The great card stockpile hoax. You are not in the card collecting business you are in the prospecting business when it comes to attending events. Two questions I am always asked is how do you collect cards? And what do you do with them when you get back to the office? What really happens when you collect business cards? Often they get put into a pocket with many others.

Have you ever collected cards to later find out that you have no idea who the person is, or even remember their face or spiel? This happens all the time. Some people look at their stack of cards the next day or even worse Two days later, and they're very bewildered. They can't remember who was who is probably better to pick a few good leads, rather than collect every card. Sometimes that's difficult. To avoid people trade cards with you, it is quite easy to call the cards as you gather them.

First I only collect cards from people who I can either do business with form an alliance or I can simply become a referral. Sounds easy But the trick is to be able to ferret out who these people are choosing one pocket for the timely leads and carry post it notes to add information cards with simple black and white designs can look very alike. It is very important that you try to differentiate the cards you collect on the back right why and or am I also write notes on the card for with the posters so that I do not forget the people and what their services are. I even try to put faces to the cards by writing a brief description. These people will be amazed that you can remember them the next time you meet them and they will then want to talk to you. I then keep my cards in a separate resealable bag for each time.

Have a card. For easier follow up. I also make note of the event we attended. This gives me a record of where we were and what we were there for. And it also helps me keep track for which are the best of events. If you are starting out cold and keeping record will be very important.

Just remember not to collect every card. As we know it's all a numbers game. Let me start with one of the biggest names in networking. Dr. Ivan Meisner BSI, here's the story he relayed about collecting cards at networking events. Here's number two confusing networking with direct selling confusing networking with selling period. Here is his story.

One of my company's directors struck up a conversation with a woman business owner at a networking function may have mentioned this in a podcast in the past, when the business owner asked our director what she said. She said she helps owners build their business through networking and referrals. And the business owners smiled and said, Wow, I'm really good at networking. I've been doing it for a very long time. And our director Astor, so what's your secret? What makes you so good?

She stood straight. She said, Well, a friend and I, we enter the room together. These are like business mixers, like a chamber mixer. We enter the room together. We imagine drawing a line down the middle. She takes the left side, I take the right side, we agreed to meet at a certain time at the end of the event to see who collected the most cards, and the loser has to buy the other one lunch.

Well, the director said so what do you do with all of these cards? Again, very proudly, she said Oh, I enter them into my distribution list and I begin to send them information about my services. If I have all the information, they're good prospects, right? They are good prospects. Well, no, they're not good prospects. This is a classic example of an entrepreneur not understanding networking isn't simply about gathering contact information and following up on it later.

That's nothing more than glorified cold calling. It just gives me the chills. I used to teach cold calling techniques to business people. And it didn't long enough to know that I didn't ever want to do it again. I've devoted my entire professional career to teaching the business community that there's no better way to build long term business than networking. And this is not a good example of it.

This is not much better than cold calling. I've been Meisner certainly hit it on the head. So what is setting the right goal? Instead of gathering as many cards as possible set up a goal for the number of cards you want to collect from your target. This does not mean just go and collect cards. This means having meaningful conversations about potential business.

Make the goal only to collect the cards where you will be setting up a meeting outside of the event you're attending. Yes, you will be offered many cards and you will be polite and accepting them. Before doing so ask them if you can set up a further meeting to discuss possible business together. If they do not want to do so. You may want to ask if they are willing to be on your newsletter list as you only take cards for either a further meeting or to add them to your list. Believe it or not, most people will say yes, if their goal is to gain business as well.

Now what about business cards? Just remember, collecting cards is not networking. Networking is not going to a social event, working the room or collecting business cards. Well, these may be some of the first steps to building relationships. Many people think that they go to enough events and collect enough cards. They will fulfill their networking quota.

Just imagine a stack of business cards on your desk, and you feel a sense of accomplishment. But whereas it really led you, you have to get to know people on a personal level, beyond just asking someone what they do for a living, or what kind of business they are in. Ask them more personal questions, get to know them on a more intimate level. Remember our three rings there's the social level, and there is the intimate level. You want to move them from being just an acquaintance. to a more intimate level where you can do business with them.

The business of natural selection. As I mentioned before, you want to get to know people on a more personal level. You can start by being a resource to people. So when you're building a relationship with them, it's important to remember that the goal of building a relationship is not get as much out of it as you can. It is important to give to others, share your knowledge with them, and help them wherever you can. When I was working for corporate America, there was a lot of work that we did with trying to get more business.

