I use what I call an “all-purpose card”. It can be given to anyone.
Company name:
What I specialize in: (such as: note broker, appraiser, investor, etc.)
My name:
My position: (such as: owner, founder, partner, etc.)
Location: (this could be your office address or the areas that you work in)
Office #, fax #, and cell #:
email address:
This type of card has worked well for me. Good Luck.
If you put owner, founder etc. What happens when you come across a question you cant answer? I would just leave it simple.
Yes, it is good for people know you are the owner, but I think there may be a time when someone will ask a question that you can’t answer on the spot, and if you have ex. CEO, founder etc. on the card, it might make the company look bad. (and them think twice about your services-unless of course, you are very experienced.)
Bettysue has a point if you are going to be dealing with sellers directly. You never want to be labeled as the owner/ceo/president/etc. It may make you feel better to say that, but it rarely helps you in the negotiating process.
If you use the “I’ll have to run this by my partner/boss/etc,” that doesn’t work well if you’re the “owner” does it?
Not to mention that the owner/president/ceo rarely goes out on sales call if the company is bigger than 1 or 2 people. If you are wanting to portray a bigger image, better to let people think that you’re “just a salesman” than the owner.
Course, those are all just my opinions on the subject.
As to the card itself. You have to determine what the card’s purpose is going to be (which also will determine whether or not you want to be labeled as “the big guy”).
Are you planning on dealing with sellers directly and want to use your business card as an advertisement? If so, then something like Doc’s above (with your specialty) works well.
If you are buying mostly from other investors/REO’s/MLS and are focusing instead on using your card as an advertisement for buyers/tenants, then the wording should focus on that.
And finally, if you just want a card to hand out to everyone to let them know that you have a business, then your company’s name and number and address (and yes, even John Doe, The Big Guy) works, too.
[Design - two red strips with 1 white in middle - Blue centered in the card then like 5 stars in the blue.]
========***========
AmeriCountry Realty Group LLC
WE ARE
*a bunch of guys and gals who love
to buy homes
*dedicated to offering quality housing
*proud to be REAL ESTATE INVESTORS
MY NAME IS
Tom McGiveron, Member
Phone: Fax:
Email:
I don’t know, I want to keep it light - I got this idea from the Vitamin Water guys…They’re product advertising is genius.
Just thought that I would throw in my two cents on the issue…
If you’re going to have a slogan, keep it short, simple, and easy to remember. I tend to think that slogans on business cards tend to sound cheesy. Cheesy can be a good thing, but it usually isn’t. I have two different business cards, personally. I have one for my home inspection business, and one for the real estate side. The home inspection card doesn’t say owner. It just has the company name, my name, my title (Professional Inspector), license number, telephone number and email address.
My real estate cards are a little different. I have my name, company name, title (Agency Manager), office address, telephone, and email. My tag line on the card says “Sales, Property Management, Investments.” Just those three things encompass a large area of real estate. However, someone looking at the card later knows quickly and precisely what I handle as far as real estate is concerned. Considering those three things usually qualify anyone looking at a real estate transaction, chances are they could utilize my services for anything they are wanting to do.
The goal of the card is to get people to remember you and what you do. Keep in mind that you want it to generate a call from them to you. If they call you with something that you don’t do, then it is an opportunity to refer them to someone that you know that does. By doing this, you not only serve the client, but you earn points from a colleague and that client will call you first as you have just made yourself a resource of information and services.
One extra footnote, make the quality of cards better than most. My cards use a heavier stock of paper and have a UV coating. Not only does the look of the card stand out, but so does the feel too.
Hope this helps.
You can make very professional looking business cards on your computer. I use Microsoft Publisher which already has business card templates. If you print the cards yourself, instead of having them printed, you can change them as often as necessary and have different cards for different entities.
In my opinion, having the LLC name is crucial. If you’re using a LLC, then you’re doing business as a company - not individually. Therefore, the business card should be a company card with your name included. I’m in the rental business, so on my card I have my name followed by “Property Manager”, because that is my title within the company. I never tell anyone that I am the owner because that is not legally correct and not good from an asset protection viewpoint - the LLC owns the property - not me.
Keep it simple. People don’t generally want to read a lot of stuff on your card. They are using your card to be able to find your phone number - not to be entertained. Keep it very simple and professional. Just put a single line describing your company. For example, you might say “We Buy, Sell, and Rent Real Estate”.
Everyone that posted since my last post is correct. You would not put “owner” or “founder” or any other high upper management position unless you are one and have the experience to answer questions and make decisions on the spot.
The purpose of the title is so that the people you contact know your level of expertise and experience. A salesman will know the product but a CEO will know how the company works and is able to make decisions.
STOP!!! Go to Office Depot or Office Max. MUCH CHEAPER. Or, if you’re trying to go all multi-colored or something, do as PM/Mike suggested and print them yourself. That’s usually more expensive than having them printed at OF/OM but still much cheaper than $100 for 500.
I really don’t understand the idea behind multiple LLC’s, but that is not the point of this thread.
You still haven’t answered the question, what is the point of the card. If you know, great. The main purpose of the card is what should determine goes on it (and how much info).
function of card:
Appeal to sellers. Appeal to buyers. Appeal to Renters/Buyers.
And the purpose of multiple LLC’s is to not hold too much in one basket.
I’m not entirely sold on the idea of going through the process of a new LLC every month based on each new deal. That’s alot of paper work, expense and head ache, especially in NY.
If you’re going to hold rental properties, you don’t need a LLC for each property. Group several properties together into an LLC by risk (i.e. low income apartments, low income houses, middle middle income houses). I like to have 5 or 6 properties in each LLC.
A single card can’t be an effective advertising tool for everything. There simply isn’t enough space to do that. You need to decide what is the most important function and go from there. If you want to get a card for each, fine, but don’t try to cram everything on one card.
You can double up on the card if you want. If your primary goal is to attract sellers, then flat print the front with something like
Sell Your House Fast
No Agents, No Hassles, No BS
Call Now for a Offer TODAY!!!
XXX-XXX-XXXX
TMCG, LLC
And then, on the back with raised print, add something like:
Own Your Dream Home TODAY!!!
Good, Bad and No Credit, NO PROBLEM!
TMCG, LLC specializes in lease/options and special financing
to get you in the property that you deserve.
