Discover how digital business cards can enhance client interactions, track performance, and improve outcomes for field sales professionals. We'll also delve into effective use cases of digital business cards across various industries.
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Field sales are among the most demanding yet crucial roles in an organization. Traditional networking methods, such as paper business cards, often create unnecessary obstacles. For instance, as a sales representative, sharing your business card details and tracking every interaction's progress can become tedious.
To streamline client interactions, efficiently track progress, and achieve better overall results, it's essential to move away from outdated field sales practices and adopt modern solutions.
One such solution is digital business cards (or virtual business cards). Unlike paper business cards, this innovative tool can significantly improve communication with prospects.
Additionally, they can track engagement and provide insights to optimize your field sales strategies. Let's explore further.
Sales professionals have long relied on paper business cards as a primary networking tool. However, with digital transformation reshaping the field sales landscape, physical business cards are becoming less effective and increasingly outdated.
A traditional sales call typically starts with a visit to the prospect. Each call can result in either an immediate purchase or an agreement to speak in the future.
The second outcome is where a business card is needed, and a paper business card is not always the best choice. Let's look at three reasons why:
Paper business cards are small (usually 85 mm x 55 mm) and can only contain basic contact information. They appear cluttered if you try to include additional details such as services or product information.
Any update to your contact information renders your existing paper business cards outdated. You must reprint an entire batch of updated cards and redistribute them to each prospect.
If your sales team has already distributed numerous cards, resending updated versions becomes a significant redundancy.
The average annual cost to print paper business cards can reach $194 per person. For a team of 250 field sales agents, this amounts to an average of $48,500 in annual printing expenses.
This cost can increase further with sophisticated designs and expensive materials for the cards.
Digital business cards offer an interactive business card experience, increasing your chances of converting prospects. However, their benefits extend beyond high interactivity. Here are seven additional ways digital business cards can enhance networking:
Unlike paper business cards, digital business cards have no space restrictions. They allow you to present all the information you wish to convey in one place, including multiple phone numbers, web URLs, and social media links.
Field sales often require representatives to carry numerous business materials, including paper business cards, brochures, and direct mail promotions.
Switching to digital business cards reduces the need for carrying so much paper. You can share your contact information in a paperless and contactless manner by sending your digital business card to your mobile device and sharing it via Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. This way, clients can instantly access and save your contact details on their devices.
Unlike paper business cards, digital business cards can be created, updated, and customized in real time. You can tailor your digital business cards based on the demographic you're addressing or the service you're promoting.
For example, if you promote two different services in two locations, you can create two variations of your digital business card. Each card will have its distinct design and content based on the intended audience, eliminating the need to carry two separate batches of physical cards. You can share the appropriate card variation directly from your mobile device.
Procuring paper-based business cards involves time-consuming processes. Designing cards, finding a printing company, and internal procurement procedures can take up to 30 days. To avoid lengthy processes and have cards ready for use immediately, switch to digital business cards.
Digital business cards can be created and shared instantly after purchase. They are also significantly more cost-effective than paper cards. For a team of 250 field sales agents, digital business cards cost $48–$72 annually per employee, saving up to 75% on business card expenses compared to paper cards.
Your sales team might have distributed hundreds or thousands of paper business cards, but there's no way to track if prospects engage with them or discard them. Measuring the ROI of business card networking becomes challenging.
Digital business cards make networking interactions measurable. You can track metrics such as:
🎯 The total number of views each card receives
🎯 The number of times your contact details are saved
🎯 The total number of unique recipients your card reaches
🎯 Your best and worst-performing digital business cards
🎯 Card engagement by time, date, location, and device
Exchanging contact information during a sales call can be cumbersome. Manually saving each other's contact details and recording client information in your lead management system takes time.
Digital business cards allow two-way contact sharing, minimizing friction and manual effort during and after sales calls. Prospects can share their contact details directly through your digital business card, automatically becoming a lead entry in your digital address book. You can then view and organize leads and export them to your company's CRM via Zapier.
Digital business cards reduce the carbon footprint of networking initiatives. They are 100% paperless and require no materials like paper or PVC plastic used in traditional business card alternatives.
Implementing digital business cards demonstrates your company's support for sustainability, which can appeal to consumer demographics that prioritize eco-friendly businesses.
A recent report indicates that the global digital business card market value is expected to reach $6 billion by 2030. The demand for digital business cards is rising across various industries that rely heavily on field sales.
Industries that can benefit from digital business cards in field sales operations include:
🎯 Hospitality
🎯 Real Estate
🎯 Banking and Insurance
🎯 Repair and Service Providers
