First things first, you must follow up when someone gives you their business card. And you must do it quickly.
As a busy person, if I give you my card, I’m inviting you to keep in touch with me. To find me. To talk to me further via email or phone. If I didn’t want you to stay in touch, I wouldn’t have given out my contact information.
Take it seriously when someone shares their card with you. Show them it’s not going to sit in the back of your desk drawer collecting dust.
Instead you should:
Email the individual within 1 business day—or as soon as possible.
Re-introduce yourself and be sure to include:
Your name
What you do professionally
Where you met
3. Offer the person something that you think would be of value to them. This could be:
The link to a book, article or film that is relevant to the discussion you two had
An offer to connect them with someone who may be relevant to their career (only after making sure that person wants the introduction)
Insider information about one of your projects that you told them about like a VIP pass to an event you’re organizing, or background on something they were interested in that isn’t well known
By doing #3, you are communicating that you are a person who is valuable to them. Getting a business card opens the door to endless possibilities. You just have to step in and show up in a real way.