This era of smart business cards; exactly what to do to avoid embarrassing yourself when faced with one

By David K Egyir
13 September 2022

Originally published on 14 June 2021

A 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! Scroll down for the video...

CLICK HERE TO GET A SMART BUSINESS CARD

Business cards as we have known them, and how we have been sharing them like communion, are now obsolete; they are each a thing of the past! That is what caused Mr. Mann all the embarrassment, and made him lose a mega business deal; he was thinking and acting the usual — old school — since he had no clue regarding how things have changed in business networking, especially the new and smart way we are expected to share and receive contact details these days; see the video further below. (Live demo info also further below; you may scroll further down)

We are now in the era of smart business cards!

That’s the trend in business and networking now! Below is a video that demonstrates the advantages and value of the smart business card. Further below the video (scroll down) you will get more insights on how you can benefit from the many advantages the smart business card presents. And answers to questions people frequently ask about the smart business card. Watch the video…

Play Video

Video Outline / Time Stamp…

00:00 Introduction

01:35 Traditional Business Cards Etiquette

02:20 The New Way… Smart Business Cards

02:40 Embarrassing Scenario… The Story of Mr. Mann

04:00 The Smart Business Card Advantage

05:27 The Need to Know How to Receive from Smart Business Cards

06:04 The Options for Receiving Details from Smart Business Cards

06:51 Option 1 in Detail… Principles

12:05 Option 1 in Detail… Demo

15:07 Inflection

16:16 Option 2 in Detail

19:21 Promo Appreciation Recap

20:38 Additional Benefits

22:15 Extra Recommendations

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What do you know about the etiquette governing traditional business cards?

The business world has for several years cherished business cards as the primary means of sharing contact information in a complimentary gesture; always handy when you meet prospective partners, potential customers, etc. for the first time.

Indeed, in many cultures, especially Japan and China, there has been a whole etiquette or accepted and expected cultural way of giving and receiving business cards; for instance a person was required to hand out and / or receive a business card with both hands reaching out as shown, and after receiving the card even where you placed it (whether pocket, wallet, etc) were all important factors that determined whether or not you would be seen as a good prospect.

That was then; today, the story is entirely different with the advent of modern technology; especially the smartphone. I share my personal experience further below.

Everything counts!

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. He is on his way to a very important meeting that promises a good deal with some new investors…

This 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.

I know someone who has more than 400 of such traditional business cards collected over the years; how easily would yours be looked for, and found in such a pile? You get the limitations of the traditional business cards; right?

It is said that…

You can’t do today’s job with yesterday’s methods and be in business tomorrow.

In other words… “Innovate or die!”

QUESTION: With the advent of smart business cards, how ready are you? Particularly, at your next important meeting, if a prospective customer or potential business partner brings out a smart business card, instead of the normal business card you know, will you know what to do to receive his or her profile and contact details?

Let’s catch up quickly…

To know what to do (typically, activate the NFC on your phone) to receive a prospect’s profile and contact details when he or she brings out a smart business card, you may click here. For direct enquiries of any sort, and especially to request for direct coaching on the use of smart business cards, please send a message or voicenote to… +233.26.637.7777 on any of the following platforms: SMS, WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal; or you may call.

To be part of the next Live Demo and Q&A Session via Zoom, you may click the button below.

If you have appreciated the great benefits of smart business cards and have decided to get some for yourself, you may click here to make your choice, or click here to see the 3 steps involved in the process. Else, see more below…

Obviously, if you are still using traditional business cards or paper business cards, you are far behind; actually, you are losing money!

Indeed, once upon a time, a single smartphone made nonsense of radio, camera, calculator, tape recorder, alarm clock, torch light, video deck, navigation compass, and more than forty other items. 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, as it positively speaks volumes to your prospective business partners and social connections.

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!

Some of the ‘old-school’ business cards I eventually destroyed recently

Now I keep one special business card on me (see below) and with that single smart business card I can transmit my contact details, professional and social media profiles (and / or any other information I so desire) directly to a prospect’s phone without physical contact; I just bring my smart business card close enough to a prospect’s phone (within an inch reach) and it’s done; profiles and contact details get transmitted wirelessly!

In action… my bamboo type smart business card

Wowed by seeing my contact details directly transmitted to her phone without physical contact

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 profile and 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!

