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 computerized, contact management database.
My very 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!
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About the author:
Online Business Manager & Virtual Assistant, Tracey
Lawton, supports professional speakers, coaches, and authors 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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