King Pin Business Cards

First impressions are everything when it comes to business. You will be judged on how you look and act as well as how you negotiate. All these things mean that the modern businessman must be schooled in many arts. The international businessman needs many more tools in his arsenal to be able to effectively represent himself and his company abroad. It is well known that us Americans aren’t too good outside our own country. When we do travel we expect everything to work just like “back home”, and complain often loudly when it doesn’t. That kind of attitude just won’t work when travelling on business.

The European and Asian business world is founded on quality. That isn’t to say ours isn’t, but there is much more emphasis on it over there. From the quality of your suit, to your manners and observance of local cultures. All these things will be studied and either marked for, or against you.

For example, doing business in Italy, you would be marked down for not having a stylish suit or quality business cards. Style and quality is everything there, and the outward display of it permeates every facet of their society. France is much the same on a more conservative level. Style and quality count for a lot so turning up to a meeting in an off the shelf suit isn’t going to win you any friends. You would have to work very hard to convince either the Italian or French of the quality of you or your company like that.

Russia on the other hand couldn’t care less. They are interested in doing deals and making money. They are much less interested in you, what you wear or the quality of your business cards. Here what you have, and what you can provide them is paramount as far as they are concerned. Even though there is a hunger for money, and doing deals, it will take forever to get one signed. A relic of their communist past is the monolithic bureaucracy which not only stifles their government but most of their older more established businesses. New money or companies are less constrained by this though.

Doing business in the Middle East isn’t an inviting prospect for a lot of businesses. The relative instability of the region (mainly caused by us), makes this a shifting foundation for any deal. The almost universal prevalence of Islam is something that has to be taken very seriously and observed strictly by any visitor if they want to even be considered as business partners. It has its own rules that need to be observed and treated with respect to get anywhere with the people. Learn the culture and demonstrate respect for it and the region has some of the friendliest and most hospitable people in the world.

As you can see, doing business internationally isn’t just a case of grabbing a passport and buying an airline ticket. Research has to be done so you can get started on the right foot before you can make a success of any foreign visit.

Offering free samples of your products is an effective way of generating custom for many businesses. It gives your potential customers something to look at, as well as giving the confidence that you are professional enough to allow inspection of your work before being employed.

There are small industries that grew up around collecting samples of things and trying them out, even without the intention of buying the whole product. Some of my student years were spent doing just that! There are even schemes now where you can volunteer to receive regular free samples of stuff if you provide feedback on it. This is a useful marketing tool where companies who are planning new products or to rebrand older ones can test it out before releasing them to manufacturing. This is being increasingly adopted by companies to enable them to talk directly to their target market and gain valuable feedback on their products.

This has seen a massive increase over the past year as more and more people are getting wise to the idea of getting things for free, while only have to spend a few minutes a week giving feedback. I fully expect this expansion to continue for years to come. Nice to see that it isn’t just in the realms of student life anymore!

There are obviously industries and products where this isn’t possible, but alternatives are always there for the imaginative. Examples such as impregnating a business card with perfume for a fragrance company, or the “new car smell” for an auto retailer. Neither of which could feasibly give away free samples of their product but can still market it via giving away business card samples. There are plenty of examples of fragrant cards being used to promote business and specific products. There are wedding planners who make their cards smell of fresh flowers or marzipan. Candle makers who make their cards smell like their fragrant candles.

The process is simple enough if you want to try it yourself. Simply get a sample of whatever fragrance you want to use, such as marzipan or essential oil and put it into an airtight container. With liquids I suggest soaking a rag or handkerchief to stop the cards getting wet. Add some cards to the container and lock them all in together. Leave them for at least three or four days to enable the card to absorb the fragrance, and viola, you can now communicate with your audience on another level. Not only are you appealing to their eyes, but their sense of smell too! Smell has something to do with triggering memories, so it isn’t a bad idea to try this out, especially if the fragrance then triggers memories of your company!

Offering free business card samples of your products, reminders, or suggestions of your products is an effective call to action for your target market. It literally adds an extra dimension to your marketing strategy, and as long as your business isn’t waste management or septic tank cleaning, using smell as an extra element is a good idea.

Becoming a lawyer is either a dream or a curse. Depending on who you talk to they are either defenders of the weak and preservers of justice or ambulance chasing orators with a thinly veiled respect for the people they serve.

Whichever side of the fence you sit on there is no denying that becoming a lawyer is a difficult process. Once you have your college degree you have to attend a further three years Law School. The school will only accept you if you have a very high GPA and you pass the Law School Admission Test. This is an entrance exam that checks your foreknowledge and preparedness for what lies ahead. With so much competition to attend Law School they can afford to be choosy. It is recommended to begin studying for your LSAT during your last year at college. Yes, we know, when you have enough work to do already! Nobody said it would be easy.

Once you have made it into Law School you have to attend some mandatory courses in your first year to set the groundwork. Courses such as Property Law, Contracts, Torts, Constitutional Law, Criminal Procedure, Civil Procedure and Legal Writing lay the groundwork for a career in law and the rest of law school, but they’re also the hardest courses you’ll take. Everything you study from here on in will be based on the knowledge you gain from these courses.

Once you graduate from Law School, it’s time to sit the Bar Exam. Passing this will grant you a license to practice law in the state where you sat the exam. Seven years after starting college you can finally graduated and work as a lawyer. Of course finding a job is the next biggest hurdle.

Most newly qualified lawyers will take an internship or clerkship with a firm. These are the best methods of advancing your career and they do occasionally pay a salary! Some graduates will opt to go straight into practice and begin paying off their debts.

The average day for a lawyer depends entirely on the specialty chosen. Some, like trial lawyers or litigators will spend a lot of time in court. Others such as civil lawyers will do paperwork. Be it research, studying contracts or the myriad of other duties that befall a junior lawyer in a firm.

While doing all this you will of course be networking, schmoozing and generally making yourself known through the circuit or office and as a lawyer, business cards are your best friend. They are a quick and easy way to spread the word about yourself.

Once qualified, debt free, experienced and seasoned, where you go from here is up to you. Not all lawyers practice law. Some will teach, work as advisers for corporations or the government. Others will join large firms begin climbing the corporate ladder. It depends entirely on aptitude and the chosen specialty. Whatever you choose, all the hard work and sacrifice to took to get where you are in only set to continue.