As simple as bringing phone and the smart business card close enough without physical contact

Wowed by seeing my contact details directly transmitted to his phone without physical contact

Today, a single smart business card replaces all the business cards you will ever need!

My bamboo type smart business card

Yes, I went in for the eco-friendly 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; below are just 3 samples…

They look absolutely stunning! Can’t wait to see how you will brand yours! See the testimonials of some of the happy users further below; else you may click here to see more samples…

A smart business card has the following advantages…

Makes a great and lasting first impression.
Affords you to save your contact details correctly and instantly on people’s phones.
One card takes care of all the information you may want to share no matter how varied; so one card takes care of multiple businesses or needs; essentially forever. Cost-effective; saves you money in the long run, giving you value for money.

More advantages…

You can easily update your stored information anytime!
Very healthy! No physical exchange of card is involved; it is absolutely contactless!
Very practical; the size is that of a standard bank card and fits conveniently in a wallet or purse.
It’s really cool, and very effective!

Below are testimonials of some of the current users…

Some of the major companies on board…

Join the many smart and forward-looking people like you who are experiencing the convenience of modern day networking with smart business cards…

Be able to save your contact details directly (and correctly) on people’s phones without worrying about the numerous disadvantages or drawbacks traditional business cards have. For instance; would people keep the traditional or paper cards you give them safely, and will they go looking for them later on?

To be part of the next Live Demo and Q&A Session via Zoom, you may click the button below.

Remember that today when people need contacts the first place they go to is their phones (that’s what they carry most of the time) not an archive of cards they have collected from people; imagine the unlikelihood, and the attendant inconvenience of them going through a pack of business cards just looking for yours. O, logically you expect them to transfer your contact details from your paper card to their phones; well, will they? And if at all, will they transfer those contact details to their phones correctly? Otherwise you may have to be calling out your number(s) and credentials, and be spelling your name repeatedly in order for them to save your details correctly. Compare all that ‘wahala’ with the swag and extreme convenience of just transmitting the details directly to their phones in a split second; with the advantage of a smart business card! Lovely!

FAQs

Questions people frequently ask…

But I have a share option on my phone contacts already; I can take the phone number of the person I want to share my contact details with and use the share option to share my contact details, so why do I still need this smart business card?

You may, but that is a very limiting way of looking at things, and misses the whole point of the smart business card, because the smart business card is not simply for sharing contact details; it has multiples of 11 functionalities, including the ability to share a professional profile, events, products, etc. (You may click here to see sample profile and more.)

In any case, the smart business card is the current, coolest and most cost effective way of networking to suit your brand or status. It makes a great and lasting first impression, very practical, as the size is that of a standard bank card and thus fits conveniently in a wallet or purse.

It affords you to save your contact details correctly and instantly on people’s phones, one card takes care of all the information you may want to share no matter how varied; so one card takes care of multiple businesses or needs, you can easily update your stored information anytime, very healthy; no physical exchange of card is involved; it is absolutely contactless, saves you money in the long run, giving you value for money.

Sticking to traditional business cards may tantamount to (or be akin to) shunning smartphones and wanting to stick to the old or traditional mobile phone (also known as feature phone) just because that one too can make a phone call or send SMS. You know too well that the smartphone has so many functionalities beyond making a call; so is the smart business card.

You mean all I need is one single card?

Yes, a single card for everything you seek to effortlessly share with others in style… contactless, directly to their phones, instantly, and correctly!

Does it require internet connection for it to work?

Yes, and No! Well, it depends.

First of all, since the system is built (and runs) on cloud computing, you need internet connection when you want to update your stored information. Also, ordinarily when you are sharing information with your smart business card, the person whose phone is to receive your information has to ensure that there is active internet connection on it since the phone momentarily has to connect to the cloud server in realtime. However, there is an offline option, where internet connection is not required…

The offline information transfer method makes use of the Offline QR Code; a PRO feature. Aside the standard QR Code that comes with your card (usually printed at the back of your card) you can create special QR codes – that work without internet – for your Contact Card, Email, SMS, and Call actions. These special offline QR codes can be saved to your phone as images in your photo gallery for example, and can be scanned by a prospect and with that receive the full complements of the inherent contact details, without the need for internet data. You may click here to see a sample.

