Brian’s Business cards
Today I threw away my business card collection (Ok, actually I recycled it). I know you are dying to hear why I would commit such a huge business mistake. Here is the whole story…
I have to admit that when it comes to some collections I am a hoarder. I keep:
- Crossfit t-shirts
- Love notes from my wife
- Business cards
Yes, you heard me right… I hoard business cards. There I admit it!!! Ever since I graduated college I have kept every business card that I have ever received. They sit in a nice box and I can only assume I have well over 1,000 cards in my collection.
Spring is one of my favorite times of the year. With all the new buds on the trees and birds chirping again, I can’t help but get in the mood to clean and renew my life. That explains why I found my hands on my business card collection. I decided for the first time in over decade to go through the entire box and sort it. Picking up a random set of cards I started to quickly notice a pattern, most all the cards in my hand were for people who had changed jobs. Also, it was taking longer than I thought to go through them all. So, in a moment of clarity I decided to through the entire collection into the recycling bin.
I know you are thinking that I am out of my mind, here is why I made the decision:
- I already work hard to maintain the most important business relationships. These individuals hear from me on a regular basis and I have their contact info in Outlook and on my iPhone.
- Many of the cards were outdated – Business cards are static, they don’t change. Keeping a card for someone who no longer works for the same company is pointless since their contact info is no longer relevant.
- We now have digital business cards – I have been using LinkedIn since it got started many years ago. As of this writing I have 1,562 connections. These connections will never go out of date because you update your profile when you change jobs.
Do you have the courage to join me in recycling your business card collection? Please tell your story in the comments section below…
