A business card is an entrepreneur’s best friend, her most valuable marketing tool and an essential element to becoming UNFORGETTABLE. Unfortunately, too many people have business cards that simply blend into the multitude of cookie cutter. And that’s a shame, because a business card is more powerful than you think.

Of course, it’s impossible to know this unless you actually have a card that’s really, really good.

Business cards are the #1 best marketing tool there is! And with websites like http://www.vistaprint.com they are also the most affordable!

Recently I took 66 business cards I’ve collected over the years and spread them out on a table. I closed my eyes for 30 seconds, opened them and took note of which cards stood out the most. And here’s what I noticed:

  • Red: every card that had red on it stood out.
  • Picture: only a few cards had pictures of the cardholder. This not only made them stand out, but helped me connect faces with names and companies.
  • Vertical: several cards were formatted vertically, which caught my eye.
  • Black Background: most cards have a white background, so the black ones REALLY stood out.
  • Image: cards with some sort of colorful image that took up at least one fourth of the total surface area captured my interest.

This was a valuable exercise in understanding UNFORGETTABLE business cards, and I recommend it to everyone. Try it out! Gather dozens of accumulated cards from your desk and discover which ones stand out. Oh, and don’t forget to put your OWN card in the pile. You’ll be amazed at what you see.

Or don’t see.

Here are some ideas to maximize the results of these little gold mines;

You Have Been Kissed
Wrap 2 Hershey Kisses in tulle and tie to business card. Put on the card “You have been kissed by a *party plan* Diva – Call me in 2 days for your FREE GIFT” Works best for the Adult Industry. Can also be used with Hershey Hugs.

Fill Your Home With Snickers
Wrap 2 bite-size Snickers in tulle and tie to a business card. Put on the card “Fill your home with giggles and snickers – host a *Company* party today.”

Jollys
Wrap 2 Jolly Rancher Candies in tulle and attach to business card – “Get your Jollys, have a *Company* party!”

Stock Up On
Simple and effective – “Stock up on *scrapping, skin care, candles, goodies* Today! Call me to book YOUR *Company* party and earn FREE PRODUCT!

Recruiting
Would you like more… time, money, freedom, fun? Become a *Company* consultant and receive all that and more! Change lives one *face, relationship, kitchen, etc* at a time!

The Card Creedo: finally, when you’re ready, reach into your pocket and grab one of your business cards. Look at it closely. Then say this affirmation out loud:

“This is my business card. There are many others out there, but none of them are like mine – because there’s nobody else like me. My business card is not a formality. It’s not a piece of paper containing my name and contact information. And it’s not another annoying thing to keep in my pocket. My business card is the most important networking tool that I own. It’s a reflection of my personal brand and a bite-sized morsel of the mission of my business. I LOVE my business card. And I can’t wait until somebody asks me for one. Because when they do, I will find a way to give that person value.”