Getting "Carded" - A Case for Business Cards

Okay, so when was the last time you got "carded?' No, not that kind of carded! Business carded. In an ever-increasingly LinkedIn, app-driven world, business cards remain, for many, a gold standard for networking, making connections, exchanging information, and branding ourselves, with the brand usually being the company or organization we work for, and maybe our job title. I remember my very first business card. I felt somehow like I had arrived, because now I belonged to a bigger world than college ever afforded - the business world! And it became a rite of passage in more ways than one. Each time I changed jobs or moved to a different position, said transition usually came with a business card with a new logo and a new title. It was so cool (to me, anyway) to be asked "Do you have a business card?" and I got to answer in the affirmative. My friends even gave me a professional looking card case as a gift (red leather Coach, as I recall). And I collected others business cards like kids used to collect baseball cards, or my dear friend Lenny collected vinyl albums back in the late 60's!! Business cards, by virtue of the logo, job title, and email extension, have come to represent a piece of our identity, our connection to a corporate "tribe," a company - a job!! A belonging, a fitting in, an acceptance of sorts. We've come to define ourselves, to varying degrees, by who we work for and what our job title is. And, being able to proffer a business card usually means we are employed and, therefore, worth something (worth is the key word here). We are tribed up! What then, when we become unemployed, involuntarily or otherwise? How do we answer that "do you have a business card?" question when we've been cast out of the tribe, off the island of employment? Do we all of the sudden not belong somewhere, don't fit in anywhere, or feel rejected? Do we no longer have worth? The reality, at least in the short term, is that the answer can be "yes." Until we're once again employed, in business, etc. we're tribe-less in the world of business that defines itself by tribe and position within the tribe. Just look at LinkedIn, for example. People self-identify with their job title and their company. Very few use the headline line below their name to offer a glimpse into who they are and what they have to offer. Even after they're long gone from a company, some people leave that company name and job title as part of their Profile until they can replace it with another. A new tribe! A new identity! A new belonging! An updated Profile! Acceptance! Worth! Back in a tribe! What to do, then, in between business cards (or jobs)? Create your own! There are any number of online sites that let you create and print business card for very reasonable prices ( http://vistaprint.com, is just one example). You don't need a company name, or even a job title. All you need is YOUR name, a professional email address and a phone number, preferably a cell since immediacy might be key to opportunity. My friend Paul, embarking on his third career, has an elegant, one-sided black and white card with only those three elements. His name is in a larger font, of course. He is his company, he requires no title (his name is sufficient), and wherever he goes, he belongs! Jill, on the other hand, has a multitude of experience in discrete but complementary areas. She chose a two-sided card, with her vitals on the front (name, email, phone), and a few carefully chosen headlines on the reverse. We spent considerable time coming up with what she wanted to offer and convey. We narrowed down, discarded, refined and reframed until it was where - and who - Jill wanted to be. She can also use those headlines as part of her LinkedIn Profile, even her elevator pitch. When I see Jill at networking meetings in the community now, she glows when she presents HER business card. She's also been gracious enough to allow me to share her story - and her cards - with you, and at my Self-Marketing workshops. If, like me, you're blessed to have a friend who is a gifted graphic artist (thank you, Kate), you might ask for help in creating your business card. Another option is to use Microsoft Templates for business cards and print your own. Whatever method you choose, I strongly recommend that you choose one. It's equal parts interesting, instructive and amusing to experience how different it feels to be able to offer and exchange business cards as opposed to not having one, or saying the dog ate your business card (to explain your lack of one). Once again, you belong, you're accepted, and you have a place, as defined by tribal/business law. New this time, though, is how cool it is to be your very own tribe of one with your very own unique identify - which you always were and always had, but somehow having it appear on a business card makes it more real. And it can also serve to make you more memorable, open up conversation, maybe even opportunities. After all, you may be marketing your creativity, your proactive style, problem solving, etc. through the very process of creating/having your own cards at the ready (maybe even reinforcing your own sense of what you have to offer). So, go out there and get carded. Sometimes, it really is in the cards!