The publishing conference was great. Sometimes people serve as excellent models. The people who aren’t great models can teach you something, too. When you’re networking, it shouldn’t look like that’s all you are there for. In fact, that won’t work. You’ll just come across as pushy.
One attendee made sure everyone had her business card, but she was wasting her time selling before even trying to connect. I prefer that people ask me for my card and not the other way around. It’s not always inappropriate to offer a card, but if you have no idea how you could help someone through your work, pushing them on people can do more harm than good.
Yes, business cards are still useful. A well-designed electronic business card attached to your email looks great! (www.vistaprint.com)
Sell yourself first. Your product or service always comes second.
I gave out very few cards this weekend, but each person was a quality contact I made an honest connection to.
Filed under: Publicity & Promotion, writing tips, business cards, networking, publishing, self-promotion
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