Properly Exchanging Business Cards

Exchanging business cards usually begins your relationship with a client but done improperly can be the end. Many cultures have built-up elaborate rituals around exchanging business cards that real estate professionals must become familiar with. In the United States we are very casual about this process and when given a card we hardly glance at them. Don’t do this with multicultural clients as it can be very insulting.

Here’s how people in Asia exchange business cards and it continues even when they’re in the United States: offer your card with both hands with the lettering facing the client and bow slightly. If the client offers their business card, be sure to accept it with your right hand.

The hand you use to accept the client’s card can be significant, since the left hand is believed to be unclean in much of Asia, South Asia and the Middle East. The only thing the left hand is used for in those parts of the world is for bathroom duties so it would be an extreme insult to accept a client’s card with the unclean hand.

Read the client’s business card carefully. Study it as if it were a holy book since that level of significance attaches to business cards in Asia and other parts of the world

If the client has a difficult name to pronounce, write it down phonetically as they repeat it – but not on the card. Most cultures do not follow the American custom of making notes on the back of business cards since that would be the same as writing on the owner’s face!

Explain your title (broker, agent, broker-associate, etc.) and what it means to the client. Ask about the client’s title because it probably indicates their rank and status.

Carry your business card in a brass card case. It’s probably best to avoid leather card cases since the cow is sacred in some cultures such as those who practice the Hindu religion. Respectfully place the client’s card on your desk. Male agents should never put the card in your wallet and then place the wallet in your pants pocket. This is disrespectful since you would, in essence, be sitting on the client. Female agents should not put the client’s card in their purse and sling it below their waist for the same reason.

Agents who do a lot of business with clients from specific countries may want to make them more comfortable by having their contact information printed on the back of the card in their language. It’s advisable to avoid potential embarrassment by having someone who knows both real estate terms and the proper use of the second language.

When working with a translator, be sure that you know specifically where the majority of your multicultural clients are from. For instance, simplified Chinese is used primarily in mainland China, while traditional Chinese is preferred in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

The font size, photos and all other aspects should be identical on both sides of the card. If your picture in color is on the English side, it must also be in color on the foreign-language side. Be sure any logo or other artwork also appears on both sides. Color printing on the English side requires using the same color on the opposite side. Any difference, even calling the special side “the back” may be seen as a slight to the client, implying that the American culture and English language are superior to the other’s. Done incorrectly, it might turn out to be worse than not taking the trouble to print the card in their language at all.

Yes, exchanging business cards can be a complicated procedure. However, if you make a mistake and only get it partly right you’ll still be light-years ahead of your competitors. Just the mere act of handing your card to the client with both hands speaks volumes about how you feel about your card and your profession. Get it right and you’ll have clients for life!