Too Many Business Cards From Networking?

Do you struggle with what to do with too many business cards you collect at networking and other business events?
Are you missing potential business because you aren’t able to follow up with everyone you meet?

For years I struggled off and on with what to do with all of the business cards I collected at networking events. I had hundreds of business cards and have been meeting so many people that I could spend an entire day sorting through the cards (and I did). Something drastic had to change, and it did.

First – SendOutCards contact manager

I started using my SendOutCards contact manager. It gave me a way to keep up on “most” of my prospects and customers. In the beginning, it was awesome! However, at one point after adding about 300 contacts, I got bogged down again. You see, if I forget to add contacts to a “group” within the contact manager, they tend to get lost until I remember to sort for people who aren’t assigned to a group. The downside…It got a bit cumbersome to filter for a group and then go into each contact to see what action to take next. The upside…Almost everyone has received a card from me so my contact information is in their hands in a unique way because, like Dr. Seuss says,

“Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”

(meaning…what comes from me is different than what comes from another. So even if two people choose the same card to send, it will have a different emotional feel to it because no two people are alike.)

But I still needed a better mousetrap…

Next Phase – The Binder

Not everyone is going to go out and buy a card scanner, including me (although I’m about ready). So I started asking people who were successful how they keep up on so many customers and prospects. This is where my binder comes in. Long ago, The Busy Woman added notebook sized binders, address tabs, and business card holders to the product line. This way business cards could be filed alphabetically, making it easy to find when needed.

Why do I want to keep the business cards if they’re already in my system? Most of them have notes or photos on them. Seeing a visual helps me remember.

I pulled out my supplies and filed all cards AFTER they were entered into my system(s). While this was a helpful solution, it still took a lot of time. I had to filter contacts for what group I wanted to follow up on, find the specific contact, then find their business card in the binder, and then make the call. Then, I add dated notes in the SendOutCards contact manager.

SOLUTION

Then came BizRunner! There are tons of other products out there, but most of them are expensive and have a high learning curve (in my opinion). BizRunner walks me through actions to take and results of those actions. It keeps people in a contacting loop until there’s a final outcome. You have to see it for yourself! Connect with me or contact BizRunner if you have questions.
(I do not make money on this product. I am just an excited fan who loves the product. 🙂

What do you use? Let us know in the comments below…

Cheers!