You know how important it is to have your business card on hand and ready for distribution at all times. Did you know it's also important to have the business cards you collect from others handy? By keeping others' business cards close by you can easily find them when you need their services, or if you're going to send a follow-up e-mail after meeting them at a trade conference or other event. You might also want to distribute others' cards if your current clients need their services. If you send a referral their way they're likely to send business back to you.

Here are a few simple ways to keep business cards at your fingertips to maximize efficiency, productivity and profits:

Business card case
It is imperative that your business cards are clean and straight, so invest in a business card case for everyday use. There are many sleek and stylish business card cases on the market that will fit in your pocket so they're ready when you need them. Some cases have a divider, so you can put your business cards on one side and the business cards you receive from others on the other.

Rolodex
For quick and easy desktop access, the rolodex has proven itself as a great way to organize and access business cards. This is especially helpful if most of your business is done on the computer or the phone, but is not a good option for on-the-go marketing.

Business card folder
Business card folders are probably the best way to keep others' business cards handy when attending conferences, meetings or other networking opportunities where giving referrals might benefit your business. There are many such folders on the market; or, you could simply purchase a three-ring binder with business card inserts (10 per side). Find a thin folder so you can easily carry it with your other marketing materials, or conveniently slip it inside a briefcase, laptop bag or other accessory.

Card readers
The newest way to organize business cards is using a commercial card reader, which will scan your collected cards and automatically input the information contained on them into contact management software on your computer. This has many advantages, including the ability to search for cards by name, industry, company and other filters for quick retrieval. Some software can even be coordinated between your computer and PDA, so you can easily take your business cards on-the-go without having to carry additional materials.

Keeping business cards at your fingertips has several advantages: You can quickly hand yours out; you can give referrals that could generate "kick-back" business for you; you can follow-up with new prospects; and you can contact others whose services your business needs. Organizing your cards helps you do all of these things more efficiently, so you can increase your productivity and profit. Try using one of the simple methods mentioned above - or a combination of these methods - and you'll always be prepared to maximize the potential of all of your business cards.