Handing over a paper business card used to be how business got done. You finish a quote, hand over your card and hope they ring when they're ready.
Think about where the cards you've been given have ended up. On the kitchen side. In the wash. In the recycling. Most of us keep very few of them, and it's not because we're rude. It's because paper gives people homework.
What a paper card asks people to do
When you hand over a paper card, you're asking someone to:
- keep a bit of card safe in a pocket or bag without it getting crumpled
- remember to take it out hours or days later
- unlock their phone, open contacts and type in your 11-digit number, your email and your website without a typo
Hardly anyone does all that. So when they need you two months later, they don't dig through a drawer. They search Google, and someone else gets the call.
What paper cards really cost
A box of 500 nice cards isn't expensive. That's not the cost that hurts.
The real cost is the work that slips away. Here's a simple example with made-up numbers, so swap in your own:
- You hand out 500 cards a year.
- Just 5 of those people lose your card and call someone else for a £1,500 job.
- That's £7,500 of work you never got the chance to quote for.
The cards themselves are cheap. The jobs they lose aren't.
How a tap card works instead
One reusable card does the job of all those paper ones. Tap a Crocadilo NFC card against almost any modern iPhone or Android and your digital card opens on their screen. No app needed.
- Save to contacts in one tap. They tap "Save contact" and your name, mobile, WhatsApp and website go straight into their phone.
- Message you on the spot. They can start a WhatsApp chat with you while you're still standing there.
- Show your work. Your card can show reviews from customers, photos of recent jobs and your list of services.
- No reprinting. Change your number, prices or services in your dashboard and everyone who opens your card sees the new details straight away.
Don't have a card to hand? Every digital card also has a QR code they can scan. Metal NFC cards start at £29.99 and bamboo or walnut at £24.99. See the NFC cards, or make your digital card free first.
What to say instead of "here's my card"
Next time someone asks how to get hold of you, try this:
"Let me tap my details onto your phone, so you've got my WhatsApp and some photos of my work saved for when you need me."
Tap your card on their phone, let them hit "Save", and you're in their contacts before you walk away.