#71 Selling Yourself? This Business Card Could Be a Game Changer!

ISSUE #71 — Tuesday, September 22, 2019

http://dennyhatch.blogspot.com/2019/09/selling-yourself-this-business-card.html

Posted by Denny Hatch

Selling Yourself? This Business Card
Could Be a Game Changer for You!

Let’s face it, we’re all on the make—perpetually on the hunt for new friends, business connections, adventures, money, love.

     So we network—at parties, conventions, the club, airline lounges, a bar, business lunch, river cruise.

     How do we remember each other afterwards?

     We exchange little 2” x 3-1/2” pieces of cardboard containing logo, name, title, company, street address, cellphone number, website and email address.

     We accept this little bit of cardboard, glance at it and immediately stick it away while still conversing.

     It’s called a business card—that private little gem over which we agonized to make it “just right” and memorable.

     What happens to that brilliant business card—plus the 14 others that turn up in various jacket pockets, in your wallet or the bottom of your purse?

     You retrieve them and try like hell to remember which person gave you which card.

     Maybe you’ll enter the info into your digital database. Maybe not.

     Whatever you do, you’ll eventually trash the cards.

     And in a week, the teeny entry into your filing system—with an occasional exception—will be meaningless. “Who the hell is this?”

Can a 2” x 3-1/2 Piece of Cardboard Describe the

Real You and Make You Stand Out from the Crowd? 

   

Dunno how Will Ezell found me. He’s a subscriber to this cranky blog and we have been in touch over the years. Much of his inspiration comes from marketing whiz Terri Langhans.

     Recently he and Phoebe flew up from Tampa for a wedding here in Philly and we got together for dinner. Will is larger than life—in size and personality well as being an endless fountain of ideas.

     At some point during the visit, Will gave Peggy a business card and the next morning she turned it over to me.

     Not one business card, but 10 or 12 little cards bound with an aluminum screw in the upper corner. Each card has:

     • A green side with a white headline.

     • The reverse is white with green mini-heds and black copy.

     • It’s a struggle to fan them out and read them.

     • Unscrew the aluminum binder and they’re easy to read.

     • But the sequence is lost.

     • Yet the whole exercise is a giggle.

    Here's a Sampling of Will's Cards:

They care about themselves,
and how much free time and money they have. 

You have to do something very dynamic (and legal) to capture their attention. 

     So ... how do you do that?

     From Ordinary to Extraordinary!
Will Ezell 813 930-8442 Bizvisioneers.com

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = 

Hogwash! It's in New Jersey.
And it takes a lot more than what
everyone already expects. 

Imagine "Customer Excellence" and Consistently 
delivering it.  We'll show you how to achieve dynamic results that exude excellence. There are a lot of ways to set your business apart. Most people just don't take the time to analyze it. 

    From Ordinary to Extraordinary! 
Will Ezell 813 930-8442 Bizvisioneers.com

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = 

Yes I know. I didn't write that. I learned it -
along with many other valuable lessons. They're all available to you.

Let's work together to achieve your goals and have your biz running at optimum performance thru a crystal-clear plan and path.

Now we're getting somewhere!

    From Ordinary to Extraordinary! 
Will Ezell 813 930-8442 Bizvisioneers.com

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

Are you in that 'comfort zone'?

Putting out fires everyday?

That's what is called reacting. Really successful owners and managers are in the "Extraordinary Zone" and remain 80% proactive.

        How do they do that?

    From Ordinary to Extraordinary! 
Will Ezell 813 930-8442 Bizvisioneers.com

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = 

Survey says:
If you want to know the real answers get out of the lab, leave your lab coat at the office, and start blending in.

Gain our Fresh Eyes® perspectives, and get the unbiased truth. We know it may hurt a little, but wouldn't you really rather know now - before you spend all that $$?

    From Ordinary to Extraordinary! 
Will Ezell 813 930-8442 Bizvisioneers.com

= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =

What Happens…

According to Will, when he hands this card to a stranger, it is not instantly ignored and stuffed into pocket or purse.

     Rather it is puzzled over for a moment, then
s-l-o-w-l-y pocketed.
     The person wants to start reading right away.

     Recipients have never seen anything quite like this. Later it is retrieved and studied. As a result, Will gets calls and lands clients.

What Sets the Ezell Business Card Apart?

All business cards are mini-résumés containing basic contact information.

     I have written columns on résumés and mostly all of them are boring as dirt.

     They are all about the person—school, college, degrees, employers, titles, responsibilities, hobbies, memberships, articles and books written with a tip-o’-the hat to spouse and children.

     I believe the worst career imaginable is in H.R.—sifting through dozens or hundreds—of tedious résumés a day.

“The prospect doesn’t give a damn about you, your company or your product. All that matters is, ‘What’s in it for me’?”

—Bob Hacker, Seattle Direct Marketing Guru

“Always listen to W-I-I FM.”

—Old Marketing Rule

Will’s concept is dazzling!

     • His business card(s) set him apart from all others.
     • Ezell has been using this business card deck for a decade.
     • He said if he were going to do a new one, it would be very different.

     • Will gives a damn—about you. He wants to help.

     • These cards are print—a rarity in the digital world.

     • Like much maligned direct mail (my first love), this offbeat card can’t be deleted with a click.

     • It must be physically handled.

     • It has information and ideas you can use.

     • If you trash it without reading it, you might miss pure gold.

     • In the hardass world of business, Will Ezell is a hoot.

Takeaways to Consider

• I see a possible business here.

• If you should decided to invest in an Ezell Business Card Deck, I urge you not to do it on your own.

• The majority of people in the workplace are not polished writers, nor good at selling themselves in print.

• Hire a pro—ideally someone who has written a novel and knows how to create interesting characters. Or call in a seasoned interviewer who knows how to ask questions and write mesmerizing copy about people—even dull people such as actuaries and CFOs.

• Before you engage a hired gun, decide what you want your Ezell Business Card Deck to accomplish:

—Is it for business or non-business purposes?

—Or both? Maybe you want two versions—one professional, one for fun.

—If for business, is it: to acquire clients? Get a better job? Promote a book? Generate interest in a favorite charity?

 Now here's the business model if I were

 30 years younger and someone hired me.

     —Subject and writer will spend two days together.

     —In over 20 hours your life story will be pried loose from you.

     —Memorable experiences, mentors, great lessons learned, rules you follow, quips and quotes you have heard, know and love, reading experiences, travels, business philosophy and what you deeply believe.

     —This becomes a mini-autobiography.

     —Be sure all quotes and ideas—not your own—are attributed

     —The final cards in the deck will capture the very best of you: pithy ideas, short quotes, deep beliefs, basic business and personal philosophy. 

     —Above all, the effect should be compelling and memorable. 

###

Word count: 1283

At age 15, Denny Hatch—as a lowly apprentice—wrote his first news release for a Connecticut summer theater. To his astonishment it ran verbatim in The Middletown Press. He was instantly hooked on writing. After a two-year stint in the U.S. Army (1958-60), Denny had nine jobs in his first 12 years in business. He was fired from five of them and went on to save two businesses and start three others. One of his businesses—WHO’S MAILING WHAT! newsletter and archive service founded in 1984—revolutionized the science of how to measure the success of competitors’ direct mail. In the past 55 years he has been a book club director, magazine publisher, advertising copywriter/designer, editor, journalist and marketing consultant. He is the author of four published novels and seven books on business and marketing.

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