Date: December 15th,
2009
Hi everyone
Treat It
with Respect
We can learn a
lot from Japanese business card rituals. The first thing that Japanese business
men and women do is exchange cards, and the key to what follows can be summed up
in one word: respect. Accept the card as if it were a gift—which it is. Hold it
with both hands and take a moment to study what’s written on it. If you can,
respond to the card with an interested comment or an observation about something
on the card—the person’s title, credentials, location. What you have to
understand is that a business card isn't just someone’s name on a piece of
paper; it’s their corporate identity. Treat it with the respect the person
deserves.
When all this
ceremony is done, put the card away in a top pocket, your purse, or your
wallet—somewhere that shows respect. Never put the card in your back pocket,
where it will get sat on.