If you do not have enough or any namecards, what do you do?

A common question that comes up in every networking session I conduct in theNUS Business School, “How are you going to get the other person’s namecard when you do not have any namecards with you?” It’s a catch-22 situation, and there are a few ways to get out of such situations. Of course, if I have not said enough, the way how people gauge whether they should give their namecard to you is sincerity. Here are a few recommended solutions for you, if you are suddenly caught in this situation.

For a period of time due to some unforseen circumstances, I went to several networking events without namecards. If not more, I have forgotten to bring them on some occasions. Indeed it is a disadvantage if you don’t have any namecards with you. How are you going to get a namecard from the person you speak to? Are there ways to convince this person to give you his or her namecards? In fact, I deliberately went to one event without any namecards to see whether I am able to make a few contacts. The surprising thing is that you actually end up with more namecards.

Why is this so? That comes down to the common and cardinal principle in networking. If you are not sincere, the person who you speak to can immediately tell that from your body language and speech patterns. So, if I have not re-emphasized this principle long enough, you better take note. Oftentimes, most students do not know how to exit gracefully from person to person in a networking event. So, they end being stuck with one person for the whole night, which I don’t think that it is a bad idea. Sometimes, you can make good friends by speaking to the same person for the whole night. The worrying problem is that you get stuck with an insurance agent or if not worse, a MLM person.

So, how do you engage someone when you realize that you don’t have any or not enough namecards on your deck? Here are some suggestions:

• 1. “Sorry, I forgot to bring my namecard today, but if you won’t mind, can you give me yours and I will write back to you.”: This is most straightforward approach I think most people can adopt. The best policy is to tell the truth. There is no point shifting back and forth with reasons but you don’t get your objective anyway. In some circumstances, you might encounter people who do not want to give their namecards to you unless you give them yours. That comes to my next point
• 2. “Sorry, but I don’t have a namecard with me, can you give me your namecard and I will write down my namecard on a slip of paper.”: Yes, you can’t give a namecard, use receipts and slips of paper which have somehow landed in your own wallet or handbag (which definitely has no purpose). If the person seriously wants an exchange of cards, you just have to ensure that you give him or her something in return to contact you. However, please write neatly and carefully. Actually, the most important thing in this situation is that you better have a pen and some scraps of paper with you to walk into the networking situation.
• 3. “Yes, I will like to catch up with you on this issue/project/proposal. Can I get your namecard and I will write back to you?”: If you can somehow manage to offer a value proposition to the other party? The dynamics of the whole conversation change. The other person acknowledges the value in you and even if you don’t have a namecard, you will get his or her namecard as a result.

In all three possible situations, the real issue is the follow-up, not the engagement of the conversation nor getting the other person’s namecard. If you make a commitment that you are going to write back, please make sure that you do exactly that, even if you need another few days to complete the stack which you manage to acquire from people. Of course, if there are groups of people who you want to avoid, for example, MLM/network marketers and insurance agents, it is actually alright not to bring namecards with you for a trial, but be sure that it is not an important networking event.

Related Links:
The New Rules of Networking, by Wendy Marx.