If youve ever heard a compliment along those lines before, congrats! Youre on the right track.

That reminds me of Gus. He and I sat next to each other at a sales seminar a few years ago. During the program, the facilitator asked the audience members to exchange cards and get to know each other. Guss card was amazing: thick, colorful, double sided, bold, shiny and best of all, simple. (That was no surprise he was in advertising!) But it was one of the best Id ever seen. So we introduced ourselves, exchanged cards and talked for a few minutes. And that was about it. Nice guy, I thought.

Now, heres the cool part: although Gus and I didnt really keep in touch, Ive never thrown his card away. I show it to everyone! In fact, I even use it as a prop in some of my networking workshops! His card was just that good.

Is yours that good? Keep that question in the back of your mind as you read on. Now lets move into the next section and find out why certain cards stand out more than others.

CORNER # 2: Standing Out
Recently I took 66 business cards I've collected over the years and spread them out on a table. I closed my eyes for 30 seconds, opened them and took note of which cards stood out the most. And here's what I noticed:

(To view a high quality image of this game of 66 Card Pick Up, go to http://hellomynameisscott.blogspot.com/2005/03/does-your-business-card-stand-out.html)

This was a valuable exercise in understanding UNFORGETTABLE business cards, and I recommend it to everyone. Try it out! Gather dozens of accumulated cards from your desk and discover which ones stand out. Oh, and don't forget to put your OWN card in the pile. Youll be amazed at what you see.

Or don't see.

CORNER #3: Creative and Unique Ways to Enhance Your Card
Now that youve analyzed your own card and have been exposed to a large quantity of other people cards, your mind should be swimming with new, creative ideas. This is the perfect time to brainstorm ways to enhance your card. So, grab a blank sheet of paper. Come up with as many ideas as possible. Let your creativity run wild! And to help you get started, heres a list of 16 creative ideas to make your business card UNFORGETTABLE:

1. Size or Shape Rectangle, schmectangle. Ive seen squares, circles, ovals and triangles. Each shape made a connection to the brand, and each shape stood out amidst the endless regression of the same old rectangles.

2. Chocolate Business Cards (yes, these DO exist) Several companies have online catalogues for personalized chocolate cards. Expensive? Yes. Delicious? Probably. Memorable? You better believe it.

3. Trading Cards If your company is team oriented, get trading cards with your players pictures and stats. Then encourage your customers and prospects to collect all 12!

4. Cartoons Get a custom cartoon commissioned for the back of your card. Its cheap, royalty free and absolutely unique to your business.

5. Table/Chart Include a mortgage loan interest table or some staggering statistics on the back. These are helpful reminders for the mathematically challenged and effective methods to position yourself as a resource.

6. Pop-Ups Just like kids books, some business cards can be printed as folded, pop-up cards. Talk about thinking three-dimensionally!

7. Credibility The smartest thing I ever did to my business card was add color images of my two books. Instant credibility. And, I noticed an immediate change in the reactions from the people to whom I gave cards. One lady even said, Scott, this is the coolest business card Ive ever seen! Money well spent.

8. Rubber Stamps Buy 10 different customized rubber stamps for the backs of your cards. When someone asks for one just say Pick a card, any card!

9. Die Cutting My friend Lisa works for the Rock Island Fire Dept. Her business card has a charred hole burnt right through the middle of every card! It looks incredibly real. And most printers offer this feature for a nominal feel. You can also specify various shapes, bite marks or hole sizes.

10. Recipe If you work in an industry connected to food, kitchens or homes; include one of your favorite recipes on the back!

11. Material Use leather, blinking or brail business cards (yes, these actually exist too!)

12. Language If your business requires international travel, consider offering multiple languages, or print the phonetic spelling of a difficult to pronounce name.

13. Motivation If youre the motivational type, include a famous quotation, bible verse or movie line that connects to your brand. And be sure to read it aloud when you give someone your card, it might just make their day!

14. Stickers Print one side of your cards on adhesive label paper. This gives the recipient a peel off sticker for reminders, appointments or phone numbers.

15. Non-Cards Who says a card has to be a card? After all, the first rule of creativity is break all the rules! Ive seen million dollar bill cards, coin cards, even a banker in Boston who uses business cards that are actually miniature checks he tears off of a pad each time he gives one out! The possibilities are endless.

16. Double Up Make your card double as something other than a card. For example, mine doubles as a business card AND a nametag. As a result, people stick it on their shirts all the time. Thanks for the free promotion!

CORNER #4: Implementation
Once youve come up with the layout for your new, creative, UNFORGETTABLE business card, there are only two things left to do: print em up and hand em out!

First, as you approach you printer, remember a few rules:

OK. Once you have your new cards in hand, keep a few final rules in mind:

After youve face lifted your business card from unacceptable to unforgettable, I promise you will feel great. Your confidence will skyrocket. And from that moment on, every time someone asks, May I have one of your business cards? it will be like music to your ears.

2005 All Rights Reserved.

Scott Ginsberg is a professional speaker, "The World's Foremost Expert on Nametags" and the author of HELLO my name is Scott and The Power of Approachability. He helps people MAXIMIZE their approachability and become UNFORGETTABLE communicators - one conversation at a time. For more information contact Front Porch Productions at http://www.hellomynameisscott.com.