True, I can’t see “the Donald” working a room, shaking hands and handing out his card – but here’s proof that he DOES have one.  I know of other millionaires who have business cards too…

This one is part of a collection of business cards owned by Jack Gurner, a member of the IBCC (International Business Card Collector’s Club, http://www.ibccsite.com)

Yep, I’m a member, too!  Check it out.

FRONT:

BACK:

3 Business Cards in One!

(1 business card + 2 labels on back)

OR

4 Cards in One!

(1 business card + 3 labels on back)

Triple (Even QUADRUPLE!) the Reach of Your Business Cards – At No Extra Cost!

(Looking for something to put on the BACK of your Business Cards? This is IT!  My top recommendation.)

Order Capture Business Cards Here

Capture Business Cards stand out as a whole new category of interactive customized business cards. The card combines the benefits of a standard business card on the front with the multiple functions of removable adhesive labels on the back. Capture Card’s patented design allows you to conveniently and effectively transfer key information into calendars, address books, sales material and more. All while maintaining the functionality of a standard business card because even after the labels are removed you will have a regular weight business card.
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There are two Capture Business Card designs. Capture Card is a standard business card with three regular adhesive labels applied directly to the back, two small and one larger. These labels conveniently enhance your business card with a variety of ways to leave a lasting reminder with every card you distribute. Whether it is a return address label, appointment reminder, contact information, promotion or any of the many effective design ideas Capture Cards are fully functional alternative to average business cards..

Capture Card Plus is a standard business card with two re-positionable labels adhered to the back. These two labels can be customized to suit your networking and communication needs and can be applied and reapplied to a variety of mediums. The extra space and repositionable adhesive make this an even more versatile edition of the Capture Card concept. They have been used as personalized sticky notes, photo stickers, maps, to convey contact information and a variety of other unique and customized purposes. Capture every opportunity to make a lasting impression with your Capture Card.
Order Capture Business Cards Here

“These unique business cards get my highest endorsement.”  -Diana

If you’re not using the back of your card, you’re wasting an inexpensive method to catch and keep your customer’s attention. Here are some fun and useful ideas to get you started! If you see an asterisk (*) after the idea, you’d need to create a form on the back of the card for the cardholder to fill in with the suggested info.

Good Tip: Add this info to existing business cards using self-adhesive address labels.

Better Tip:  Order Capture Cards!  They come pre-printed with removable labels on the card back.

a copy of the FRONT of your card
acronyms
acupressure chart
additional locations
admission pass
advertising rates
amortization schedule
appointment times*
area churches
area telephone prefixes
artwork
automobile accident procedures
awards or honors received
before/after photos
Bible verse
biography
biorhythm chart
birthdays & anniversaries*
BMI (body mass index) calculator
body measurements*
books/articles published
branch offices
brand names you sell
business philosophy
calendar
calorie or fat gram counter
calories burned while exercising
car care checklist
caricature
cartoon
charities you support
checklist of symptoms
children’s developmental milestones
child’s immunization record*
city offices (health, public works, utilities)
class schedule*
Code of Ethics
college readiness checklist
color wheel, complementary colors
common HTML tags
common misspellings
company history
comparison chart
contact information for local government agencies
contact information*
contest rules
copy of your email signature file
cost-cutting ideas
coupon or discount offer
courses you teach
CPR instructions
credentials
currency conversion rates
definitions
degrees obtained
Dewey Decimal system
disclaimer
distributors
emergency phone numbers
emergency preparedness checklist
employee names
energy-saving tips
entertaining or useful websites
envelope sizes
fabric care instructions
fabric yardage conversion chart
family clothing sizes*
favorite quotation
floor plan
flower meanings
food group pyramid
foreign language phrases
frequently asked questions
fuller description of what you do/who you do it for
fun places to go in town
game (Tic-Tac-Toe, Hangman, dot-to-dot picture)
game schedule for local sports team
goals
graduation requirements
growth chart
guarantee
heart rate chart
hobbies
hours of service
household safety tips
how to change a tire
how to jumpstart a car
humorous anecdote
image of a million-dollar bill
ingredient substitutions
instructions for Heimlich maneuver
joke or riddle
large print version of data on front of card
list of emoticons
loan payment information
local pharmacists
major clients
meeting schedule
membership card
menu
merchants who offer related services
merchants who’ll give discount when card is shown
metric conversion chart
mileage-destination chart
mini-resume
mission statement
most popular products
moving checklist
nail sizes
national holidays
paint/wallpaper names, by room*
periodic table
personal medical information*
pet peeves
phone card
phone numbers for time, temperature, weather
photo
planting guide
political organizations
prescriptions*
product comparison chart
product price list
product uses
public speaking tips
quantity discount list
reasons to purchase NOW
receipt*
recipe
recommended systems/minimal standards
record of child’s height/weight by age*
reflexology chart
retirement readiness checklist
return or refund policy
ring sizes
rubber-stamped design
ruler
rules and regulations
screw sizes
seal of approval
song lyrics
stain removal g uide
State/Country elected officials
stress relief tips
subscription rates
survey
table of weights & measures
taxi services
temperature zone map
Ten Commandments
Ten Warning Signs of Cancer
terms and conditions
testimonial
thought-provoking question (“Can you afford college?”)
time zone chart
tips percentage table
tire tread depth gauge
toast or blessing
toll-free phone numbers for airlines
toll-free phone numbers for car rental agencies
toll-free phone numbers for hotel chains
train or bus schedules
translation of your card into a foreign language
trivia related to your business or industry
U.S. Presidents
U.S. states and capitols
URLs for Internet search engines
vision test
weight loss record*
wind chill index
wine list
work or industry experience
your signature
zip/postal codes
zodiac signs

More information about getting referrals is at CustomersByReferral.com, a new site I’m developing – that’s ONE use of the information on the card back!

