I try to come up with new ways to get my business cards into the hands of anyone, but preferrably potential clients as often as possible. Here are a few I came up with this week.
1. Restaurant contests
You’ve probably seen these. Drop your business card into the jar and someone might contact you if you’re chosen at random. Regardless of whether or not you’re chosen, this is a great way to get your business card in front of someone.
A friend of mine used to manage a restaurant and had the job of randomly picking out a business card. He would do it at their weekly meeting and have one of the employees pull it out. Then they would pass some of the other business cards out and he would say, “These people support our business, try to support their business.” Amazing what one business card can do.
2. Leave a business card with a good tip
If you are a good tipper, you should be doing this already. A good tip is a tip that is at least what the waiter is expecting. If you leave a subpar tip, the waiter will never buy your product or service, and will remember your company as the “jerk who didn’t tip”. However, a good tip can turn a prospect into a buyer. Even if you don’t think the waiter is a potential client, he/she might know someone who is.
3. Give a business card to the manager
My favorite way to use my business cards in a restaurant is to give them to the manager. To do this, you have to be a little creative. This way has always worked for me. On the back of your business card, write a little note saying, “Maria, our waitress, was excellent and the Calzone was perfect! Thanks! -Mike”. You can then hand your business card to the waitress and ask her to pass it along to the manager. This kind not about her will guarantee that your card gets passed to the manager.
Make sure you also leave another one with Maria (the waitress) so she can buy your product as well.
I hope those quick and easy tips bring at least one new customer to you over the next month. They may seem like extra work, but eventually they’ll become second nature and you’ll start seeing your business cards in prospects hands everywhere you go!