How much are business cards typically, also as a new agent how many should I order to start out with?

Thanks

You can get them cheaply from http://www.overnightprints.com and they are very nice.

Do you plan on being with your broker for a long time? I would get at least 1000, but if you're not sure of the design, get only 100 from overnight prints - they're cheap enough to experiment like that.

Awsome site. Thanks for the help, now I have an idea of how much cards are going to cost me. Cheaper than I expected.


Thanks

I second overnight prints. Those guys are awesome, cheap, and fast.

I would avoid Vista Print. When I ordered cards from them, they signed me up for some program and I started seeing $10 a month charge on my credit card. They apparently hid the sign up scam very well. I was pissed and disputed the charges. I'll never use them, but still get spammed regularly by them.

I thought I heard somewhere that Vista Print is going out of business. They used to send me an e-mail every morning [like clockwork] for awhile, now nothing as of just over a week ago.

I've never bought anything from them because I prefer to do my own cards but signed up to their site because I was curious about their layouts and pricing on postcards. I've never been charged for anything, though.

Linda

Stay away from Quantum Graphics.

Overnightprints.com is the only place I'll order from.

I use 2 kind of cards:
A nice one for "valued customers" and the free 250 from vista print to leave on the countertop when showing or anything that doesn't matter really...

I got all my intro. post cards from Vistaprint and was VERY satisfied. I got 50 large and 100 small free

I wrote a blog post about business cards that you might find interesting. In particular there is a link to a Flickr website that has some amazing samples of business cards.

My opinion is not to skimp on your business card as this is an extension of your brand. When you start out you want to make a good impression so pay attention to the finish, thickness of the card stock and make it something you will be proud to give out.

Here is the link to the article. http://themarketingguy.wordpress.com/2007/12/05/how-to-make-your-business-card-stand-out/

That was a good one, Malamar!! As real estate agents, I think a good business card will carry forth a sense of professionalism and reliability So while getting a Card, we must keep in mind that it should have some meaning and message for the customer.

As a female, I enjoy the losers that call me because I got a "pretty piture". After the first order, I had the photo removed. Call me because you want a house, not a date.

Get two cards one for routine viusitors and other one for those whom you think are worthy buyers. Go in for overnightprints hands down

i use 72hrprint.com. you can get 5000 cards for $99. also have them in a week.

Who still uses them? Don't you think the hole card thing is a little dated? Get a blog or a nice site.

Huh? You don't leave a card when you show a home?

WHy would anyone skimp on business cards?? It's not like even the nicest of cards are expensive. I personally would never have 2 sets of cards...one for A list clients, one for B list clients. You never know who is who and who has money and who doesn't. You also want your image to always be consistent. And cards, in my opinion, will not be outdated for a long, long, long time, if ever.

The truth of the matter is that most of my buyers come from far away and buy the time I actually meet them in person I have been either emailing or calling them for months and usually never use cards any more. 15 years ago when I started in sales it was a mini brochure but it seem obsolete to me know. Yes I do have them and yes I do leave them when I show a home but they are like brochures of the past.

No, I don't think the whole thing is even a little dated.

When you meet people on the street, in the store, at the doctor's office, or at a social gathering, it's a great way to get all of your info to someone.

I found myself writing more on the back of my cards than I liked or had room for...so I changed the card. I did away with the mug shot and ordered larger 3x5 size card printed with my POC info at the top from http://www.levenger.com.

It leaves me enough room to write (read scrawl), Thanks for the showing appointment as I leave a co-op or whatever to anyone. I like their wide choice of other products too.

I guess I just don't meet people on the street. It's a small island and after a while you get to now most people and they know you and know what you do. I don't think I have handed out one business card last year. Maybe I will start tomorrow in the coffee shop. That is the fun thing about living on an small island. When you see new people you really notice them especially in the winter when it's quiet.

I'm so glad I read this thread. I did not know of overnightprints and have been looking for a site like that. I just ordered much needed new business cards and I am very excited! The design options are awesome. Thanks!

I received my business cards today from overnighprints and am VERY PLEASED!!

I'm getting a new order of cards ready too.

BestBusinesscards.com ... laminated business cards. Very professional looking and I got them within a week.

overnightprints looks like a good product. They don't have any pre-made template/desings for my broker, but it's good that I can upload on my own

Bookmarked Overnightprints. Love the templates.

might want to try gotprint.com very high quality 5000 of them for like 60 bucks i also recommend their flyers and their postcards as i use them very regularly.

I am considering sending out 1000 postcards to recent expireds (past couple months) that may want to list thier house now.

Has anyone had any success with mass mailing post cards?

Your cards are a marketing tool and a way to get your name into someone's hands. However, differentiate yourself from the competition when handing out your cards. I teach some of my agents to either add additional print to the back, or use the back to add written notes to help the recipient remember who you are.

