Business Cards - 5 Presentation Tips

By Jo Connelly

So you have a brand new batch of beautifully printed business cards. You've worked on the design, perfected your branding and feel sure that they put across you and your business in a striking and memorable way. Now it's all about getting them to people so that they can do their work.

The way you present your business cards to people can say as much about you as do the cards themselves so it makes sense to think about how and when you give them to people. Are you going to hand them out to everyone you meet however briefly, or reserve them for those you are interested in following up with after you've had an engaging conversation?

Whichever strategy you decide to follow, bear in mind these few simple tips to make sure your cards have the best chance of making the right impression.

1. Keep your cards in a cardholder that is neat and easy to open. You want your cards to be as crisp and clean as the day they came from the printers when you hand them over. Cards that have been tucked unprotected into a pocket might have dog-eared corners and look less than their best. However do make sure that the cardholder you use is simple to open; you want to be able to hand over a card smoothly without any fumbling around.

2. Present the card with the front side up and the text facing the person you are giving it to. Then when they give it a first courteous glance they will be able to take in the main message instantly, without having to turn it over, or worse putting it away unread. Contacts that put away cards without reading them first are far less likely to connect your card with your conversation after the event, as so are far less likely to follow up.

3. When you receive cards from others, do them the courtesy of reading their cards. Perhaps comment or ask a question before putting their card away carefully. If you have a cardholder with two pockets, use one side for cards that you are given. Treating a card with care rather than just shoving it at random in a pocket, gives the message that you value the new contact you have made and are planning to follow up.

4. in some cultures it is considered disrespectful to write on business cards. If you are meeting with people from a different culture from your own, make sure that you have checked out the etiquette that applies for them and respect that.

5. Some networking articles advise giving out more than one card to new contacts, so that they can pass them on to others. Use this strategy with discretion, preferably waiting until asked. It can often appear too pushy. It only really works when you have established a genuinely interested conversation, so that your new contact is sincere about wanting to pass on your details to friends.