Can I use more than one card if I want to?

Yes, technically it is possible but that is not necessary; except when you want a separate private card (for whatever purpose) in addition to one provided by your organisation, for example.

It is important to note that you can create different profiles or contact details by way of multiple digital cards (eCards) on a single smart business card; so no matter the myriad of information you want to share, they can all be uploaded to a single card; you may click here to see samples. And the beauty of it all is that, you can select from the pile with just a simple touch and transmit any particular information you want; for instance, you can transmit your contact details in one moment to a person, and in the next moment transmit just your email address, and in another moment transmit your company profile to another person. It is that flexible!

Do the cards expire?

No, not at all. Once you acquire the card, you can use all the standard actions (or standard functions) forever; you do not have to renew the card at any point whatsoever. The standard actions are as follows…

For detailed description of the above features, you may click here.

There are other features or functions (PRO actions) that you can enjoy by specifically signing up for an upgrade to PRO subscription; the PRO actions are as follows…

For the PRO actions you would be required to pay periodic subscription fees of either 14.99usd per month or 149.99usd per year. (You may pay the applicable equivalent in your local currency). You may cancel at any time, and still enjoy the standard features earlier outlined. To upgrade to PRO Subscription, you may click here.

For detailed description of the above features, you may click here.

Do the people I want to share my information with need to install a particular app on their phones for the process to work?

No, not all. Well, ordinarily you yourself don’t need to install an app, and they also do not have to install an app for the smart business card to work. This is because the smart business card works on NFC technology, and most smartphones these days come already equipped with NFC technology (by way of a special chip inside the phone) in which case no apps will be required for the process to work. However, for persons who have much older generation smartphones and some recent budget ones that may not have the NFC chips installed in it, they may have to install QR-Code scanner apps on their phones and use that to scan the QR-Code on your card in order to receive the information you want to share from your smart business card.

To know whether your smartphone has NFC built into it or not, you may click here.

How secure is my data?

Very secure! Some of the global giants happily using this service include Google, Emirates, McDonalds, etc. Your information is securely uploaded and stored on secure cloud servers (having bank and military level security and reliability protocols) and linked to your smart business card in realtime. This makes it possible to block or deactivate the card if you want to. That means even if your card gets stolen (though unlikely) no one can use that to misrepresent you, and when you get a new card as a replacement, you wouldn’t have to upload the information all over again; you simply activate the replacement card to use the information that was already uploaded to the server with your previous purchase. And so many other advantages.

The system runs on special cloud servers managed by Amazon as part of the celebrated AWS cloud infrastructure, which has security and reliability as its highest priority. All data is stored in highly secure AWS data centers. The AWS technical architecture makes it the most flexible and secure cloud computing environment available in the world today. The core infrastructure is built to satisfy bank and military level security requirements. This is backed by a deep set of cloud security tools, with 230 security, compliance, and governance services and features.

AWS supports 90 security standards and compliance certifications, including ISO 9001, ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 27018, and more. With over 15 years of fantastic services to millions of customers across the globe, AWS is trusted by the fastest-growing startups, largest enterprises, and leading government agencies; including: Intuit, Royal Dutch Shell, Discover Financial Services, Philips, AirBnB, Volkswagen Group, Pinterest, Eventbrite, Warner Bros., Siemens, Bosch, AstraZeneca, Iveco, Panasonic, Bayer, Dow Jones, Stanford University, University of Chicago, GE, Carrier, HSBC, Autodesk, Honda, SalesForce, Vodafone Germany, Cornell University, Arizona State University, Coursera, and so many more.

How much does a card cost?

Well, which type do you want to buy? One (1) smart business card + hours of premium support services ranges from 149.97usd to 997.95usd depending on the type and package. And you need just one; well for each user!

Most people buy the bamboo type (with initial 3 hours of premium support) for 299.97usd. There is the plastic type (with initial 2 hours of premium support) for 149.97usd. But most executives go for the metal one (with initial 5 hours of premium support) for 997.95usd. Please note that the hours of premium support does not limit the use of your card in anyway; you can use the card anytime, all the time, and for as long as you want.

