business cards

guys and gals, i keep hearing about business cards. i have been a garbage route kinda guy but its not enough for me. i have a really good job for the area but i have been out of work because of an injury. are business cards being used for the weekend warrior type scrapper or does everyone have them? what do i put on them, where do i get them, all the good stuff? can this type of business bring you around a $1000 week? its a funny thing for me, i dont need to do it but i enjoy it and im very competitive so i want to do the best i can. i actually enjoy when i get there before anyone else and i do see other people trying to beat me there.

http://www.scrapmetalforum.com/scrap...ess-cards.html

Also look down at the bottom, there is some other good posts also on this topic. See, this is why we keep saying to do some reading every nite.

;)

I bought 5000 premium business cards on vista print and those will last me years. Double sided, color, premium gloss. It's a small price to pay for how much it will make u. I made all my $ back by giving out 10. U can c them if u go to my thread .

Examples of them are countless... just do some searching.
What goes on them should be what you want on them. What would you like to tell your customers? Put that on the card

My tip:

1.Whatever finish you get (glossy, matte, etc) make sure you get one side without a coating and leave a bit of room with your design for an empty space on the card. I say this because nearly everytime I give one of these cards out I also jot a note on it... and if its glossy your pen wont work! I usually jot a note of what I picked up, what item they have in the future I may need, a special note on what time I will stop bye, etc.

2. Dont go overboard with your first order. Get near the minimum amount (yes, its usually the worst "value"). I say this because inevitably you will want to make an edition to the card, and this way when you order them next time you can make those editions. I myself ordered 2,000 to start and have gotten through like... 75?.. and I want to make some changes but am left with 1,925 still!

Vistaprint is cheap & easy, and there are other online sites. You can go to a printshop (or a UPS store, Officemax, Staples, etc., etc., etc.), and get upscale. Mine were done via Vistaprint & this is not an endorsement of any kind....just saying that's where I bought (& designed) mine. Simple, easy, & relatively inexpensive. You can *get* cards anywhere. Are they useful? I'm not a professional scrapper. I have a job in a completely unrelated industry. In that industry, I use business cards. The only certain thing I will tell you is this: they do you no good if they sit in the box they come in. That sounds stupid, but if you buy cards, HAND THEM OUT. Truthfully, if you hand out cards, many (most) will end up in a trashcan. That's a fact. It's the ones folks hold onto that make you money (& pay for printing). The more you hand out, the better your odds of getting the call when someone needs your service.

Caveat: we're all in this at different levels. My scrapping cards at the moment are geared towards "free" as in "if you need to get rid of something, I'll come get it...". If I were a couple of levels beyond that, I'd change the message. Honestly, cards are (to me in my "main" business) just another tool in an arsenal. My best marketing is person to person. In fairness, part of that is the nature of my business, but.... I think scrapping is not much different. YOU are your best marketing weapon.

...and mega props / kudos to armstrt8 for point # 2 in post...

Business cards are a must. They convey a sense of professionalism. Plus, they're cheap.

I've never used VistaPrint, but my last order was with GotPrint. The price was about $8.50 for 500 cards. The cards I got impressed me, and have already landed me a few jobs. For the little cost there is, I don't know why you wouldn't get cards.

matador: " A Card Carrying Member"