“Four Great Business Card Ideas by Robert Warlow”
Business resources articles & free self help books for Free Business Card Tips

How often have you opened your office drawer to find a pen only to have to search your way through a pile of business cards collected over the past few months?

Your immediate response is to throw them away and that’s the problem with business cards—they are usually unmemorable.

Here are some ideas on how you can make your business card a bit more useful.

Handy Web Sites
On the reverse of your card, why not list some web sites which your clients may find of use.

They don’t have to be related to your line of business, for example you could print details on a site providing a list of jokes (useful for speech writing!).

Do You Remember …?
Going to a networking event is the equivalent to a business card swapping club!

Once your card goes into someone’s drawer they are unlikely to remember where you met.

So on the back of the card, print “Do you remember we met at ……….and discussed …………”

This should be a good memory jogger!

Print Your Picture
Our minds are more efficient at remembering pictures than words.

Why not print your picture on your card?

When the recipient looks at your card sometime later, he is much more likely to remember who you are and what you do.

What’s The Date?
People are always scratching around to find out what the date is.

Print a calendar on the reverse of your card.

This gives an excuse for someone to keep your card permanently in his pocket.

Take a fresh look at your business card and see what you can do to make it more memorable.

Robert Warlow
© Small Business Success
www.smallbusinesssuccess.biz

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Setting Your Eye on the Bulls-eye with SMART goal setting

The alarm rings, you wake up. You turn off the alarm and start the series of rituals that would get you showered, dressed, fed with breakfast, and eventually on your way to work. You kiss your wife on the cheek as she readies herself for work and taking the kids to school. You say your goodbyes.

As you take your car from the driveway, you notice that all is quiet in the early dawn. You like to leave for work early to get away from the traffic. The trip is uneventful and the radio blares out music you have no fondness for.

As you arrive at work, you check your mail, and start work with a cup of coffee. Lunch comes and goes. You think about saving enough to run a small business in a few years. You have told yourself the same thing for three years now.

What’s wrong with this picture? Are you one of them? Does the same dreary day pass by one after the other until you realize you’re thirty-five with little time left?

Don’t let this happen. Start setting goals with a timeline. Set goals by the SMART method.

The SMART method of setting goals has been around for a long time and has been used by many people. It is one of the many tools used by executives to hit their goals realistically and consistently with enough room to adjust to unforeseen circumstances.

Setting goals is a mind game that needs to be revisited as often as possible. This is to establish the goal consistently in the mind of the goal setter. Eventually the goal setter will have no need to be reminded on the goals he sets for himself.

SMART is an acronym for the following bywords:

- Specific. The goal has to be as detailed as possible. This is to reduce the time to think about what the goal is. This must answer the basic questions of Who, What, When, Where, Which and Why.

The more specific the goal, the more the end result can be envisioned by the goal setter. This dovetails into the sports theory that an athlete can see the goal before it is attained through training. Studies have affirmed that visualization helps immensely in the attainments of a desired goal.

- Measurable. When setting goals, it is must also be specific that progress can be held up against a measure, or a benchmark. In bodybuilding, it is measurable to state that the goal is to bench press a weight of 200 pounds in two months time.

The old adage states that if “it can be measured, it can be attained” is also a known fact among athletes. Athletes keep a record of their performance on and off the field of contest in order to have something to compare against. They even measure other athletes in different sports to improve their understanding.

- Attainable. This is a part where you determine the will to reach your goals. Do you think the goal is attainable? Will it help you fulfill your overall goal? The more specific a goal is, the more you can find ways of reaching your target. You develop and educate yourself on reaching those goals.

- Realistic. Does it make logical sense? Getting to Mars and back within 20 days is a goal, but with the resources, you have, is it realistic? Will it take a huge effort to achieve the objective? A person must be willing and especially able to achieve the goal.

It is still realistic to aim high. It has to do with the rewards received, or the way the goal moves you forward. If you do not possess the skills or inclination to reach the goal, then the goals is unrealistic. No amount of motivation can get a man to do what he despises.

- Time-bound. This is the most important of all. A goal has to have a deadline. This is to prevent the goal setter from letting his goal slide from one day to the next. The true price paid for goals is the time you give the goal.

Remember this, time is the true price paid for your dreams, the earlier the dream can be achieved, the more time you have to enjoy it.

Don’t let other people rob you of your goals, use the SMART method and share it with others so you can help each other reach your goals.

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