
It seems like there is always a conference around the corner, Surtex, Print Source and the Craft and Hobby Fair to name a few.
Generally you spend months of prep work, designing your booth, printing your marketing materials, booking your flight. One thing we all forget to think about is what we are going to do with all of the business cards and contacts we collect. How are we going to remember which one is a good lead, and what needs to be followed up on? I've seen a couple of different ideas on how to best keep everything in order, but my favorite method is used by guild steering committee member Jill Turney.
When Jill came home from the Craft and Hobby Fair she showed me her binder of cards and info. She uses protector sheets with a variety of pocket sizes. Jill puts the business card in one pocket, and then next to it an index card with notes about the person and thoughts to follow up on. This was a great solution to organization, but for the life of me I could not find the sheet protectors she used anywhere. That is when I came across Ali Edwards blog post where she talks about sewing her own pockets into standard sheet protectors to meet her different size needs. Watch her video below for a demo and then try it yourself.
If you like this idea, you could kick it up a notch with colorful page tabs. Add a tab to the page of any potential client who rates top attention. It will be a snap to locate their contact info when you get home.
I bet this will be your most organized year yet!
--Jennifer Thayer