Business Cards –Declining in Use, but Not In Value

 I love business cards. I love to give mine out. I love to receive one in return (or not).  I love to place select ones in my handsome business notebook.  For me, I think people make a stronger impression on me if I get a business card.

Business cards offer a clue or two about the individual and the business.  Examples for the business, are the letters raised? Is the card stock thick? Can you write on the card?  Is the logo prominent?  Is the card one or multi-colored? 

For the individual, do they use a formal name?  Do they include certificates earned? Is the title prominent?  Does the title make sense to people outside (and often inside) an organization? 

One interesting question. Is a cell phone number listed? A few years ago, most people chose not to include their cell phone number.  I think today almost everyone does. I say that with this in mind.  In reviewing cards from staff with Prince William County government departments, very few include the cell phone number. That is a question for another blog.

From my observations, business cards are declining in use.  I recently attended a new advisory board meeting. Except for me, no one had business cards readily visible or gave one out.  Instead, the staff of the advisory board included LinkedIn profile links as part of the welcome package. 

This is a link to an article about business cards and how to design it for maximum impact.  The author and I agree on the value of a business card and he includes points I missed.

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/379699

As noted above, I suspect that business cards are on the way out.  The main reasons are in an increasingly paperless society, they simply take up room. It is far easier to maintain a contact list in Outlook. Finally, I think LinkedIn is the new business card, even though it can be too much information. 

Yes, I do and will miss business cards.

“Franking Up’ my Business Attire

The title is based on a commercial for Franks’ Red Hot. You have likely seen it, some hapless soul starts to eat a hotdog and the person standing next to him pushes the hot dog out of the bun and says, “You got to frank it up!” This means add Frank’s Red Hot sauce on it.  I laughed as I typed this, the commercial just makes me laugh.

Now to the real purpose of this post.  In January of each year, I decide to lose weight. My most recent annual goal has not been met, but I do not choose to lose weight.  Hope springs eternal each new year.  That does not stop me from trying.  One key point about losing weight I have always known: only you can decide.  No one can make you or decide for you.  You are responsible for your actions (by you I mean me).

My wife signed me up for Noom.  This is not an endorsement, but rather an observation on a tool, one of many available.

In the past, I got tired of logging what I ate and what I weighed.  Noom, and I am sure other apps, make it easy.  Plus, you can see an analysis of what you ate that day.

This makes me think about the choices I have every time I think or want to eat food.  That is the most valuable part of the app. Yes, I read something every day about tips/help on weight loss and I weigh in every day.  Noom does offers hints and encouragement, but to me the most important aspects of the app are the calorie counter and the analysis of the food I eat.

Why is this important to me? Well, I used to wear jeans and golf shirts to work. This was perfectly acceptable in the workplace.  For me, I only want to wear nicer clothes if I do not look and feel so big.  Since I have used Noom, I have lost weight, and I am wearing nicer clothes to work (slacks and button-down shirts).  I feel better in countless ways. Perhaps most importantly, I like to see me in nicer clothes.

You can talk to me all day about the health benefits of losing weight. I know every one of them.  It finally took an easy tool to force me to think about my choices at every meal; and my desire to wear my nicer clothes.  Go ahead and say it and I certainly admit it, I am vain.  But if that helps motivate me to lose weight, it cannot all be bad.