The number-one mistake I see most often is people not carrying a business card, not having a card that appropriately represents their brand, or using the business card as a way to avoid making an adequate connection with other people.
Bringing business cards sounds so simple, but even I sometimes find that I didn’t bring enough cards to an event. However, you absolutely need to have a professional business card that represents your brand. It amazes me when I meet people who understand the value of branding, spend large amounts of money to brand themselves, and then throw together a business card that’s unprofessional, doesn’t represent their brand, or don’t even carry a card with them.
Others may have an appropriate business card, but they don’t know how to use it. They immediately stick the business card in people’s hands before they’ve even had the chance to make eye contact or some other form of emotional connection to get the person to remember them. Giving out a few business cards doesn’t mean you’re networking, nor does the number of cards you give out serve as an appropriate measure of whether or not you had a successful event. Yes, you want business cards. Yes, you want them to be professional. But you don’t want to simply let the business cards do the talking for you.