The Enduring Power of Business Cards
“There is much about business that is timeless,” said The Economist. For proof, look no further than the thriving trade in business cards. Plenty of people predicted that exchanging paper cards would fall out of fashion as our daily lives migrated online. Instead, swapping cards remains “as close to a universal ritual as you can find in the corporate world.” Even at the trendiest Silicon Valley gatherings, “people still greet each other by handing out little rectangles made from dead trees rather than tapping their phones together.” Why? Because even as technology takes over more and more formerly human functions, machines “cannot transform acquaintanceships into relationships.”
Building social bonds remains an essential part of business, and cards still fill an important role in establishing connections and reinforcing bonds. In a world dominated by “both globalization and virtualization,” they serve as a powerful, “physical reminder that you have actually met someone rather than just Googled them.” Just as having dinner is a better way to get to know someone than Skypeing, exchanging paper cards is still an “excellent way to initiate a lasting relationship.” They may be old-fashioned, but “business cards are here to stay.”
see also finance and business knowledge
