Some cultures are high context, by which we mean that messages are derived not so much from words used but from all sorts of other signals such as body language, way personal space is used, dress, way a room or office is furnished, unspoken rules of behaviour. An example would be old school tie in Britain. A man who wears his old school tie will be recognised by others who attended same school and this recognition will entail all sorts of obligations on both sides. Only those within such a system can possible understand it. By contrast, in low context cultures messages are overt and clearly stated.

If you find yourself in a culture that is at opposite end of spectrum from you own, you may find it very hard to settle down and feel comfortable. By understanding these oppositions and by observing how they work, you can gradually begin to adapt to them and see them for what they are. I used to think that unpunctuality of my French colleagues was very insulting, but I now accept that in south of France attitudes are very polychronic and so being late by fifteen minutes or so is perfectly normal.

· If you have a mobile phone number or a direct phone number that is not listed in your business card, write it at back of your card before handing it out, and tell your prospect that you are giving them your direct number. This will make your card more important, and less likely to be lost or thrown out.

· Another way of increasing chances that your prospect will keep your card is by printing valuable information on back, for example important phone numbers (local police, hospitals, etc), a calendar, or a football schedule.

· Offer to hand out cards of complementary (non-competitive) business people in exchange for them distributing yours. An example of non-competitive businesses is real estate brokers and mortgage brokers.

· If somebody gives you their business card, you should give them yours in return.

· Always give your business card face up.

· Take a cue from Far East business people, who hand out business cards with both hands. It helps give impression that your business card is something very important.

· If you conduct business internationally, use back of your card to print a translated version of your business card in your customers' language. Even if they have no problem reading English, it will be a classy touch and they will appreciate it.

· If you sell different product brands and want to put their logos on your business card, print them in only one color. Using each logo's brand colors could make your business card look chaotic and busy.

· Create a business card in magnet form. Magnets are widely used, to hold important papers on refrigerator door at home and on file cabinets at work. They are always visible and always get read.

· When receiving somebody else's business card, don't put it away immediately. Instead, keep it in your hand for a while you talk to your prospect, or place it neatly over table, and try to develop a conversation based on information on card.

· Use back of cards you receive to write down important facts about persons who handed them to you. It will help you enormously when you follow up with them.

· If you are in a profession where relationship selling is important, it may be a good idea to include your picture in your business card (i.e. real estate brokers).

· Even if your business is a sole proprietorship, you can still use "account manager" as your title instead of "owner" or "president". If you do sales (and we all do) "account manager" is a perfectly appropriate title, and it will give impression that you work for a larger company.

· Use logos of organizations that you or your business belong to in your business cards. They are an easy way to provide instant credibility to your business. For example, if you operate a repair shop you can display logo of National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) or Triple A (AAA). (Check with them first about terms of use).

· If you participate in affiliate programs online, you can still use business cards to promote your affiliate links. Use name of affiliate company as company name, use 'partner' or 'associate' as your title, and URL of directory or web page where you have placed your affiliate links as your web address. Just because affiliate programs are online doesn't mean that you can't use off-line marketing methods to promote them.

· If you need to give cards to different kinds of prospects (for example if you are a student looking for work), make business cards with just your name and contact information, and attach custom made self-adhesive labels at back with information of interest to each specific prospect.

· Include an information email address (for example: info@yourdomain.com) that is set in autoresponder mode, that automatically triggers an email message with full information about your product, service or company. This will increase effectiveness of your business card since you will give your prospect much more information that you can fit in a card.

· Take good care of your business cards. Keep them clean and crisp in a cardholder. Don't give away cards that are bent or damaged.

· Try to get a cardholder with two pockets. That way, you can use one for your business cards and other one for business cards you receive.

· Keep all business cards you receive neatly organized in a rolodex. It will save you time and will provide you with a database of contacts with whom to build positive business relationships.

· Collect all business cards you can find, even if you don't need them. Together, they will act as an "idea file" that will provide you with valuable tips that you can use to design your business cards.

For more business card tips, visit Free Business Cards:

http://www.accordmarketing.com/businesscards/

------------

Mario Sanchez publishes The Internet Digest (http://www.theinternetdigest.net ) an online collection of tips and resources on Internet Marketing and Web Design. You can also visit his Business Card Tips page at: http://www.accordmarketing.com/businesscards/ .