I'm about to order some new business cards and due to lack of space I'm thinking of ditching the fax number. I market myself as being on the forefront of technology so I'd like to have both my website and email address on my cards, not just one or the other.

Does this seem like an OK idea?
Foresee any problems by doing so?

Clients never fax me anything and if it's another agent that has my card it's as simple as dialing the 2 numbers, viewing my website, or emailing me (all the contact info on the card) to get the fax number. right?

I'd keep the fax number and ditch the office number. I just use my cell, fax, www and e-mail.

I don't have a fax # on my card, because I have more than one fax #. Depending on where I want it faxed to, that's the number I give out.

Put your DRE Licence number on your cards - it'll soon be a law.

I need to reorder my business card I am ditching my office number and keeping cell, email, web and fax number and reduced my picture size.

Maybe you need to get someone else making your cards.

I am able to fit all of the same info your working with on mine.

The one thing I do a bit differently is I only have one phone number. I don't put office, cell, etc. on the card. I have one of those phone numbers that will follow me where ever I am , so I don't need to give any other number.

More to the point tho, do NOT ditch the fax number. I would argue it is more important than having both your web address and email. If you have to drop something, probably web address is the one to go.

R

Absolutely not. Keep the web address and ditch the office #. I am rarely at the office and do not trust that I will get all of my messages from prospects. Its happened to me twice already that I know of. The floor people get desperate for business.

Biz cards without a fax number are a pet peeve of mine.

ditto Ben

If you have your email address, such as info@premierlocation.com - most people will be able to work out that my website will be www.premierlocation.com

I have trouble getting my website to fit on my card.

~Aaron
http://www.AllYouEverWantedInAHomeCanBeYoursButOnlyIfYouUseMeAsYourAgentAndNotAnyoneElse.com

LMAO @ Aaron!!

Right on, Aaron! LOL!

***
I agree with everyone who uses their cell phone, and personal fax numbers, instead of the office numbers. I also see value in putting your license number on your cards - I didn't know it was gonna be a legal requirement.

Don't put your RESIDENCE NUMBER on your cards, however. Your "WORK" numbers are enough. Save for yourself some "down" time. Don't put that extra pressure on your whole family to "have to say the right thing", when answering the home phone 24/7.

Interesting thoughts here. I am going to have to order new cards when our office moves and I have been thinking about what I should do.

My first broker advised us "newbies" to NOT put the main office # or our cell # on our cards, but rather only our direct office number. He thought our cell # should be given out at our discretion, i.e., make the client feel they are privy to select info. I followed his advice about the office # but not the cell #.

Right now I have the main office # (only because we didn't have direct #s when I ordered cards), the fax #, my cell # and my website. I am considering dumping the cell number because I have call "follow-me". Plus, I don't get good reception at home, so end-up having to call everyone back.

One thing I am definitely considering changing is the picture on the card. When I started I did not want or have a picture, then I had a scenic card. I went to the picture because a long time agent told me people are more apt to keep a card with a picture than one without. Now I am considering a caricature instead of a photo.

I know it is sometimes nice to have a whole list of contact numbers - but it can also be frustrating trying to decide which # to call and whether to call all of them and leave messages at each # if you don't reach them.

I do know my direct # and website will definitely be on my next card. I will be interested in seeing if there is any consensus here.

Have a good one,

Betty

If you can't fit your fax, maybe you have too much info on your cards. I have a phone/fax combo, so that's a solution too.

I have my name, website, email, phone/fax, and address on the card, but it's clearly communicated. Maybe you can use a different designer.

wow lots of interesting views here thanks!

as an update i found out that the design was flexible .. would have been good info to put on their site instead of me trying to figure out what to cut

i don't put the office on my card .. i put my direct line in my office .. its nice to bypass the desk and have everything come to me

so as an update i have:
company address
direct office line
cell phone
direct fax
email
website

everything important that i wanted/needed .. but i still don't think i needed the fax number and woulda dropped it if need be .. i realized its rare to have the card of another agent anyway .. for me its as simple as calling their office and asking for the fax number .. its all for the customer right? what's one more phone call?

vistaprint.com has free design services... they can shrink down your type if you need it shrunk and include logos and name and photo and whatever else... for like 20 i recieved 1000 full color fully customized cards with my company logo and photo and all the information i could want.

Are you forgetting that cards have 2 sides?

Utilize that extra space!

I always put my cell number on everything. And I use an email address I set up myself for business, not the email the office gave me, because one day I may switch offices and if someone pulls my card out of a drawer because I spoke to them 6 months before, I want them to be able to reach me without problems.

Here is the front of my business card when I was with Century 21. I was one of the very few agents I have ever seen with this design!



Here is the back of the same card. I had the publishing company put this phrase on there for me. I think it is very catchy!

Did you think of adding a 800 number that acts as a fax. Not that hard and very cheap. Can have the fax hit your email so when you get back to the office or computer you get all your faxes in pdf form. I have enjoyed mine for two years now except for the fax blasts getting tired of those. Email me if you want to know more. But I think its a better alternative. Also what about the back of the card.

