People don’t refer work to a business card
How often do you attend networking events where someone shoves their business card in your hand without waiting to be asked for one?
I learned long ago never to be a card shover. There’s no point. I always wait to be asked if I have a card AFTER we’ve spoken for a while.
I would stress that I’m referring here to networking events. It’s quite different when you attend a business meeting and everyone exchanges business cards. That’s normally to ensure that all those present know who else is there and which company they are from.
What is the point in shoving your business card into the hand of someone who hasn’t expressed any interest in it?
At best the card will be added to a database of contacts and the person in question may be able to claim to have met their quote of new poeple that week or month.
At worst you’ll get added to their mailing list (and start receiving emails and/or post that you may or may not want).
There is next to NO CHANCE that they will refer work to you, act as your advocate or decide to engage with you. Why? Because people don’t refer work to a business card.
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[...] Networking with everyone and no one? April 23, 2008 at 9:02 am | In Achieving success, Networking, Personal development | Networking (whether online or face to face) is all about building relationships. A little part of my heart sinks when I meet someone at a networking event and they thrust their business card into my hand ‘just in case’. Just in case what? [I explained the consequences of this approach on an earlier blog: People don't refer work to a business card] [...]
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