Sometimes, that business required us to give free information. I most gladly give it out for free if it leads to more business in the long run. You can't give away the farm, but then again, you can give away enough information to Let them help themselves until they really need you. Follow up is the important part as well follow up with people after your initial meeting. You have to have a goal when you attend a networking event. Mine is to try and set up at least five meetings, or I may collect 10 business cards at the maximum.

I do not want everybody's card. I only collect enough so that I know I can follow up with each person individually. However, you should decide which of the people within that event you want to get to know further and then follow up with them. Remember, when you are following up a phone call is always the good way to start. But so is email, set up a lunch or breakfast meeting or just take them for coffee. Everybody takes a break at some point in time.

You need to build strong relationships before you can get the business relationships. You have to get to know people on a more personal level. Beyond just asking someone what they do for a living, you may ask them other questions around their family. Do they have children? What do they do as far as philanthropy is concerned? You want to know anything outside of their regular job so that you have a common connection.

These questions will allow you to really connect with the other person and foster a stronger relationship. The true card hoax so let's talk a little bit about how not to collect cards. These are some of my favorite, say, any business cards you have ever been given even if you don't remember where you got them from. Ask all your friends to collect cards on your behalf. Join business card collecting groups, trade with others, give away your duplicates and ask for something that's different. Collect cards from stores that have them display locations, go into every business you walk past and collect a card.

Oh my gosh, what are you going to do with all of those cards. If you're just collecting cards then any system you use to further the conversation is next to impossible to follow. Let's start to be selected get away from the card collecting myth. It is not the number of cards you collect it is the quality of the collection. You need to make sure you can respond to each person where you have collected a card. The goal is to get to know them on a more personal basis.

So once you have collected the cards that you want, you should have a tried and true system this will work every single time. So here are some general guidelines with In 48 hours, I would suggest even 24 of attending the event, schedule a 30 minute follow up with on the business cards you've collected. So get in touch with them through email or some other way and schedule that next meeting. If you haven't done so at the event, input the business cards as a new contact into your contact management system. market for follow up. Make sure that you make notes.

Make sure you know a little bit more about the person by the time you've sent the follow up message and contact with them and go to the meeting. You will have enough information for you. Send a follow up email to the person reference the event and reference the conversation if you can. That way it will pique their interest a little further and perhaps help them decide whether they want to meet with you or not. Connect with that person on social networking sites. LinkedIn Facebook, whatever you decide Google Plus, with their permission, add that person to the company's email newsletter list.

Remember, things like Constant Contact help with these kinds of details. But if you have a system in place, use it. Just remember newsletters are permission based, you must ask their permission first. Be the connector if you know someone who would benefit from being introduced to the person you've met. Make that introduction. I do that a lot when I meet people going, Oh, I know so and so that could use your services.

Do you mind if I make a note and I make a note and I follow up with it immediately. And finally, if there is a genuine potential need from the new contact for your services, follow up, follow up, follow up. Get that meeting going. Remember, you're not at the networking event to do the sale. You are simply there to make personal connections. What to do with cards.

Just remember, you're at the event to collect very few cards. So when you do collect them, you do have notes on them. You need to use your tried and true system in order to follow up and get that business. ideas to remember from this chapter. Collecting cards do not treat events like card fest be discerning when it comes to collecting cards. If you're talking to a potential customer than it is appropriate to collect their card, when other major point is to be stingy with your own card as well do not randomly give them out without knowing if there is to be a follow up in the conversation.

We all know that collecting cards is a numbers game and out of 10 cards you collect and have meetings you have a certain percentage where you will get the sale So do not collect as many cards as possible and add them to your database. That is ridiculous. You need to form meaningful relationships with people before you can do any business. It is not a percentage game of the number of cards you do business one person at a time. And not all the attendees at an event. The business of natural selection, get to know people on a personal level.

Listen to what they have to say. Find ways to be a resource for them. People will gravitate towards givers, not takers, you be the giver. Are you the weakest link? The true card hopes There are many ways to collect cards, lots of cards, including community center stores, locations that promote other business, but where's the relationship building? Find ways to collect cards that have potential for forming me For Business and create a system that works for you.

You just collect cards, any system you put in place will not bring you more business. It will build a list of people that you really don't care about. So don't be the weakest link, you do the follow up. Speaking of systems, we will take a look at systems that work for building a meaningful list in exposed lies about using paper.