Great subject that i am sure many can benefit from it.

I am about to get my first set of business cards printed (still waiting for the license to arrive from the state). What I am thinking of doing is to get a Vonage phone number and print that on my card. For $15/month for 500 minutes or $25/month for unlimited it gives me voice mail and complete ability to manage my number. I can forward it to my cell phone, my office, my home, or just send it to voice mail. Also this number is mine not my broker's. This way if I change brokerage I keep the number.

My question is about using a picture. Do people really believe it works? Real estate seems the only profession where people use pictures on their cards. why does it work for them and for others. I just have something that says in my head "you are not the next American Idol winner. Don't put you picture"

I can't remember the last time a client wanted to FAX me something.

Maybe that's the point.

Is your card for agents or clients.


........... Dave

One word of warning for anyone getting cards from Vista Print. I got mine from them and they look great. Then a $14.95 charge shows up on my credit card the next month. I tracked it to VistaPrint. They had enrolled me in some special program of theirs. They claim I checked some box when ordering my cards, but that is BS. It must have been some hidden box checked by default. I had to call my credit card company and Vistaprint to get it all canceled. It was a real PITA (enough so that I am posting this because I'm still pissed).

The company I can recomend for printing is GotPrint.com I used them for many things like business cards, flyers, folders, etc. The quality is superb. The prices seem to be very reasonable. For example 5000 color business cards - $69

Well... I agree with whoever sd that you should be able to fit EVERYTHING on the card if laid out properly. Also.. if you comapany truly is "high tech" you should be able to have call forwarding to your cell, allowing you to only put your office number on the card. I have my very own extension at work, and when I leave I set it up to forward to my cell. Also, get UFAX, and you can toss the fax machine and get them as pdf files in your email box. I love it!!

As an independent contractor to your broker, why advertise their number on your card? I guess so that after you have given out 10,000 cards and you decide to change brokers they will magically find you? Using your cell phone number as your business number will ensure your number goes wherever you go.

The same goes for an email address. I believe having your own domain and address is paramount. Promoting your brokers email address will not help long term.

With regards to a fax number, I promote an Efax number, costs $1 a month. All faxes to it are converted to a TIF file and emailed to me automagically.

It's great to be out of town and able to receive faxes wherever I am.

I agree, there should be plenty of space on a card to put your email, phone number, fax number, web site and address.

Good Luck!

I agree totally with Wa Homes. As an independent contractor, you are promoting yourself and not your broker. Opinions are like noses and everybody has one, so here's mine. It never fails to surprise me that the phone numbers on business cards are usually the smallest print on the card. More than likely your card is not handed out to children with 20/20 vision. Do yourselves a favor and print your primary contact number in large print and place it at the top of the card. I encourage my clients to attach my card to one of theirs in their rolodex in a raised manner. By doing that, my card rises up above the others they have in their rolodex (yes, people still use rolodexes) and the first and most visible item is my phone number because, after all, the whole reason for a business card is so they can call you. Next idea which some one else stated is that by having your e-mail address jane doe@www.yourwebpage.com there is no need to repeat your web site on the card. A fax number is of the least importance to me since e-mails have become so much more in use. Most of my seasoned citizen clients do not have computers nor fax machines in their homes, so they are the ones who call (the old fashioned way). I use Vonage VOIP as my primary number which is mine, it forwards to my cell phone, can take it worldwide, and can access my voicemail via the internet anywhere. It also has all the other features of the old land lines. For $25.00 per month, it has been the best thing since sliced bread.

Don't forget also to utilize the back side of your business card. Personal notes to call you first are great. On the back side of mine I list the Mortgage Loan Application Checlist. You would be amazed how great a tool this is when your clients hand you copies of what is needed to preapprove them for their purchase mortgage.

By the way, should you decide to sign up with Vonage, please be so kind as to e-mail me first at jenweir@estateplannersrealty.com so I can refer you to Vonage. In this way (full disclosure) I get two months of free telephone service for every person I refer to them who purchases their VOIP services. See, a win win plan for us all....

Wa Homes

Which company do you use that only charges $1 per month? I looked up Efax and it was more like $12-20per month.

Yeah, Wa Homes....I would like to know too. $1 per month for e-fax? was that a typo?

I thought that in my state at least, you HAVE to put your office number on any advertising....

I will try and look up the rules again to see.

In New Jersey you do have to put your office phone number.

In my state you don't have to put your office number on your business card. In fact my office has switched over to OneCall and wants us to use the assigned phone number so that our calls follow us wherever we are and to put that on the business card and yard signs, not our office number. I'm not going to do that for the reasons many others stated. I want my number to follow me when I leave my broker, so the phone number needs to be one I own. My cell phone is always with me, so to me it serves the same purpose as OneCall. For the same reason, I put down my personal e-mail address.

As for whether business cards are used for clients or other agents, I use them for both, but about 80% go to other agents or are left at showings and about 20% go to clients.