Just as some of our design clients want us to fill up every available square inch of white space (“I paid for that!”), several business card printers want us to fill up the back of our card. They say we’re wasting a valuable opportunity to “keep your customer’s attention.”

Hey! If you need a brochure, print one.

The blank back of your business card can be used for personal notes made in your personal handwriting. Don’t force a bunch of superfluous information onto a business card that was never designed for that purpose to begin with.

Often, other people use the space on the back of your card to make notes about you: where they met you, what you do, impressions (nice! witty! charming! knows Alex! call immediately regarding Smith project!). Leave them the space, don’t squeeze them out.

Personal handwriting of any sort is personal. It is an especially charming and powerful gesture in a world of arms-length, text-based communication like duplicate proposals, email and business letters.

The back of your business card can:

• Create a sense of urgency for your proposal. The prospect probably already has your card. Here’s a chance to put it in his hand yet again, at the end of the meeting, with a personal message to him that he watches you write: “Saturday until 2″, “Ask for Lisa RE: extra inserts”, “Add’l copies 2K until Thursday.”
• Share “For Your Eyes Only” information. “Fax 801-555-1212″, “Direct Line 928-555-2323.” Will the recipient of this private information feel special? Yes.

If you attend networking meetings (I know…yawn) you can use the back of your business card to make a powerful impression with someone you would like to do business with. The majority of these meetings follow a similar format: whipping through the room as fast as possible, smiling, gathering business cards and making surface chit-chat. Everyone intends to follow up with everyone, but few people follow up with anyone. Stories are forgotten (including yours) long before people reach the parking lot.

Here’s the rule with networking: First impressions count, but second impressions stick. After the first burst of card exchanges and chit-chat, identify the two or three people in the room that you can still remember and would like to do business with. Write on the back of your card: “Great meeting you, Sharon — I’ll call you Wednesday.” Now, catch them before they leave and hand them your card note-side up. Say those same words to them. There’s no need to linger. Smile, say good-bye. Call them WEDNESDAY. They will remember.

Try it! Let me know what happens.

Images courtesy kevinzim & nate steiner; assembled by Dan Turner, used under a Creative Commons license.

The “same thing?” When your prospect says that to you, you likely don’t need stronger sales skills or more patience. You just need to move on to the next prospect. You can’t change ducks into eagles. And that’s okay.

I rediscovered Kevin Fussichen’s Duck Laws this morning and remembered how they can help us understand Graphic Design Pricing and Prospecting:

DUCK LAW No. 5
Ducks are noble creatures. They shall not be penalized in the eyes of other creatures because they are not eagles.
Restatement: All things are honorable if they are what they are honestly, even if they are different from you.

DUCK LAW No. 6
The greatest duck that ever was cannot fly as high as even a modest eagle.
Restatement: If one would soar with eagles, do not swim with ducks.

See? If you are trying to sell a $7500 graphic design project to business owners who think $500 is an astronomical amount to spend for graphic design (my numbers are just an example), you are going to be miserable. And broke. You must seek out prospects who are already accustomed to spending $7500 for graphics. Then you are left with the easier task of selling them on YOU.

Images courtesy Carl Chapman & tifotter used under a Creative Commons license.

Why all of a sudden is the client doing your job?

Maybe, because it’s been so much fun working with you, they hate to see the project come to an end. Perhaps it’s pre-launch jitters. Whatever it is, you have to regain control of the situation; otherwise you risk the effectiveness of the design and you risk producing something you’ll be ashamed to include in your portfolio.

The first thing to discover is whether they’re just fiddling or if they have some sort of new vision. The best approach is to be gentle and diplomatic: “You bet I can move it — what are you trying to accomplish?”

That question is designed to refocus them on their goal, which is to concentrate on the needs of their viewers, users, prospects and customers. The broad issues, in other words, and leave the details of the color scheme, typography and design elements to you.

If they are, in fact, fiddling, they will not become refocused and they will also not — because they are likely not designers — be able to answer your question in any sort of meaningful way. You’ll need to help them: “For instance, are you looking to make it bolder, or softer, or more refined, or more corporate, or more personal…?”

The goal is to get them to articulate what they want (as it relates to the needs of their users and business), not how to do it. This line of questioning will generally get communication flowing again while defining client/designer responsibilities.

Image courtesy jotor used under a Creative Commons license.