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Make Sure You’re Holding
The Right Cards
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 www.DebbieAllen.com
1.
Scrambles messages with inconsistent design elements.
2. Does not
clearly define your business services and/or
products.
3. Does not
make you memorable (in a good way).
4.
Indicates unflattering things about your business.
5. Does not
generate additional business.
6. Creates
a cluttered impression.
7. Omits
essential information, or is filled with non-essential
information.
8. Looks
out of date, or information no longer applies.
9. Is hard
to read or confusing to the eye.
10. Lacks a
point of interest, image or theme.
Word count:
583
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 www.DebbieAllen.com
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