Maybe there’s some truth to that old saying, “The third time’s the charm!” The number three certainly crops up often in marketing articles. Here’s why.

Tom Hopkins, renowned as the number one sales trainer in the world, gave an example of the power of three in a Success Seminar I attended several years ago. He said that salespeople should try to give their prospects THREE choices whenever possible, and put their best product as number three. Why? When you give someone three choices, 71% of people will choose the third one!

(Do you suppose the producers of the old TV game show “Let’s Make a Deal!” knew that “Door Number 3″ would be picked most of the time? I’ll bet they did.)

You should also try the Rule of THIRDS when you’re designing a print ad, according to the author of Do-It-Yourself Advertising, David F. Ramacitti. One third of your ad should be graphic elements, such as drawings or photographs. One third of your ad should be the copy, including your logo. One third of your ad should be white space. He notes, however, that there’s considerable room for variation in this rule, and that it doesn’t mean you should divide your ad into precise thirds.

The advertising “Rule of Seven” also attaches significance to the number three. This advertising axiom states that a prospect must notice your advertising message seven times before they’ll respond. The corollary? Since people aren’t always “tuned in” to the messages they’re bombarded with, they tend to actually notice an advertising message once for every THREE times they see or hear it.

Another illustration of the power of three appeared in The Competitive Advantage newsletter, quoting Morey Stettner in The Art of Winning Conversation. Persuasive people, according to Mr. Stettner, have always known the power of a TRIO of ideas. Note these three-beat advertising slogans: The few, the proud, the Marines; or reduce, reuse, recycle.

Commands are also commonly given in three steps:

• Lights! Camera! Action!
• Ready! Aim! Fire!
• On Your Mark! Get Set! Go!

Putting complex goals in easy-to-remember sets of three helps managers do their jobs better, too. For example, employees of Domino’s pizza remember FFF: fast, friendly, free delivery.

Using three points to convince someone of something adds to your persuasiveness while avoiding the dangers of saying either too much or too little.

Can you apply the magic of three to your business?

So you’ve got a dynamic product. You’ve determined that there’s a definite need (or want) for it. And you know what you want to say in your advertising copy.

(Congratulations! You’re way ahead of most of us!)

But when you DO eventually get to that point — and most of us do, after some trial and error, perhaps — what happens next? Now that you have a product, a need, and a message, how do you get that message out to your potential customers?

You have a bewildering and ever-increasing array of options. There are the tried-and-true alternatives such as billboards, classified ads, direct mail, display ads, telemarketing, business cards, bulletin boards, ad specialties and the like. Then there are the newer, “high-tech” methods such as CD-ROM presentations and Internet marketing (websites and email).

How do you know which method to choose?

You may find it useful to keep the following criteria in mind when you’re trying to select the advertising media for your business. This list is by no means an exhaustive listing, but it does provide a starting point for your decision-making process.

• Is the option portABLE?  If your product or service is purchased on impulse or when an emergency occurs, it’s important to have your company information immediately available. A good example of this could be a business card, or a magnet on the refrigerator. A poor example would be a billboard (unless the sign promotes a tow service and you happen to break down right in front of it!)
  
• Is the option adaptABLE?  If you travel on business, you can carry a telephone script with you and call from any hotel room. You can modify your script as you go along. You can even use selected words or phrases when you meet someone in person. So telephone prospecting could be a very adaptable alternative for you.
  
• Is the option acceptABLE?  If your message is to be seen in a positive light, it has to be delivered in a manner that your prospect finds acceptable. Telemarketing, often, is seen as intrusive. Direct mail may be seen as “junk mail.”  On the other hand, an ad in the classified section of your newspaper is accepted readily because your prospect chooses whether or not to read it.    It’s also associated with a valuable service (delivery of the news.)
  
• Is it affordABLE?  Sometimes the money just isn’t there. I know. (Although if you’re sure you’ve found THE best advertising option, I’d encourage you to find a way to make it work. Borrow. Barter. Beg. Whatever. (So long as it’s legal, of course!) Still, some options are much more cost-effective than others are. You can get 2,000 full-color business cards made for less than $200.00. Email advertising (depending on how you collect your addresses) can be done very inexpensively.
  
• Is the option capABLE of conveying the information you need?  A direct mail letter allows you page-after-page to explain a new concept. A CD-ROM presentation can add an audio or visual element, which may be essential for your customer to fully grasp your offering. At the opposite extreme, a simple sign tacked to a bulletin board (“FREE adorable puppies! Call 555-5555”) may be all it takes to make the sale.

There is, unfortunately, no “one size fits all” advertising approach, simply because so many variables are involved. Advertising methods or messages that are extremely effective for one company may be a complete flop for another.

You need to objectively assess the product or service itself, the industry you’re in, the people you’re trying to reach, the risk involved with the purchase — even the time of year and the name of your company can influence whether or not someone chooses to do business with you. You may have to test, test, and test yet again before you find the effective approach that’s right for YOUR business.

However, when you find the advertising method that works for you, the results can be extraordinarily profitABLE.