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Top business card tips for travelling abroad and growing your network

Travel tips for business professionals.

Business cards are a great way of connecting with people and expanding your professional network.

They are also a tool for starting a dialogue among individuals of other cultures, but in these cases there are some additional rules to take into consideration.

In some cases the way you present or hand over your recycled business cards can have a lasting impression on the person receiving them.

This is especially important for anyone who is planning on travelling overseas for work reasons, with different social expectations influencing the way business cards are exchanged.

When travelling throughout Asian countries such as business hotspots China and Japan, it is important to make sure that your card is in pristine condition.

Another tip is to use both hands to present the business card, as a sign of utmost respect. In some cultures it may be inappropriate to pass on these items with your left hand.

Sensitivity to cultural customs may extend to the way these items are received and stored, in some cases it may be considered rude to place a card in your back pocket after meeting someone.

Rather tradition dictates that it is necessary to read the name and details of the person as they are written on the card and then place the item in a folder that is dedicated to business merchandise.

The reasons for exercising such caution are mostly due to the perception in China that business cards are in many ways an extension of the individual, which means that failing to revere these items may be interpreted as disrespectful.

If you need to write additional information about a person, it may be advisable to take out a note pad and jot down the extra details rather than drawing on the card.

Having to ask for the card on a second occasion may indicate that you were not initially interested in that individual, so it is important to file them away as soon as possible.