The Hindu Business Line : That's me and my history on the card

A business card packs a whole lot more information than just a name and phone number. And what we put on our cards can reveal much about ourselves, from where we work to our line of business, sometimes even extending to details of our various career and academic achievements.

I SUSPECT Ratan Tata does not have a visiting card. His face is so well known that he would be instantly recognised. We know where he works.

He is also very unlikely to be the new face sitting beside you on the airplane with whom you would open a conversation by politely asking, "So what do you do?".

But those of us who are yet to reach that status need to introduce ourselves.

And that is where the business card comes into play. In the glorious days of the Raj, shiploads of eligible British women would come visiting the colonies and spend their vacation with their parents or relatives.

Love-starved youth, serving out their time in the colony, would drop off their cards at houses where these women were staying, in the hope that they might receive an invitation to the next ball.

We've come a long way since then and, today, a visiting card packs a whole lot more information than just a name and phone number. Any business card should have a name, and contact information such as an address and telephone number, at the very least.

What we put on the card can reveal a lot about ourselves. Let's start with the name. Do I include both my titles (Dr, Prof) in my card as the Germans do — `Herr Doktor Professor'?

And in case I may be mistaken for the chaprasi of my institution, I better make sure that not only my title and designation are present, but also my degrees... not just the recent one, but those for which I spent ages warming the backbenches of the class-room.

While I am at it, why not put the name of the institution also in parenthesis, especially when I know how difficult it was to gain admission to it. Moving on with the rest of the info. Do I put the name of my business on it?

Naturally, since for most of us work is so much part of our identity. If the name of the business is in, then it will come along with some extra baggage such as a telephone and fax number, followed by an e-mail address and a Web site.

How personal can we keep a business card? Well, there are some who wouldn't object to the idea of including their home number and/or address while some others would prefer separate a one that carries such personal information.

There are others whose personal and business lives are so intertwined that they provide their home and business address on the card. And their cell phone number too.

The irony is that your doctor, whom you want to reach at all times will be very reluctant to give out a business card let alone a residential phone number, but that insurance agent whom you've been avoiding for a while, will not only give you all the information but also call you once a day to enquire if you need his services.

Sometimes, it can be an important decision whether or not to hand out your card! You've stood chatting with an interesting person for over an hour.

Perhaps, you may want to establish contact in the future. So you profess your card and say `Let's stay in touch.' He takes the card, puts it in his pocket, and smiles and says, `Yes, let's.'

There is silence and expectation hangs heavily in the air. No, it can't be. He is not offering you his card! Perhaps he doesn't care to be called by you. Or maybe has hasn't brought any with him? What do you do? Should you test the relationship by asking for the card and finding out? Or do you let it slide and mull over the significance of it in the days to come?

The decision crucially depends or how vulnerable your ego is at that point of time. The Japanese take their cards very seriously. They follow an elaborate ritual of holding it with the tips of the forefinger and thumb of both hands and bow slightly before handing it.

You are supposed to take it as carefully, and look at it before putting it away. You treat it with reverence. Others think of their cards as advertising material and leave it for anybody to pick up. I have seen it in clinics, and such professional services firms who want to make sure you know how to get in touch with them again.

But I was quite surprised and touched when a visiting speaker from a rapidly growing company finished his talk at my university and pulled out a bunch of cards and distributed them to the student audience.

He explained, `I got a lucky break when I was a student and have had a great career. So if any of you think I can be of help, do contact me.' It took a while for the students to recover from their shock and accept the cards.

Some people put their whole resumes on their cards. The one I have in front of me has everything we talked about above, and in addition, the photo of the person, his philanthropic activities, the logos of the social service organisations he is associated with, the awards and recognition he has received, and the names of the organisations where he is a trustee.

It is a bi-fold card. I look forward to meeting him again in the future. By then he would probably be doling out a multi-fold card, for there would no doubt be more information to share.

(The author is professor of international business and strategic management at Suffolk University, Boston, US. His Internet address is cgopinat@suffolk.edu)

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