The digital business card for coaches and consultants

A coach sells a relationship, and it starts with "get back to me". What a digital business card must carry for a coach or a consultant, and where to put the QR code.

What you sell, and what the card has to do

A coach, a consultant, a trainer sell a relationship before they sell a service. The first contact is almost always in person: at the end of a workshop, after a talk, in a networking room, on the edge of a conversation. And the sale closes later, when the person calls you back.

Your business card's job is therefore precise: make sure that, a week from now, your name is in that person's phone, with your face and the link to book a meeting. No more, and above all no less.

What the card must carry

• Your photo. In this trade people remember a face before a name. A calm photo, close up, the same one as on LinkedIn.
• One line that says who you work for. "Career coach, career transitions, Lausanne" beats "PCC-certified coach". The certification goes in the bio, not the title.
• The booking link. Calendly, Cal.com, or a contact page. It is the most important link on the card; put it first.
• LinkedIn. That is where your clients check who you are.
• A three-line bio. What you do, for whom, and since when. Nothing else.

A concrete example: the demo card is a coach's in Lausanne. Its "Add to contacts" button delivers a complete contact file, photo included.

Where to put the QR code

The last slide. You finish a workshop; the last slide stays up during the questions. A ten-centimetre QR code, "My details and my calendar", and half the room has you in their phone before they leave. In this trade it is by far the placement that pays most.

The e-mail signature. Small, under your name. Every quote, every follow-up carries the link.

The paper card. Plain, with the code on the back. Paper remains the expected gesture in Swiss business circles, and the code gives it a second life.

The LinkedIn profile. Your card's address in the "Contact info" section. Someone who discovers you online then saves your number without having to ask for it.

What to avoid

A list of ten links. The podcast, the newsletter, the three networks, the book: every extra link dilutes the one that counts, the booking. Keep three links; the rest is on your website.

A bio that tells your story since 2004. Three lines; your website does the rest.

An overloaded theme. Your clients come looking for calm and clarity; the card should show both.

And languages

A coach in Bern or Fribourg often works in two languages. Your text stays in the language you write it in, but the card's buttons follow the language of the visitor's phone. A simple alternative: a bio in two short paragraphs, one per language.

To start, create your card: five minutes, free, and the QR code is ready for the slide of the next workshop.