Talking Business Cards

January 11, 2009 by Ari
Filed under Altas de Buscadores

Text Message Business Cards

There is a new company on the market that is offering what are being referred to as "talking business cards." Basically, the concept is that they are regular business cards, but that have a special offer at the botton of the cards. When you receive a business card from someone that has ordered them, you get their standard information, but also the offer. In the offer, you can take advantage of the offer which is currently a $5 calling card for free. You just simply have to send your cell phone’s number in and you will receive the free time on the calling card.

Now since you submitted your telephone number, the service provider who gave you the card can text message you offers on a weekly or monthly basis, depending on their preferences. You got the free $5 in calls, but just have to listen to a brief 20 second commercial (by the same sponsor of course) and then your call will go through.

It is a good promotional item, and I think it has merit with places like nightclubs, restaurants of places frequented; yet I don’t know how I feel about getting a text message regularly by my furniture or mattress salesperson. You decide.

The company operates the business as a Multi Level Marketing business, in that, you can sell the cards yourself if you want and make a commission, but first, you have to buy the cards yourself.

The cards in their basic package cost $295 for 1,200 cards and also require a $99 a month fee to have access to the "backoffice" where you can then record your voice greeting/offer/promotion and send your regular text message offers. There are other plans you can choose from, but again, you have to order them first to be able to make money selling them.

Their commission structure starts at $120 per sale of every $295 order and goes up from there.

Like all multi level marketing opportunities, if its hot now, it may not be tomorrow. However, they are currently the only company out there that I know of that are using text messaging as a way to reach new customers. And as you may be aware, everything else is already saturated with advertisements.

Statistically though, it is stated that over 90% of people do look at every single text message they receive before deleting it. Maybe there is something to these cards (for now anyway).