Start by asking the members…

How many ways can you nominate to use your business card to promote you and your business?

Wait for responses. Recap on 4 or 5 of them.

Pick out the best 2 and get the member up front to explain in a little more detail how they implement their idea.

Then say there are are some great ideas there!

Will ………. and ………… come up the front and explain their idea in 30 seconds please?

4.    place one under the windscreen wiper of any business vehicle you walk past with a handwritten invitation on the back to contact you if they could use your services.

The Referral Master®

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Can anyone tell me please what is the average cost of their business card?

Repeat some of the responses.

You will find that some will not know exactly so after all the responses, let them know that you can get full colour cards for as little as 20 cents each and one colour cards for as little as 16 cents each.

Now ask them…..

How many do you use each month?

Field responses and then multiply the biggest number by 20 cents to get the average cost per month. Tell the group what it is in dollars!   ……. cards X $0.20 = $……..

Then ask them…

What other advertising can you do for that price?

And, more to the point, what advertising that goes direct to people who are real prospects can you do at that price?

So, now how many cards do you plan to give out next month?

Remember, giving away business cards is still one of the cheapest forms of advertising you can do.

The Referral Master

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Last week we looked at one aspect of your business card – your name.

Examine the placement of the logo, the amount of information, the contact details. You have 30 seconds!

Wait for 30 seconds and then ask for some feedback.

Did you see anything that could be improved?

Repeat 1 or 2 answers.

Now I want you to give some personal feedback to the person whose card you are still holding.

Again wait for about 30 seconds and then say….

Some of you may want to rethink the design of your business card. If so I am sure someone here knows a designer.

The Referral Master®

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This morning we are going to have a look at your business card. And we are going to look at whether it really works for you.

After all your business card is a vital part of your networking!

If not, then tell your partner! Turn to the person whose card you have and tell them.

Wait for the group to do this. Then say……

Robyn Henderson, the Australian Networking Guru, tells us that our business card needs firstly to be a name card.

And if you think about it, people do business with people.

Not companies.

Not Divisions of Companies.

But people!

So it is vital that the easiest thing to read on your business card is your name. In many cultures they are called that – Name Cards. And they are given reverence when being passed from one person to another as though you are passing their name.

So tell me, what are the important things about the name on your business card?

Ask for responses from audience and repeat a few – then say….

From our perspective it needs to be…

1.    Bold type – not everyone can read fine print at a distance.
2.    At least 14-point type for the same reason.
3.    In the centre.
4.    Spelt as you want to be introduced – that is no full names if you use abbreviations normally.

The Referral Master®

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————————————————————————————–

Start by asking the members…

How many ways can you nominate to use your business card to promote you and your business?

Wait for responses. Recap on 4 or 5 of them.

Pick out the best 2 and get the member up front to explain in a little more detail how they implement their idea.

There are some great ideas there!

Thanks ……….. and ……………….

We appreciate your ideas.

Some other ideas you can mention, if they have not come up already, are:-

1.    include a card with every account payment, newsletter and promotional flyer  that you mail

2.    get a card holder and leave it full of cards at the desk of any business place that will take them

Can you think of some places?

3.    give two every time someone asks you for one… and then ask them to pass on the extra to a friend who may need your service/product

4.    place one under the windscreen wiper of any business vehicle you walk past with a handwritten invitation on the back to contact you if they could use your services.

The Referral Master®

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Last week we looked at one aspect of your business card – your name.

This morning we are going to look at some other aspects of your card.

Examine the placement of the logo, the amount of information, the contact details. You have 30 seconds!

Wait for 30 seconds and then ask for some feedback.

Did you see anything that could be improved?

Repeat 1 or 2 answers.

Now I want you to give some personal feedback to the person whose card you are still holding.

Again wait for about 30 seconds and then say….

Some of you may want to rethink the design of your business card. If so I am sure someone here knows a designer.

The Referral Master®

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You will need to read it through beforehand and be prepared. 
What you say out loud to the group is in larger type in bold.
Purpose: To highlight what works on a business card.

Need: – 0.

————————————————————————————————-

Start by asking the members…

This morning we are going to have a look at your business card. And we are going to look at whether it really works for you.

So, everyone, please take out one copy of your current business card?

Now, give it to the person on your right – that’s right, everyone pass their card one person to the right.

Now, hold up your partner’s card at full arms length and see if you can read their name clearly. Imagine that you have never met this person before and they are wearing their business card in their BNI name cardholder.

Even though you know their name, can you make out their name clearly?

If not, then tell your partner! Turn to the person whose card you have and tell them.

Wait for the group to do this. Then say……

Robyn Henderson, the Australian Networking Guru, tells us that our business card needs firstly to be a name card. Robyn has been the Executive Officer of the National Speakers Association here in Australia for the past few years and has done a fantastic job!

And if you think about it, people do business with people. Not companies. Not Divisions of Companies. But people!

So it is vital that the easiest thing to read on your business card is your name. In many cultures they are called that – Name Cards. And they are given reverence when being passed from one person to another as though you are passing their name.

So tell me, what are the important things about the name on your business card?

Ask for responses from audience and repeat a few – then say….

From our perspective it needs to be…

1.    Bold type – not everyone can read fine print at a distance.
2.    At least 14-point type for the same reason.
3.    In the centre.
4.    Spelt as you want to be introduced – that is no full names if you use abbreviations normally.

The Referral Master®

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Without meaning to in any way lessen the sanctity of this creed, I adapted the words a bit to make it relevant to BNI members as a way to have some harmless fun - and as a timely reminder of how important our business card holders are.

As the education coordinator at my chapter, I got everybody to stand up and, holding up their business card holder, to repeat the BNI Business Card Holder’s Creed after me.

Here it is…

This is my my business card holder.
There are many like it, but this one is MINE.
My business card holder is my best friend. It is my business.
I must master it as I must master my business.
My business card holder without me is useless. Without my business card holder, I am useless.
I must refer more than my competitor who is trying to out compete me.
I must take my business card holder everywhere with me
My business card holder and myself know that what counts in business is not the rounds we fire, the noise of our bursts, nor the smoke we make.
We know it is the referrals that count. We will refer…
My business card holder is human, even as I, because it is my business.
Thus, I will learn it as a brother.
I will learn its weaknesses, its strengths, its parts, its accessories, and its contents.
I will ever guard it against the ravages of weather and damage.
I will keep my business card holder clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready.
We will become part of each other. We will…
My business card holder and myself are the defenders of my business.
We are the masters of our competitors.
We are the saviours of my business.
So be it, until there is no competitor, but PROSPERITY.

Our chapter had a lot of fun doing this.

The point being that like a soldier without a rifle, a BNI member without their business card holder, is not networker at all.

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