As we network in our professional lives, often issues come up surrounding business cards come up. Yesterday the representatives of EveryMeeting.com had the chance to attend two very high profile events, and noted some positive and negative business card transactions.

1. Never go out without your business card. Every single person in a company is that company’s sales person outside the office as well as inside. The virtual reality of business today has blurred the lines between office hours and personal time. So you should always have business cards available whether on the clock or off socializing. At the events we attended yesterday, there were two people who’s services were of an urgent need – neither had a card available. TIP: If you put on pants to go out for the day, be sure to put business cards in your pocket or your wallet. (Ladies who were skirts, you get the message I am sure.)
2. Accept a card with grace. I like the tips from GreatFXBusinessCards.com (we have never used their services, so this is not a direct endorsement of their products) but they write, “Act as though you have received a gift.” Upon accepting a card, you have the opportunity to repeat the name and be corrected on pronunciation–to be corrected on pronunciation after this is a bit more of a gaff. You should also ask any questions that the card itself may bring to mind and comment on the design if practical. The idea is to show interest in any contact’s card, which will make them more likely to be interested in yours. At yesterday’s event a young lady who had asked for a card from a colleague later threw it on the table where we saw it in a plate of discarded food. The young lady was not someone that colleague will not call in the future as he extended her every courtesy, and that gesture was just the tip of her business mannerism portfolio. TIP: When someone hands you a business card “Act as though you have received a gift.”
3. Be sure your card is up to date an accurate. A business card is a quick way for people to contact you and you don’t want to be looking for a pen to write a new phone number on a card when you should be engaging in a valuable conversation with a potential client. Cards can be done now in just a few days, and sometimes within 24 hours, so there is no reason not to change your card when you phone number, address or email change. Be sure the card is readable, and made of a stock that is not too flimsy. Folded, and odd shaped cards might get attention, but tend not to fit in a rolodex or the plastic card files many people use, so what you get in ingenuity, you might loose in the card being saved for future use. TIP: Carry accurate cards with clear information.
4. Understand business card culture. In Japan when you receive a card it is considered rude if you write on it or put it in your back pocket. In India be sure to put your university degrees and honors on your card, and always hand it to someone so they can read it with your right hand. In France, and even Canada today, having your business card translated into French on the backside is a must. In the US it is permissible now to have a business card even if you are looking for a job, in fact it can help you land an important contact, however this is not so in Germany or many other countries. So you can see that there are many cultural issues that the simple business card must adhere to if you are trying to make a good impression and get that business relationship off on the right foot. TIP: Know the culture and business card practices.
We hope these tips help you at the next networking event and be sure to stop back to learn more about making the most of your professional meetings and events at EveryMeeting.com.

Sources for this article:
http://www.greatfxbusinesscards.com/business-card-etiquette.htm
www.kwintessential.co.uk/…etiquette/france-country-profile.html
www.worldwide-tax.com/india/indpractice.asp

I had the opportunity to attend an event hosted by the Detroit Chapter of the American Marketing Association, featuring Scott Monty, Global Digital & Multimedia Communications Manager for the Ford Motor Company and Sheri Sullivan, Consumer Dialogue Director for Team Detroit.

Ford is by far the leader in the automotive industry with regard to social marketing, and has gained ground not by forcing their way into the media limelight via their mighty budgets, but instead by a culture of listening. Scott Monty opened the session quoting Woody Allen, “90% of life is just about showing up,” but then made sure to follow that quote up with Ford’s spin on social media: “Be there and make a difference.” From the onset you understood that Ford’s social media mission is something different than most company cultures will allow.

Ford has used social media to break down silos between development and marketing as well as between key groups in the company such as engineering, and legal. They have broken with the conventional by letting engineers speak directly to consumers on social media platforms, a notion utterly earth shattering in the auto industry, but that is just what Ford has done. Yes, they have prepped the speakers as would any good communications group, but they allow an engineer to answer in their own voice, as opposed to having every word scrutinized by a legal team.

Ford has also used social media to engage consumers. A couple campaigns the Ford social media team are touting as successes include The Fiesta Movement (http://www.fiestamovement2.com/) where Ford has given Fiesta cars to 16 people in various areas of the country asking them to drive and comment. Ford is now entering phase two of this successful project in anticipation of the U.S. launch of its star European product. Then there is the ability for consumers to customize their own Mustang at Ford’s Mustang website (http://www.fordvehicles.com/mustang/) where over 900,000 people have taken them up on the offer to create the Mustang of their dreams.

The takeaway is that Ford is responding on social media in a way that their customers want to talk about each particular product. Ford is actively listening on Twitter, and using several people on each Twitter handle to respond to those 140 character threads with over a dozen user names including @Ford, @FordFusion, @FordTrucks and more. And they found that their truck consumers are not so much Tweeting but found more frequently on forums, so they also have a presence on many of the top truck forums.

Bottom line to all this, Ford’s perception is growing with regard to safety, and many other metrics over time. Scott Monty summed it up when he said that at Ford, “Social media is not a marketing function, or a PR function, but a customer service function for the entire organization.”

How does this apply to EveryMeeting.com? Ford is engaging in events throughout the country to engage their customers and potential customers not only in the social space, but also in the real space. The ultimate social media, when online connects with real life. Good job Ford Motor Company, many have a lot to learn from your efforts, keep it up.