Before we delve into the practical demonstration, it is important to understand what a smart business card really is, especially what indeed makes it smart.
Generally, a smart business card is any medium or object that has a chip within it for the purposes of storing and sharing contact information usually without physical contact.
The most popular ones are made of any of the following materials: metal, wood, and plastic; usually of rectangular shape, the size of a bank card, and run on near-field communication (NFC) technology (similar technology being used for modern contactless payment bank cards) without the absolute need for the installation of an app.
That said, a smart business card can be of any material or shape; the most important component is the presence of the NFC chip or similar technology integrated into it.
Not too long ago I used to hold and distribute traditional business cards with pride; recently however, I destroyed all those paper business cards. Why? A pack of business cards is actually a waste of money and space! Carrying a pack of normal business cards around is way too much inconvenient and highly inefficient!!!
We are now in the era of smart business cards!
Some of the ‘old-school’ business cards I eventually destroyed recently
Now I keep one special business card on me (my smart business card; see below. It is like a bank card; it has a microchip inside). And as a user, I need just one! And with that single smart business card, I share my profile, contact details, and any other relevant information, to someone I meet’s phone without giving out my card per se. I just show the smart business card to the person’s phone, for instance, and bingo! My contact details get transmitted wirelessly, correctly and instantly onto the person’s phone.
In action… my black bamboo smart business card
Wowed on seeing my contact details directly transmitted to her phone without physical contact
As simple as bringing phone and the smart business card close enough without physical contact
Wowed on seeing my contact details directly transmitted to his phone without physical contact
Yes, I went in for the black bamboo type, and deliberately opted for a simple white inscription on it without a logo or any fanciful branding (I love it to bits!) but there is a metal option, and also a plastic option and can be branded in full colour with your logo or in any fashion you so desire (Terms & Conditions Apply). And together they come in some 15 colour variations to choose from. When you scroll down a little you will see many samples; below is mine…
My smart business card; showing the front
That single smart business card takes care of all the 3 businesses I run since I can select what to transmit at any point in time; how cool is that! Today I can save my contact details directly (and correctly) on people’s phones and not worry about the numerous disadvantages or drawbacks traditional business cards have. It’s the only business card I will ever need!
I save myself the cost and inconvenience of having to print and carry packs of traditional business cards around.
Absolutely stunning branding. So beautiful!
The base information, or most fundamental type of information you can store and share via the smart business card are called ‘actions’. Below are the key actions one can set on a typical smart business card…
You can set up multiples of each type of action to meet whatever needs, so there is almost no limit to the amount of information you can create and share with the smart business card.
For detailed explanation of each of the actions or features you may click here.
That was then; today, the story is entirely different with the advent of modern technology; especially the smartphone. We are in the era of smart business cards!
Everything counts! More so in today’s fast-paced world.
Mr Mann goofed; you should not!
Meet Mr Mann (not his real name) …astute business executive who takes networking seriously, and has had the opportunity to close several business deals as a result. He knows his stuff, and when he introduces himself and his business to you, he hands his business card to you with traditional etiquette, and where he has to take yours too, likewise. Indeed, things are working for him. The picture was taken on his way to a very important meeting that promised a good deal with some new investors.
Below is Mr Mann from the meeting; this time things did not go well, because the people he went to meet deployed smart business cards, and Mr Mann had no clue as to what to do; it was such an embarrassment!
He went along with his bulky pack of traditional business cards and gave them out like holy communion; the people’s body language was that of disgust even though they did well with their forced smiles, just so that Mr. Mann wouldn’t be way too embarrassed.
That was the end of the deal; the prospective partners didn’t think Mr. Mann was abreast enough with happenings in the business world so he could not be fully trusted to deliver good business in today’s fast-paced business environment where every serious person needs to capitalise on the speed and efficiency current technologies provide. Actually, they did not even have the time and patience required to transfer Mr. Mann’s contact details from the paper business card Mr. Mann gave to them, and they certainly did not make reference to those traditional business cards either since anytime they needed contact details they went straight to their phones rather than scouting through a collection of the numerous traditional business cards they had piled up over the years.
Well, 88 percent of traditional business cards are discarded in a week!
I know someone who has more than 400 of traditional business cards collected over the years; how easily would yours be looked for, and found in such a pile? In the first place, would that be done at all? Today when people need to make contact they go straight to contacts on their phone; not a pile of traditional business cards.
You get the limitations of the traditional business cards; right?
In the words of Horatio Nelson Jackson…
You can’t do today’s job with yesterday’s methods and be in business tomorrow.
In other words… “Innovate or die!”
Business networking has changed forever!
So in today’s world, and for efficiency and proof of status, the new trend in business and social networking is to use smart business cards; always handy when you meet prospective partners, potential customers, etc. for the first time. Yes, business cards as we have known them, and how we have been sharing them like communion, are now obsolete; they are each becoming a thing of the past! Today, a single smart business card replaces all the business cards you will ever need! And it also determines to a large extent how serious you take your business and your personal branding.
In addition to getting to know exactly what to do when faced with a smart business card, I strongly recommend that you get some for yourself, especially if you are serious about your brand image, want added convenience, or minded to cut down on your printing cost, and additionally avoid the inconvenience associated with carrying a pack of traditional business cards around. If you want to know more in that regard, especially answers to the questions people frequently ask (FAQs) you may click here.
For direct enquiry, especially regarding my personal experience of the smart business card so far, you may click any of the contact options below…
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So in the diagram, how many squares did you make out in total; how many squares are there?
Well, most people get or give 16 as their answer. Some get 17 and a few get 21; and that’s at least better than the ‘16’ answer majority of people give. Just about 1 percent of people surveyed get the best answer; which is…
Well, get a full illustration of all the more than 21 possible ‘hidden’ squares…
One: Sometimes you need someone to show you the obvious, and oftentimes… the not so obvious! Credit to ZigZiglar
Two: Education and schooling are not the same thing. What goes on inside the schools is often not education. And the results may well be that it reduces productive capacity rather than to increase it. Credit to Prof Sir William Arthur Lewis
Three: My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Credit to Prophet Hosea
Four: The illiterates of the future are not those who cannot read or write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn! Credit to Alvin Toffler
Five: The greatest obstacle to progress is not ignorance, but the illusion of knowledge. Credit to Daniel Boorstin
Six: When you know the right things, the boundaries around your life suddenly disappear. Credit to Brian Sher
