Business owners know how impactful a missed opportunity can be to the future success of their company, and a missed chance to connect or make a contact is perhaps one of the easiest mistakes to avoid by always having a business card on hand. And did you know that according to research, sales increase by nearly 3 percent for every 2,000 business cards you distribute.

Still need more reasons why you should reorder your business cards before you’re out altogether? Check out the 5 reasons below for further insight into the importance of reordering your business cards on time instead of waiting till the last minute!

1) Card Quality – Cards ordered in a rush tend to be of lower quality because you end up using whatever card stock is on hand. You are also forced to accept any printer errors such as inaccurate registration or colors, since you didn’t leave yourself enough time to replace an inaccurate order and are now in a hurry to get the business cards distributed on time while dealing with a less than quality business card.

2) Losing Business – Every day you are without cards, you are missing an opportunity to hand them out, pin them up, and earn recognition with potential clients.

3) Costs more, often times twice as expensive for rush orders. – Rush order charges are only part of it; printing on a tight schedule also allows the printer to charge you whatever they want, and since they’ve got you right where they want you, they’re laughing at you behind your back. So why let them win? Plan ahead and reorder your business cards before you run out this time!

4) Inevitable Mistakes – Typos, shipping mishaps, multiple print runs, printer malfunctions, and other mistakes can result in a back or late order that leaves you without the proper number or appearance that you were looking for.

5) Missing out on a chance to improve your cards – Reordering time is also a valuable chance for you to improve the design of your business card, so skipping over that chance as a result of a lack of time, could ultimately lead to your business card design being out of date, and thus less effective.

As a way to help you remember to order your business card on time, it’s important to plan ahead; for example, put a post-it note in your card box at about 10% of your total card inventory.This post-it will serve as the marker for when you should order new cards. If you’ve been handing them out unsatisfied with the design however, consider marking them at 20% instead. Give yourself time to reflect on the cards before you place another order. If you’re handing out cards at an extremely fast pace (congratulations, by the way because you’re Mr/Mrs popular!) then perhaps 30–40% is a better marker for you.

Never underestimate the power behind a well designed and timely delivered business card, and don’t forget to reorder your business cards from LOJO before they run out so your business never misses an opportunity to connect!

Written by Cassandra Sohn and Jay Kelly