What is business card etiquette all about? Is there really an etiquette associated with handing someone a business card? Believe it or not, there is an etiquette connected with business cards and it is critical. Your business and income is counting on proper etiquette.
When you are handing someone your business card, you are wanting to ensure that they want to receive it and will hold on to it. These tips are proper business card manners that you will want to follow.
Make sure your information is correct - Before you do anything, double and triple check that the information on there is correct. There is nothing worse than handing out a business card with handwritten corrected information, or having something scratched out. It screams out that you are unorganized and unprofessional.
Do not hand out an ugly card - I have seen people hand out business cards with coffee stains on it, or the card was all bent. When people leave you, that business card is going to be their lasting memory of you. You do not want them to remember you as the person that gave me that mangled card. If the card is mangled, do not hand it out.
Remember etiquette when handing it out - It does not do you any good to hand a card to every person you meet. You only want to hand it out to people that want to receive your card, this is good business etiquette. You should not hand it out when you are just saying hi to someone, or someone casually asks what you do for a living. Hand them out in good taste.
When you give a card, ask for one in return - This is good business card etiquette. You are showing the other person that their information is important and that you want to follow up with them. Make sure you use their card and follow up, this will show you understand etiquette in business.
These few simple tips will help you make the best use of business card etiquette to your advantage.