No Ordinary Card

Business Card Etiquette

Business card etiquette is the exchange of business cards with a level of dignity, decorum and respect. Networking is not complete without receiving or offering your business card. The business card is a way to maintain the connection, as well as providing the opportunity to follow up effectively. Further, your business card is a key method of branding yourself and your organisation. If utilized in the manner for which it was meant, the business card can become a significant tool in your personal brand arsenal.

Here are five key pointers on the effective use of business cards:

1. Ensure you are never without your business cards. Always keep a few in your wallet, card holder or handbag, as you never know when the opportunity to offer your stated brand may present itself.

2. Do follow the protocol on hierarchy. If you are a part of a business delegation, do not offer your cards to senior executives that you meet unless they specifically request your card.

3. Ensure to time the presentation of your card. You should not present your card at any random moment, as it may be construed as an ill-timed interruption. The best moment to present your card is when you are asked for one, when you are asked to repeat your name, when someone offers to forward something to you, or preferably at the end of a meeting or exchange. If however, the host of the meeting is unfamiliar with you or your organisation, then the card presentation at the beginning of the meeting is good practice.

4. Accompany your business card with a brief discussion on what you or your organisation can offer. In other words, when you present your card, provide a brief “action recommendation”. This can increase the likelihood of the person or organisation receiving the business card contacting you again. For example, you may say, “I believe I can assist you with your HR concerns, Ms. Doe. Here is my card.” At this point, it is perfectly acceptable to request referrals, by inviting the person receiving your card to send your contact details to anyone they know who can use your services or products.

5. When receiving a business card, it is very important to demonstrate to the other person that you value their card. Immediately when you receive the card, read the contents for a few seconds, comment about the card. Let the person also see that you are taking care in storing their card, please do not hand the card over to someone else, or immediately stuff into your handbag or wallet.

6. Your business card must identify you, your organisation, your title, and contact details, additional details on service offering can also be included.

7. For organisations doing business with non-native tongue countries, it is advisable to have a few of your business cards in the language of the country with which you are currently doing business or seeking to enter.

8. If you are sitting at a table, place cards received in the same order that they relate to the positions of the people sitting at the table.

9. Be aware of the business card customs of other countries, or countries with which you may be interested in doing business, particularly in China and Japan. In these countries business card etiquette is revered and treated with the utmost respect.

Finally, after the meeting, in addition to forwarding a note of thank for the meeting, it is useful to take note of the occasion and date of the meeting with the person or contingent behind the business card received. This gives you the opportunity of recall each time you have a look at the back of your stored business cards, of each event, meeting, networking opportunity you were presented with, just in case the opportunity presents itself again, you would be ahead of the game.

Nicole Dyer Griffith is trained and certified with the European School of Protocol, and can be contacted at NDG Communications & Consulting, 221-0199 or ndgccmarketing@outlook.com.