NEVER Throw Away a Business Card!

If you want to be an ace networker never throw a business card or contact details away!

Never think that person's job or business will not be of use to you or anyone you know, you don't know who you will meet the next day or weeks later.

Two examples of things that have happened to me.

Calligraphy
I'm a Rotarian and I'm the Speakers Secretary for my Club, which means I arrange speakers for our meetings.

At the beginning of last year I booked in a lady who did calligraphy; she came, did her talk, let me have her business card and left.

Just last week I nearly threw her card out. It had been sitting in my Filofax for all this time and I had had no need for it. In the end I decided to remove it from the Filofax but just put it aside - and I am now pleased I did. Yesterday I had someone contact me and ask if I knew anyone who did calligraphy!


CD/DVD Duplication, etc.
I met a chap at a business networking event. He is the accounts manager for a firm that does mass CD/DVD duplication as well as doing the printing for the CD/DVD cases, etc.

Out of politeness (and so I could give him my card) I asked for his card, filed it in my Filofax, never expecting to need his details.

How wrong I was...

Within a week, two members of UK Business Forums put up separate messages looking for a firm that provided exactly these services!

I was able to give them his details and I believe at least one of them got a very good deal and went ahead with the order!


Have either of these got me any money? Nope. But people will remember Ashley Price and BananaOffice for being great at networking.

When I'm at events people tell me "You know everyone", and I guess I do know who to put people into contact with when they need something, so people know I'm the one to come to.

So what will happen when they need call answering or one of our other services?

There have been cases whereby we've put people into contact with others and we have had work ourselves as a result.

I know at networking events I go to regularly, if there's anyone that comes for the first time, providing similar services to us, many of the other regulars will say "Have you met Ashley, he does the same as you?"

So, get yourself a reputation as someone who knows everyone - it will work wonders for you and, eventually, your business.