We are offering a discount of 20% for a limited period; during this limited period the actual amount you pay ranges from 120usd to 480usd; you save 30usd to 120usd. Just for emphasis, the stipulated prices are not the prices for the cards per se, but the card plus the stipulated hours* of initial premium support service that go with it; what the premium service entails is explained further below.

Terms & Conditions Apply.

What does the hours of premium support entail?

The principal objective of our initial hours of premium support services is to help you to quickly and easily optimise the use of your newly acquired smart business card for your business and social needs; within the shortest time possible, so that you can focus more on the key results area… your business.

So we start by understanding your business and how your social life integrates into it; based on that we create amazing profiles for you, activate the appropriate actions (or features) and upload to the card all the relevant information you may need to share at one point or another. Then, we ensure that you are able to successfully use all the activated functionalities with ease!

Depending on your package preference, we respond remotely to new needs that come up in the course of your usage, for free! *Terms & Conditions Apply.

What if I misplace my card; what happens?

Simple; we will replace it for you. Either for free or at a heavily discounted cost; here is how that works… At the time of purchase, you have the option to pay a little extra for warranty on the card, and get free multiple replacements (see 2 types of warranty below); otherwise when the need for replacement arises you pay just half of the original cost. In any case, just as you hardly misplace your bank card, you are not likely to misplace your smart business card.

1 year warranty – 29.99usd – you get 2 replacements within 1 year (free shipping) if you accidentally lose or damage your card.
2 years warranty – 49.99usd – you get 4 replacements within 2 years (free shipping) if you accidentally lose or damage your card.

Click applicable questions to see the various responses.

Still got questions?

Got you covered on +233.26.637.7777, and in my online workshops; scroll down to see further below…

In the Smart Business Card Workshop I go into other details and do a demonstration of how easy it is to get and use a single smart business card for all your business and social needs. You may click here to see the online workshop. Additionally, on first Saturday of the month (every month) at 19:00 GMT (that is 7pm Ghana time) I do a live session online. Register below (kindly scroll further down) and participate for Free; you will certainly be amazed! Got questions? I will answer them. This workshop is FREE for limited period only!

To be part of the next Live Demo and Q&A Session via Zoom, you may click the button below.

Again, as more and more people are adopting the amazing smart business card, it is likely that tomorrow the prospective customers or potential business partners you meet will offer to give you their profiles and contact details via their smart business cards; will you know what to do to receive their profiles and contact details? Even if you don’t intend to own a smart business card immediately, you definitely need to know how it works, especially how to receive smart business card profiles and contact details with your phone, so that when tomorrow someone you meet brings out one, you will know exactly what to do and not embarrass yourself; you may click here to see a guide.

This era of smart business cards; exactly what to do to avoid embarrassing yourself when faced with one

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About the Author

David K Egyir

An Architect, a Designer, and a Life Coach; passionate about helping serious people like you to escape the most dangerous — common but avoidable — problem most people (rich, poor, educated, non-educated, religious, and non-religious alike) face in life. Also, he designs and builds beautiful, cost-effective and functional buildings, and graphics. And he helps executives, marketers, and business owners to make effective presentations; what you may call winning presentations. Especially as a life-coach, he's been popularly adjudged the best coach for excelling in education, increasing wealth, eliminating stress, and enjoying true fulfillment in life! Egyir has a firm conviction that, “The greatest tragedy in life is that majority of people have accepted to be less than they were born to be and are thus accomplishing far less than their true capabilities.” To that end, he authored (wrote) PURPOSE COMPASS and other amazing books, and more than 50 articles; on how to live a highly productive and a truly fulfilling life. And he organises training seminars and workshops for the benefit of individuals, groups and organisations. Dave (as affectionately called by many) understands life thoroughly and shares amazingly liberating insights from a uniquely empowering perspective. He is the Lead Founder of Seers, Associate of Arthro Synergeio, Lay Preacher of The Methodist Church Ghana, Global Lead Advocate of Zing4Life! and Volunteer Mentor with iMentor Ghana. Dave is married, and is a father of two. To see more about him you may click here. To get in touch with Dave or to follow him on social media you may click here. #DaveGuidesDaily | To support Dave's writing & life-coaching social ministry you may click here. #SeersFoundation | To be part of Dave's live sessions online at 20.30 GMT on Sundays you may click here. #TimeWithSeers |