-4MySales Expired Listings
http://www.theredx.com/signup/4mysales.html

I just ordered new business cards. Been working on them for a while.

One of the things I want to do is give people magnets, or post it notes with my card on them, for them to put on their fridge, etc.

But, would I want to have some realtor's face on my fridge?

No.

So I designed a card with a beautiful landscape photo that I took locally, with the company logo and my contact info on the bottom. It's an experiment, but I think they'd be much more likely to hang a pretty photo on their fridge than my picture.

We'll see how they work. OvernightPrints is so cheap it allows you to experiment.

Business cards won't be your main issue. You will sell not your business cards. The price depends of the quality and quantity. I have ordered 1000 and will be more than enough.

I don't want my business cards to SELL, I want them to be pretty enough that they stand out from anyone else's and that they are attractive enough for someone to want to stick on their fridge.

The quality of Overnightprints.com cards has been excellent so far, though I dislike the rounded corners ones (I didn't like them and sent them back, poor die cut). The standard cards with the UV coating are great, rich vibrant colors.

No they're not linen texture, with an elegant monochromatic color scheme; they're full color with a lovely riverfront landscape. It's definitely different and will stand out from the flood of blah blah boring cookie cutter cards everyone else has.

Even though business cards won't sell you, they do make an impression, often times a first impression. A business card is likely the first hard copy item you give to someone. If it is not professioonal, it is a reflection on you. It's important to have business cards that are both professional and stand out so that people remember you.

I also send calendars to my clients, they have my name, phone number and email at the bottom, cost me about $1.50 or so for good quality, and people hang them up and look at them all year long. Best annual investment I make, always get a few deals early in the year from my mailing in December.

Don't go for the laminated stuff. Real Estate business cards are your face to the world. Spend as much money on design and print as you can. Get the best paper, try to stand out. Get the stamped or embroidered kind.

I am serious, why do you think companies like Sotheby's spend so much money and resources on business cards?

We have used Vistaprint for a 3 years now. (even before Real Estate) I get the glossy upgrade for free.

In the last order I recieved in about a week I got:
1 Hat
100 Postcards
50 large postcards
10 Large calendar magnets
25 small business cards magnets
1 notepad
25 Beautiful Brochures
1 Tshirt
1 Pen

All for 18.00 shipping. all items were free. NEVER had a problem.

They also have car door magnets full color! 14.99 (but I had an email for free!) So I got one free and they offered the second half price after I ordered. They are a little thinner than the ones I got from our local printer, but they stay on at 75 mile an hour!

On the back of our business cards we have "Search over 7,000 North Alabama homes for sale at http://www.JonesTeamSells.com." They access the public MLS system, which many do not know about still, but they read what we have to offer as well.

We had the regular postcard designed like our business card, but on the back we put several options for how a buyer would like the home they just viewed. We select the the appropriate selection and leave that instead of business cards. ( we just got these) With a little extra info like this, if that home expires, maybe that will help us to stand out even more. We have postcards for when we speak to someone, we mail them. If we miss them (FSBO knocking). And we just ordered some to mail to renters that has some local homes in the same price range as rent they are paying. We will maill these out later this week.

I actually got a glitch in the Vistaprint when they first started selling the T-shirts. They sent me over 230 of them! FREE!! I ordered one with front and back print and somehow got a HUGE order for free. I called and they said they had no record of it. So I started to give those out free on our webpage to get leads.

I have heard of some saying they had a bad experience with them, but I have not. We will give out the hats to as we get them for free. It is great since we have community events all the time where we will have booths!

We have a blog linked to our website (Free from blogger.com).

Log on to our site and give me feedback if you think something should change. Thanks

So what do you say when you're with a prospect in Wal-Mart?
" I don't have a business card because it's so last century. I'm so tech that you may check h t t p : slash slash double view double view double view dot checkmysuperrealestateblog dot com slash superrealestatebloggerhere dot atch tee aim " ??

Not sure that the business card will die soon. Blog and site are just a plus to add on it...

I want to know what a "hole card" is. Does it look like a slice of Swiss cheese?

Perky: I'm not sure if it is what you are describing or not but I have seen some business card size CDs. The lable looks like a card but there is a whole lot more info on them when you play them in your computer drive (and, yes, they have hole in them just like other CDs)

Wow, I had never heard of that...sounds pretty cool. I'm expecting some day we're all gonna be walking around with these things like memory cards that cameras have, and we can download our info into each other's hand held do hickeys, like ipods or something.

but my post was being snarky...I was making fun of the one poster's spelling error. he spelled "hole" card instead of "whole".

Guess I wasn't proofing the other posts.

I never went that route for business cards myself though I did have a virtual tour of one of my better listings on one of that size. I've forgotten now how many were included in the price of the virtual tour.

I love that idea!!

Vista Print is the bomb!