Take My Card

Many people underestimate the power of a buisness card.  I for one, have just discovered its importance.  Unfortunately, I learned the hard way.

Today I took part in a seminar hosted by Frank, where we had the opportunity to meet with professionals in our field who graduated from the IMC program.  I was placed at Ricardo Giuliani's table.  I learned so much from him, and at the end of the session he handed me a business card.  I felt awkward, being unable to do the same.  This card is a direct connect to Mr. Giuliani. I felt like I had not made an equivalent connection because I had not exchanged a card of my own.

The idea is to make your card stand out among the rest.  Ricardo had this in mind when designing his.  His strength must lie in design, seeing as his card strongly reflects that talent.  Tanya and I both received his card and we noticed that the backs were different.  Tanya's had a vacation photograph while I had one of him and his wife.

Your business card is a reflection of you.  You can display so many things about yourself through your card.  The concept is simple; contact information and possibly logo.  Ricardo took the extra step by making it unique and memorable.

Now it's up to me to decide what to do with this card.  It is a vital connection I have made and plan on keeping.  I realize that I will be receiving many business cards in the coming years and have decided to adapt a organizational strategy.  I will place them in a business card book and include (on a separate piece of paper) the 5 w's.  This way, I can't forget them and can refer back to this connection when I need to.

If there's one thing I know for sure, you're only as strong as your network.