Goodbye, Rolodex, Hello, High-Tech Phone Lists

Imagine never being at a loss for important dates, times and other helpful information pertaining to each of your clients and prospects. When and how should you follow up with a key client to schedule a seminar? Next Tuesday morning on the client's cell phone. When did that insurance industry prospect say to check back about service needs? Early May, right after the prospect's strategy presentation. And just how old is the son that the client you're meeting with this afternoon loves to talk about? Contact-management software can help put all that information and more at your fingertips.

"Using contact-management software is the best way to maximize your sales efforts," says Traci Shepley, sales manager for Business Performance Group, an HR consulting and training products business in Des Moines, Iowa. "It synchronizes your calendar, email accounts, notes, pending sales and more."

At its core, contact-management software enables you to record the same information as your desktop Rolodex: names, addresses, email addresses and phone numbers. So what makes contact-management software so powerful that you might want to toss that address book? For starters, you can:

Capture business opportunity data. Because contact-management software enables you to record information beyond what fits on a standard business card, it can help you manage daily responsibilities and avoid missing key business opportunities. Use it to manage when sales calls have been made, when services should be performed, when prospects indicate you should check back with them and more.

Strengthen customer relationships. With spots to capture notes and details, you also can record personal information such as birthdays, family members' names, hobbies and food allergies for each entry-anything that will help you convey to clients that your business sees them as more than a line on the balance sheet. That type of information is "absolutely key to strengthening customer relationships," Shepley notes.

Manage business schedules, documents and communications. Beyond being a repository for key data about customers and prospects, contact-management software allows you to synchronize calendar and contact data, creating a dynamic view of your business and opportunities. For instance, Goldmine®, the program Shepley uses, enables her to link all communications and documents associated with a client or prospect with that contact record. That way, anyone who looks up the client's contact information in the future will also be able to view documents or correspondence related to any previous interaction with the client.

Search and view your way. Unlike your Rolodex, which remains static unless you manually reorganize it, most contact-management software has search or view functions that allow you to search and display contact information in ways that work for you. For example, Shepley uses contact-management software to target key markets by sorting information according to the particular industry or area. So if you want to send a mailing to all of your contacts located within a 50-mile radius inviting them to a business luncheon, the software will generate a list and save you the hassle of having to compile it on your own.

Generate communications. "Today everybody is doing more with less," Shepley says. For instance, some contact-management software allows you to generate an email or letter-even using provided templates-directly from the Record screen, simplifying your work process.

To determine what contact-management software is right for your business, consider how you want to utilize, access and share the information. Many contact management programs are designed for a single user; others accommodate multiple users. Online contact management software allows information to be accessed and shared throughout a small group of users, even remotely. And many software programs integrate with Microsoft® Outlook so you can maintain an existing appointment calendar.

Popular contact-management software programs include ACT! by Sage, Lotus® Organizer, Goldmine®, and QuickBooks Customer Manager. Prices for singe-user contact management software typically start around $70. Some providers offer limited free trials.