Day: December 26, 2017

The company card is one thing that digital will not completely replace anytime soon. Here are a few reasons why the old school business card remains significant, and why you need to have a pocket full of them constantly.

1. Swapping contact information digitally is unbiased

Networking is about making real connections. Sending contact info via text or email on the place is convenient but it is also extremely impersonal. Engaging in eye contact and real conversation is the way real relationships begin.

Two people with their heads buried in their telephones typing away will not produce any sort of significant memory of their experience. It is easy to transfer the data from a business card to your mobile device after the dialog.

2. They are the best direct marketing tools

Email advertising, search engine optimization and paid press all do an excellent job of bringing prospects and leads, but they still are not as successful as an in-person meeting sealed with a handshake together with a business card exchange.

You can encounter a possible lead or contact anytime; tradeshows, business conventions, happy hour, airport lounges, at a restaurant. When choosing to equip yourself with business cards at all times, you will make certain you never miss a chance to earn a valuable company connection. Keep some in your pockets, wallet, money clip or notebook bag so the next time you encounter a prospect you are prepared.

3. A business card is the first impression of your brand

When you meet somebody that could possibly be an excellent prospect or connection, do you want them to walk off with a terrific first impression? A memorable business card, with a specific print design does a lot more than simply pass on an email address or telephone number. When I make a connection via my business card, I really do not want my new related to the word cheap. A retail store hoping to make a terrific first impression would not produce a storefront sign using a bit of cardboard and a Sharpie, perhaps go to an actual printing business and get some signage printing done. I have that exact same mentality in regards to my business cards. Yes, they may cost more, but think of how many unnecessary expenses you can cut to allocate funds for good business cards. Hold off on the Ping-Pong table and espresso machine to your office and get some business cards in which will make a terrific first impression.

4. Creative business cards become shared — continuing to advertise for you wherever you are

A business card is a physical thing with positive prospect which leaves the experience with your client. Your brand remains with them. If you meet with a prospect and exchange email addresses and telephone numbers you every walk away with a different contact on your cellular phone — it ends there. If you hand over a creative business card which makes a excellent impression that person is very likely to reveal it to others, putting you and your brand before additional prospects.

5. Business cards show you are prepared

Have you had someone want to give you their contact detail but cannot as they do not have a pen or paper? How about somebody that had a cell phone with a dead battery? It is not the most professional approach.

If you met two people and one was scrambling to locate a pen and something to write on and another person simply pulled out a company card, who would you want to work with? Showing that you are ready at all times is a wonderful indicator that you are professional.

For most young people and prospective first home buyers, looking at house prices in Australia can be just gloomy. They are out of reach, beyond the wildest dreams of many. You know it. We know it. It has been shown in survey after survey, in decidedly average cottages selling for almost $4 million, in un-renovated houses going for far over the book, in weatherboards flatly described as “tired” going for more than $1 million.

Between 2002 and 2014, home ownership rates for 25 to 34-year-olds dropped almost 10 points, to below 30 percent. Australia was crowned with the ignoble distinction of being third least affordable housing market in the world, with Sydney’s median home price — around $800,000 — between 10 and 12 times the median earnings, depending which poll you look at. A current Domain survey found there were just 17 suburbs in the greater Sydney area where homes were inside the median price point of $469,000.

What exactly are young people and aspiring homeowners to do right now? Let’s say you have a savings program and a monthly budget, your savings account is growing steadily, you are diligently socking away your shift, you are avoiding spending large at the pub on nights out, and you have even cut down avocado toast and soy lattes, and don’t forget cutting back on gaming coins — but you are still nowhere close scraping together enough to get a housing deposit.

What now?
HuffPost Australia chatted to five currency specialists — financial advisors, economists and much more, and we asked, in general terms, what a young man (for the sake of the debate, aged between 20 and 30) with an adequate amount in their bank accounts (for the sake of the debate, between $10,000 and $30,000) could be doing to increase their savings, rather than looking at the bitcoin exchange rate.

Obviously the main thing, once you’re saving, is to keep saving. Laura Higgins, senior executive director of fiscal capability with ASIC’s Money Smart service, said putting together a simple budget was a simple way to highlight unnecessary expenses and boost your savings.

“ASIC’s ‘monitor my spend’ tool will help you reach the point where you are on top of handling day-to-day expenses. It makes it possible to identify needs from desires, to discover places you could find to put away more,” she said.

Every little bit counts. When we speak with our younger clients about saving, as opposed to talking about the long run and how you must save $100,000, you should consider it in tiny increments. The total sum doesn’t appear insurmountable that way. As soon as you’ve got a good amount saved up, it is time to consider how to deploy that cash. Interest rates are at record lows, so keeping it locked up in a bank account probably will not add much to your bottom line at the moment. Each of the experts suggested aspiring homeowners check out investments — stocks, managed funds and the like, as a means to boost these savings, even try asking your commercial agents for advice on the matter.

Managed funds see your money directed into the stock exchange, but rather than you going directly to your stockbroker or online to make trades, or on house or office leasing, you put your cash in the hands of fund managers who make those choices for you. Your money is pooled with a number of other individuals, and invested in a selection of different stocks. It will cost more, as you are paying for specialists to make those investment decisions for you, but you leverage off the knowledge of these experts and do not need to rely on yourself to make the perfect call. Our specialists also recommended speaking to financial planners about what to do with your cash. A financial planner will take account of how much money you have, how much you need to invest, how long you are prepared to keep your money in that investment and if you’d like it back, and how much risk you are prepared to take on — as they say, more risk, more reward.

Get In Early
While considering stocks can appear intimidating and rather grown-up, experts say you’re never too young to dip your toe in the investment seas. Many investing manuals are geared toward older people with more wealth and resources, young people can get in the industry even if they are not aiming for a major purchase like a house. St George’s Chan said young people could consider investing to raise money for a vacation, new car or another enjoyable buy.

Do Your Homework
But while investing and cash tricks can be a fantastic way to boost your savings up, being smart about other choices can be just as important. In buying a house, for example, it pays to learn more about the first home buyer grants, bonuses and incentives available around the nation.