Why not use your business cards to actually generate leads? If you don't already carry your business cards with you start. They probably haven't done you much good up to now, but you can change that. You aren't getting the maximum value from this low cost marketing tool because you don't know how to use them to your best advantage. Your business cards serve a marketing purpose. You give out your business card so people can contact you and remember you. Of course, that's presuming the people you give them to want to contact or remember you, and just handing someone your card isn't creating an incentive for them to contact you.

How can you expand on that purpose to get a real return on your investment? You want your business card to provide an incentive for a potential prospect to connect with you. One of the quickest and easiest ways to do that is by providing an incentive that grabs their attention and interest.

Your business card can serve as a means for you to give first, and it can at least provide more details about your value. The back of your business card is prime real estate that you don't want to go to waste. The front of your business card can be the standard information, but the back of your card is where the real potential lies.

You can use the back of your card to generate leads. If you do nothing else you can at least list the big benefits you and your service helps people to get. That's good, but you can do even better than that.

Provide something valuable on the back of your card. If you were a retail business this could be a coupon, but service professionals can use this very effectively too. On the back of your card you might provide a way for someone to sign up for: a free white paper, a free audio explaining something that you know is confusing to most people, a free video showing them how to do something, or even a free pass to an upcoming seminar. All these options provide an opportunity for you to make a connection with the person you're meeting.

Business cards are an inexpensive marketing tool that with a little planning you can use to create event specific leads. When you belong to a referral group don't give your fellow members a standard business card give them a card that tells them: who you work with, why they hire you, and what they get as a result of your help. As you attend seminars and other events tie your free offer to the topic of the event and use it as a way to connect with the people who want to know more. Use your creativity to think of ways to get some real value from a business card.

You've handed out business cards in the past with little or no results so how do you turn the people you're giving your cards to now into real leads? As you give a card be sure you get a card too. Don't just have one way the person getting the card can whatever it is you've offered. Contact the people who take you up on your offer. Start a conversation asking if they got the information they needed, what else they'd like to know, if you have a next level option to further build on your relationship let them know about that, and if it makes sense offer to meet with them.