Tungle.blog

Business Cards That Work for You

You're at a networking event exchanging business cards with key new contacts.  So is everyone else.

Your business card has a simple URL printed on it, inviting people to schedule time with you.

Whose card do you think is more effective?  The one with a phone number, email and fax (if anyone even faxes anymore), or the one with a simple URL that lets others schedule time in just a few clicks?

I’d put money on the URL.

Before I came to Tungle (and before Tungle.me existed), I attended several conferences where I met people who could have helped with the challenges being faced by the company I was with at the time.

I always left these conferences with a stack of business cards.  Did I follow up with them all?  No. 

Each one would have required a voicemail or email suggesting we meet.  Times would be exchanged back and forth, and eventually a time for a call would be nailed down.  In the meantime, I’d be engaged in the same exchanges with every other new contact.  Chances were, I’d double book myself, or have to call contacts to tell them times I’d previously suggested were now booked.

I just didn’t have the time.  Opportunities were missed, I’m sure, but short of spending evenings and weekends glued to my phone and email, it simply wasn’t doable.

I also knew the contacts I’d made had exchanged cards with several other people too, and thus were in the same boat.  They wouldn’t have time for me either.

Now we have Tungle.me.  Unfortunately, my business cards were printed before we developed the product.  But there’s a simple fix – when exchanging cards, I simply take out a pen and write my personal URL on the card.  It makes the exchange more memorable, and the person feels like they’ve been given a more personal way to get in touch with me.

Here’s how it works:

Someone receives my card, with the penned on URL.  They type it into their browser and instantly see when I’m free.  They create a meeting invitation proposing multiple times, and send.

They have to confirm their email address (it’s how we prevent spam – people can’t send you invites through your link unless they first confirm their identity), but they don’t have to sign up.

I get the email, can see the proposed times overlaid on my calendar, and simply pick a time to book the meeting.

It’s automatically added to my calendar, and the sender gets an email confirmation to add it to their calendar as well.

The whole process takes less than 5 minutes, and I could even reply from an iPhone or BlackBerry.

It’s quick and easy for me, and quick and easy for the other person.  Fewer opportunities are missed, less time is spent glued to my desk, and I can even decline invitations if I decide later that I don’t need to meet with the person.

So, do your business cards work for you yet?

Want to see how Tungle.me works?  Watch a short video >

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Did you know?  Tungle.me can accelerate your email signature, blog, website, LinkedIn profile and anywhere you connect online too!  Learn more >

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Not a Tungler yet?  Oh my!  Where did you find the time to read this?  You need Tungle. 
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The Ultimate Tungler - Marni Melrose

We’re happy to announce the winner of our Ultimate Tungler Challenge.  Marni Melrose, of MacAngel.com was our top Tungler during the challenge period.  She was one busy Tungler!

As our top Tungler, Marni will be getting a starring role in the Tungle video, which will be updated soon and available on Tungle.com.

A bit about Marni:

Marni, the first Certified Daylite partner, has created the MacAngel Method of business and life management, which incorporates David Allen's GTD and Stephen Covey's First Things First methodologies.  She specializes in helping individuals and businesses keep their lives in balance and their work on track with Daylite.

"With my busy schedule it was tough to keep track of and book everything, Tungle has made it simple and easy. It's been a real time saver and that's really important to me and my clients,” says Marni.

And here at Tungle, we’re proud have Marni on board, and happy to be playing a small part in her business.

To learn more about Marni and the MacAngel Method, check out MacAngel.com >

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Want to Tungle too?  Get a free account here >

It’s About Time

Tungle is fast, efficient, simple, intelligent, etc.  But what it really boils down to, is time saved.

When scheduling our weeks, we factor in time we’ll spend in meetings, preparing for meetings and closing meetings, but rarely the time we’ll spend scheduling meetings.  And yet, our research shows that it takes an average of 7 communications to book one meeting.

Let’s see how much time that is:

Each communication takes about 3 minutes – writing an email, replying, dialling the phone, etc.  7 communications x 3 minutes = 21 minutes to book one meeting.  If you have one meeting a day, that’s just under 2 hours (1.75 to be exact) every week on scheduling.

With Tungle, it takes an average of just 1.6 communications to book a meeting.  At 3 minutes per communication, that’s just 4.8 minutes.  Subtract that from the pre-Tungle way, and you’re saving 16.2 minutes with every meeting, just by using Tungle. 

That’s over an hour saved (81 minutes) each week.

Here are some things you could do with an extra 81 minutes in your week:

• Reply to 40 emails (giving yourself 2 mins for each)
• Return 16 phone calls (giving yourself 5 mins for each)
• Plan your to-do list for the following week
• Organize your desk drawers
• Start your Christmas shopping early (or am I the only one who does that?)
• Learn a new language
• Clean up your filing system
• Burn up to 1,472 calories
• Ride a bike
• Overhaul your resume
• Manage your finances
• Tell jokes
• Read a book
• Take a long lunch
• Outline 3 new ideas to bring to your next team meeting
• Close your email, unplug the phone, turn off the BlackBerry and breathe (hey, you would’ve been busy and unreachable during that time anyway, right?)
• Get a pedicure (just me again?)
• Leave early on Friday (now I know that’s not just me)

And that’s just if you schedule one meeting a day.  If you schedule 2, 3 or more meetings per day, just think of all the time you’ll save!  Now if only Oprah would do the math too...

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Ready to save time?  Get a free Tungle account >

The Trust Factor

If you use a web app to communicate with friends, family or business associates, you should be able to trust it 100%.  We firmly believe that this trust comes from respect and integrity.  That’s why at Tungle, you can rest assured that your privacy is high on our list of priorities.

When you sync your calendar and contact list with your Tungle account, it’s there for your use only.  

You can send meeting invitations, invite people to share with you, or even use the invite-a-friend feature to tell someone about Tungle.  You can do this with the assurance that Tungle will not spam you or your contacts.  

When you send something through Tungle, your contacts receive the message you send, and only the message you send.  In addition, only the contacts you explicitly select will receive the message – there are no hidden checkboxes or “select all” options that could be easily overlooked.

You also have full control over any information you bring to Tungle.  No one else has access to it unless you give explicit consent, and you can remove your personal information from Tungle at any time.

We know you’re busy, and we know that you need a service you can trust to help you save time.  That’s why our privacy and security policies are more than just formality – they are a core part of how we do business.

More about Tungle security >