Business cards can be a great marketing tool but not if you use them like this guy did

by Stuart Livesey

Your business card can be a great marketing tool for your small business and I wrote about it back in 2005 when I wrote Marketing Your Small Business with Your Business Card but they can also have the opposite effect if you try and push the limits and be a bit of smart-ass.

Last night we had to duck down to the computer shop to set up a download so that we could grab some very large files from a client. Rick, the guy we share the computer shop with, likes to promote other small businesses in town by allowing them to put a business card holder and a few business cards on his front counter. Included in those on display is one for our text and web design business.

Last night while I was waiting for Toni to set up the download I was looking through those business cards and noticed that none of ours were on display. That seemed a little odd until I noticed that someone had placed several new cards for Wide Bay Connections in front of ours in our card holder.

A phone call to Rick revealed that Jeff from Wide Bay Connections had been into the shop to source some parts through the week but hadn’t asked if he could leave any business cards. Instead it looks as though he spotted our cards and thought it would be a good move to get his cards in front of those of a competitor while Rick wasn’t watching.

Not a cool move Jeff because it not only sends the entirely wrong message about the sort of small business that Wide Bay Connections is but it also means you’re going to have to look for a new source any computer parts you want. Rick doesn’t take kindly to people who pull dirty tricks like that … and nor do we.