Make Sure You're Holding the Right Cards
by Debbie Allen
Published on this site: July 13th, 2005 - See
more articles from this month...
Does your business card reflect a positive image for your
business? Does it clearly define what your business is all
about at a glance? If not, you may be making some big mistakes
in your marketing and need to take another look at the message
you are putting out there.
Why? Because if a prospective customer views your business
image as unprofessional or confusing, they will simply do
business with someone else. You can't afford to let that happen
to you. Are you holding the right cards?
While presenting marketing seminars to thousands of business
owners and entrepreneurs, Debbie Allen (sales and marketing
expert) discovered a shocking reality. Many of the business
cards presented a poor and unprofessional image of the business
at first glance. Very few business cards or marketing materials
had an effective message that described the business clearly.
Most lacked a strong visual logo that defined the business
and had no branded image or catch praise that set them apart
from their competition.
With this newfound discovery, Debbie began to ask members
of the audience to stay after her presentation to receive
a free business card evaluation. This intrigued attendees,
and many waited for up to an hour to have a chance to talk
with her in person and to get feedback on how to improve their
marketing message.
Another discovery! Many owners and managers are so close
to their businesses that they don't see the most obvious mistakes.
The reason for this is that they don't look at their business
through their customers' eyes. They view it from a very narrow
focus, their own eyesight. This can be disastrous for a company's
professional image.
Just as people judge individuals at first glance, so they
judge a business image the same way. If prospective customers
view the business image as unprofessional or confusing, they
will simply walk away. Prospective customers will be lost
to competitors who do a better job at marketing their company's
image, brand and uniqueness.
The goal of an organization should be to create a strong,
immediate message that clearly defines its business. The message
must connect an emotional bond with the customers, both verbally
and visually. This same image and message must be coherent
on all marketing materials ranging from a company's business
card, advertising, packaging and signage to its website.
Once organizations recognize the need to improve their business
image on their marketing materials, it can be easy to make
the changes needed to update and improve. The solution is
often a small investment in a graphic artist and a marketing
consultant.
Where do you start? A great place to start is to take a close
look at your business card as if you were a prospective customer.
First compare it with the list of top 10 mistakes below then
take the business card ranking quiz online at: http://www.DebbieAllen.com
The 10 Most Common Business Card Mistakes
- Scrambles messages with inconsistent design elements.
- Does not clearly define your business services and/or
products.
- Does not make you memorable (in a good way).
- Indicates unflattering things about your business.
- Does not generate additional business.
- Creates a cluttered impression.
- Omits essential information, or is filled with non-essential
information.
- Looks out of date, or information no longer applies.
- Is hard to read or confusing to the eye.
- Lacks a point of interest, image or theme.
Debbie Allen is an international business speaker
and author of five books on sales and marketing. She has presented
before thousands of people in nine countries around the world.
Debbie is the founder of "International Business Image
Improvement Month (May)" which was created to help people
improve their marketing materials and present a more professional
business image to attract more customers. Take her free online
business card quiz to see if you're holding the right cards
at: http://www.DebbieAllen.com
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