Business card 'title' - opinions please

[sider]

Hi All,

Had my first limited company trading for 6 months now and finally got my branding properly sorted.

Website is online and business cards are being designed.

Quick one though.

I believe i'm quite youthful looking for a 32 year old. If someone who looked like me came to see me and passed me a business card saying they were MD, i believe they'd perhaps lose some credibility in that i'd think that if they boss was only that how, then how inexperienced are the company.

Question is - 'Director' or 'Managing Director' on business cards? I've just got Director on my email footer at present but not sure what to do with the print version.

Opinions greatly appreciated.

[Hoofy]

Keep it simple unless you want to create a talking point then.

Something like "Director of Global Operations and Total Ironfist Market Dominance".

[Pothole]

"i believe they'd perhaps lose some credibility in that i'd think that if they boss was only that how, then how inexperienced are the company."

Huh?

[Tallow]

I agree with Hoofy, just "Director" (without the inverted commas of course ) would be fine.

When we started out our company, we didn't put titles at all on. This gave us more flexibility to appear how we wanted without it being obvious we were a tiny company (i.e. directors doing training, that sort of thing).

[Hoofy]

Tallow said:

I agree with Hoofy, just "Director" (without the inverted commas of course )

[Frimley111R]

Do you even need a title? Why not just have your name? People will have met you anyway.

[Mr Overheads]

I don't put Director/MD etc on mine I jsut put a description of what we do i.e. "Overhead Management Specialist" as a title.

[Sheepshanks]

Mr Overheads said:

I don't put Director/MD etc on mine I jsut put a description of what we do i.e. "Overhead Management Specialist" as a title.

Similar for me. I don't know, but as a small company, generally dealing with much larger ones, having Director in your job title seems OTT.

I'm basically a salesman and I want that to be clear to the customer so that they understand that what they have to do is give me an order.

[randlemarcus]

I dont have cards with my current lot as they wouldnt let me have a blank field so I could be different things to different customers, or let me have "Head of JFDI" instead

[KarlS]

IMO it depends on your occupation. For me I prefer to have the word Director on cards, especially for meetings with Dealers, Suppliers etc. It ensures that the person i'm negotiating with knows I am a decision maker. If I give a Customer one of my cards, I doubt the word Director would have any negative impact on possible dealings.

But for you, as a Babestation talent scout, I would think something like 'Eyecandy assessor' would be just fine

Edited by KarlS on Wednesday 8th April 16:09

[nyt]

When I was director of a small company I had two cards - they're cheap enough.

One said CTO. The other had no job title - as the poster above said it's silly to give out a CTO card if you're doing something relatively menial (as everyone in a small company will have to do sometimes).


CTO/CEO etc tends to mean more abroad where people want to deal with 'C level' staff.

[sider]

Thanks all.

Some good opinions there. Interesting to hear how you all perceive different titles.

Thanks.

[EskimoArapaho]

KarlS said:

I prefer to have the word Director on cards, especially for meetings with Dealers, Suppliers etc. It ensures that the person i'm negotiating with knows I am a decision maker. If I give a Customer one of my cards, I doubt the word Director would have any negative impact on possible dealings.

This, for me.

Although I concede that there are some professions where "Director" is not specific enough.

[gazchap]

Go for "Vice President", and make sure that you use Pale Nimbus lettering, slightly raised.

If you can get a watermark in there as well, that'd go down a storm.

(more seriously, I'd skip the title altogether if you're a small business)

[Dr Interceptor]

I'm 31, Director of our family business... I don't have a title on my business card, just my name.

[mph1977]

gazchap said:

Go for "Vice President", and make sure that you use Pale Nimbus lettering, slightly raised.

If you can get a watermark in there as well, that'd go down a storm.

(more seriously, I'd skip the title altogether if you're a small business)

'Bone' stock ?

[dartissimus]

Would you describe yourself as Mr John Smith or just as plain John Smith ?

Personally, when someone describes themselves as Mister, they are clearly uncertain of their own position or status, and therefore falls into the category marked "tt", for trying to come it.

But there again that's just Northern bluntness, you could call yourself "The Rev'd John Smith" - more memorable than just the name.

[Simpo Two]

Managing Director is a perfectly fine title. People will know they're dealing with the top man and not the marketing assistant.

I see no reason to demote yourself.

[Walford]

When you rock up in the Skoda, thats nuff said,

[technodup]

Managing director is a bit uppity unless you are managing or directing something significant in terms of size or staff. Likewise 'Chief Executive Officer' in the case of a one man band I know. Although that's probably the least of his tttery tbh.

Just your name is sufficient imo.