If there’s one thing that really puts me off dealing with small business “professionals” it’s being presented with what is clearly a free business card. You know the ones, they have something like “Get your 250 FREE business cards from www.aprintingcompany.com” on the back of them.
Now I appreciate that small businesses have limited budgets and can’t afford to waste money, it’s just that I view having a professional image as essential. You wouldn’t turn up to pitch for business in dirty shorts and sandals (I hope) and advertise the fact that you got them cheap from a charity shop. So why make your business card into an advert for how cheap you’ve been.
Don’t get me wrong there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the quality of the business cards - I’ve even used one of the companies my own business cards. The problem is that I know how little you have to pay to get their advert removed and therefore just how cheap you are being by not paying for it’s removal.
What really puts me off however are those professionals that present me with a free business card that has a free email and website address on it. That you’re not committed enough to your business to risk the £2.59 for your own domain name or the £7 or so for business cards suggests to me that I can’t afford to risk doing business with you.
The point is, cheap marketing can actually cost far more than you think.
On the other hand, if you’re a charity it could convince me that the majority of donations will actually be spent on the cause rather than wasted on overheads.
This blog is about business opportunities and ideas that I spot, think of or hear about and think are useful and interesting. It is intended to provide ideas and inspriation for you to help you find the right business idea for you to then grow it into a successful business.
Indeed! I want some nice quality but affordable business card for my blog one day =).
Most of the printers of “FREE” business cards do good quality affordable ones…
Getting nicely designed business cards is not difficult. There are lots of printers who offer this service, but the best place is a designer who may design your logo (if you haven’t already got one), offer you up-to-date information on marketing issues, and organise the production of a good quality and professionally printed card.
The internet based business card providers do a very poor job. The card is flimsy and cheap looking, the designs are all the same (going to a networking event and meeting someone with the same design as you is not a good thing) and it is extremely difficult to create something individual even if you have the right software and wherewithall to do it.
Investing in good networking promotional material is vital to provide a good impression.
While I agree with you in general Alice, I disagree with your assertion that “internet based business card providers do a very poor job”. While some are awful, there are some that do a great job of printing a good quality card, but like all things you get what you pay for.