its your choice, but above all have fun in whatever collection method you choose.
3. How do you store business cards? It is not uncommon to build collections over 20,000 cards. In order to remember what the collector has, it is best to catalogue them in a computer system and then store them in order. The storage needs to be free from moisture and direct heat. Some collectors use the zip-lock plastic bags, and the best ones to use are the ones that hold the business cards reasonably tightly, so that the cards are not damaged. Other collectors use sealable hard plastic containers. Choose any storage method that keeps the water and heat out.
4. Should I become a trader? Collectors of business cards may include the traditional calling cards and trade cards in their collections. These cards have not been produced for over two hundred years. They are offered for sale on internet auction sites and specialist card collector sites. Make sure that you know the value – they will appreciate with time, and follow some basic guidelines in your trading, as shown below.
o Be clear what you are selling or buying. Describe it accurately. Photograph if possible
o Keep the stock in the best condition possible, and do not exaggerate its condition.
o If a trade is too good to be true, it probably is.
o Communicate quickly and effectively whatever the medium.
o Remain happy and courteous at all times and have fun.
Collecting business cards can be as rewarding as you would like it to be.
Business Card Essentials – Seven Power Business Card Etiquette Tips For Greater Networking Success
Do your business cards really work for you? And are you using them effectively? Most business people wouldn’t dream of leaving home without them, and that is a good thing, since business cards are an essential tool for connecting with others — and making that connection stick.
But you have to use them correctly, or they will not serve you as well as they could. Read on for a quick review of seven power business card etiquette essentials:
1) Your business card represents you
Before you hand out your card (and preferably before you have them printed up), check the following:
– Does your card match your introduction or audio logo? — Is it immediately clear from looking at the card what services or products you provide? — Is it branded to reflect what you do and your marketing position? — Is it clean, crisp and of good quality without dog ears or scuffs? — Does it look professional? — Is the information on it correct and up-to-date? Avoid handwritten corrections.
2) Do you have enough of them?
If the answers to the above questions are positive, make sure you have enough cards so you’ll always have them available when you have an opportunity to pass them out. Find places to keep an extra stash – toss a box of cards in your truck or glove box of your car, and keep extras tucked away in your purse or briefcase so you won’t run out.
3) What if you do run out of cards anyway?
Make sure to get one from anyone you meet AND then email a quick note with your contact information or a V card within 24 hours.
4) How do you exchange cards correctly?
You should first establish rapport with a person in a conversation before exchanging cards. If you aren’t asked for yours, ask for theirs first. Most people will respond in kind. If not, simply ask, “May I offer you my card?”
5) Look at the cards you receive When you receive a card, borrow from the Japanese tradition. Honor it by looking at it and at the person, and then make a comment about it. This focus will help you remember both the card and the person.
6) Take notes
Be sure to jot down quick notes on the back of the business cards you get while networking. These notes can make the difference between a follow-up happening or not. There’s nothing worse than getting back to the office with twenty business cards and you can’t remember who all these people were.
What if you don’t have a pen handy? Just fold over a corner of the card for people with whom you definitely want to connect further.
7) Don’t Get Your Cards Mixed Up
Make sure to keep your own cards separate from the ones you get from other people. Keeping them in separate pockets or sections in your purse or briefcase, for example, will help you avoid the embarrassment of handing out a card that isn’t yours.
What is the Best Business Card Scanner? See This Answer
It is a common question across various professional fields that need to store data from printed receipts and cards – what is the best business card scanner? The answer is actually a simple one – the best is one that is capable of producing very high quality scanned images and is also equipped with a good OCR software.
The best scanners in the market have a high dpi (some have even 600 dpi) and they will reproduce a very sharp scanned image of the business card or any other document. As for what is the best card scanner supposed to be like, it is either going to be portable (for laptop warriors) or they are going to be bigger desktop scanners with special features to scan varying sizes of cards, receipts and documents.
When you are in the market for a good business card scanner, the ideal thing to do is to go to online stores and compare the models according to your own needs. Instead of just pondering on what is the best business card scanner, go into the details of the packages and offers. See what suits you best according to size, portability, quality and of course budget.
Some of these scanners are large multipurpose machines; others come in ridiculously small sizes for portability. Business card scanners come in packages with software so they start archiving your data out of the box. The accuracy of these systems usually depends on the software you are using them with and most have their own software and work seamlessly with it.