For a solo professional having an up-to-date contact
management database is one of the KEY administrative
systems you have to have for your business. And, even more
important, is having a system in place to create effective
follow-up. Your business is built on following up leads
and building relationships.
If you don't have a contact management system in place, you
will not be able to follow-up effectively with prospects,
you could lose clients, and you will not be able to build
your business.
Your contact management system needn't be a 'bells and
whistles' expensive database but it does need to be easy to
use, easy to maintain, and easy for you to find your
contact data. Once your contact management system is in
place you need to ensure that you keep it up-to-date and
are using it to follow up with prospects.
Spreadsheets are a great tool for keeping track of your
contacts, but even they have their limitations,
particularly if your database is starting to get very large
- anything over 100 contacts really needs to be on a
computerised, contact management database.
One of my favorite contact management system is ACT! It
really meets all of the criteria above in that it's:
Easy to use;
Easy to maintain; and
Easy to find contacts.
And here's a tip I have for you - you don't necessarily
need the latest version, especially if you're going to use
it just for yourself. I bought my first version of ACT!
(ACT! 6.0 2004) off Ebay for $20. If you're going to buy
software off Ebay check that it's being sold as 'brand new
and unregistered'. This was a very small investment for me
to make to see if I liked the system and once I knew it was
ideal I had no hesitation in upgrading to the latest
version.
Keeping your contact management database up-to-date can
seem a bit daunting, particularly if you have a lot of
contacts. Here are my top 5 strategies for creating
effective follow-up and keeping your contact management
system up-to-date.
1. Update as you go along! Whenever you speak with or
email a contact take a few minutes afterwards to update
your database with this information BEFORE moving on to the
next task. For example, did your conversation end with you
promising to contact them again in a months' time? If so,
note this down and create a follow-up task there and then
so you don't forget.
2. Touch base regularly. Each month go through your
database and see who you haven't had any contact with over
the last few months. Send them a 'just getting in touch
with you' email, or call them.
3. Don't forget good old-fashioned snail mail! Even
snail-mail has gone all hi-tech. A great follow-up tool,
and one that I currently use, is Send Out Cards - it's
really quick and simple to use. You can choose to send
either a card or postcard, and it makes for a great
'stay-in-touch' service. And just as simple to use as
email, only more personal! You can even upload your own
handwriting font to personalise your cards even more.
4. Send a newsletter. Okay, it's not exactly personal
one-on-one follow up, but it is keeping you in touch with
your database. Very often your newsletter will generate a
response from your reader, which means you will be able to
turn this into a one-on-one communication with your contact!
5. Keep the process going! Make it a habit to update your
database regularly. If you don't get the opportunity to
update your database as you're going along (Tip #1) spend
20 minutes at the end of each day reflecting on what you've
done during the day, who you've contacted, what the outcome
was, and enter all of this information into your contact
management system.
Follow these 5 tips and you will soon see your business
start to grow through effective follow-up!
----------------------------------------------------
Online Business Manager & Virtual Assistant, Tracey Lawton,
teaches professional speakers, coaches, and authors how to
operate an efficient, organized, and profitable business.
Learn how to create an efficient and organized office in 7
EASY steps, and receive free how-to articles at
http://www.OfficeOrganizationSuccess.com
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