| 2025 is the 10th anniversary of my book, Behind Your Back: What purchasing managers say once you leave the room and how to get them to say yes. Here’s an updated chapter from Part I: Rule 1.7: Unsuck Your Business Card. |
| Most business cards are boring, lame, reek of corporate compromise, and are ultimately forgettable. After collecting hundreds of business cards from all over the country, I remember exactly one. And I still have it. A carpenter contractor from Chicago had his business cards printed on wood. Wooden business cards. For a carpenter. Get it? The sales team at Lumber King in Kentucky read Behind Your Back and followed my advice. Their cards are strong and unique—and customers and prospects alike have raved about them. |
Not only was it an instant conversation starter whenever he handed it out, later it would come up around my office whenever we’d discuss contractors who were innovative.
Now, was this guy actually running an innovative business?
I don’t know. He ran a solid carpentry company, not Apple.
I do know, at least on this one aspect of marketing his business, that he was thinking differently than everyone else.
This was a great design choice for his company. If, and when, I ever had an itch to scratch involving carpenters, I’d go straight to my book of business cards.
And guess which carpenter I’d think of first?
You got it: Mr. Wooden Business Card.
He’s earned top-of-mind status.
A few other notes on business cards:
PAPER PERFECT
Print yours on 100 lb. card stock or plastic. If you try to save a few pennies per card by choosing the next step up from toilet paper, we may confuse the two.
- Why are these cards so cheap?
- Do they not know these are cheap?
- What does the quality of their cards say about the quality of their company?
- What does this say about how they feel about us?
Now, is it possible I’m looking too far into this?
Maybe.
But I did and I still do.
DESIGN-DRIVEN
Don’t be afraid to be original and interesting. Pay a few bucks to have a graphic designer create something unique. Something people will remember and mention after you leave.
Change them up every six months. Have four different models of business cards with different products on the back. See which one your prospects like the best. Make a game out of it.
Business cards are cheap.
Have some fun with them.
I certainly have.
After learning that our new book printer in Dallas holds the contract to print Topps baseball cards, I asked the obvious question: Could you print my new business card to the exact specifications of a modern, high-end baseball card with a 1983 Topps feel?
Here’s what we came up with:
At seventy cents apiece, some might say these business cards are expensive. My response is the same one I give clients when they hear “Your price is too high”: Compared to what?
QR CODES
A Purchasing Manager I know well loves business cards with QR codes on the back—the square, bar code-looking thing you see on more and more ads. QR (Quick Response) codes make it simple and fast to transfer information on the card directly into the contacts list on a smartphone.
Isn’t this part of the goal?
To have a Purchasing Manager eagerly upload your contact information into his phone?
I met Jon Harvey of S&L Lumber at a Do it Best sales workshop in Fort Wayne. He made this unique die cut businesscard on his own:
SPEAK SPANISH
If you have Spanish-speaking customers, get business cards in Spanish.
Don’t overthink this.
Just do it.
Hispanics are the largest minority in the country and the most entrepreneurial ethnic group. For those of you interested in incremental and accretive sales growth, the underserved and often overlooked Hispanic population is quietly waiting for you.
Treat them with respect.
Be different.
Business cards in Spanish will accomplish both.
During your next sales meeting, bring your business cards. Lay them out on the table and have everyone present answer this question: Do these represent the quality, value, and differentiation we claim to deliver to customers every day?
If the answer is no—fix them.
Are there any creative ideas to improve them?
Has anyone received an outstanding business card from someone else in our industry? Outside our industry?
Would leadership be open to hosting an idea/design competition to create business cards that stand out?
A business card is more than contact info. It’s a first impression, a signal of your credibility, and a reflection of yourstandards. Make sure it speaks well before you do.
Thanks for reading.
I’ll be back next Thursday.
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Bradley Hartmann & Co.
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Contact Bradley Hartmann:
bradley@bradleyhartmannandco.com
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