Everything you need to grow and nurture your relationships!

adminMarch 13, 2023

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How to create a database with contact logs

YOU ARE READING: Everything you need to grow and nurture your relationships! AT Vccidata_En

Updated April 21, 2021

So you are someone who is always busy. You meet new customers and successfully represent your customers. You attend networking seminars at every opportunity, send out branded marketing collateral, and call past clients (when you have the time).

Reading: How to create a database with contact logs

Yet you find that you don’t get as many repeat business, or as many Recommendations on how you should be.

What could you possibly be doing to sabotage your customer relationships?

If you are like many small business owners then you are communicating and/ or don’t follow up regularly with your top clients. And when you connect with contacts, you probably don’t have the information at hand to steer your conversation in a meaningful direction. You market the same people month after month and while this may result in a referral here and there or the occasional repeat transaction, you are not able to actively grow your business as you would like.

That’s why you need to implement a contact management system.

A contact management system gives you a single resource where you can store all your contact information, easily segment your list, and prioritize your marketing efforts. And adding notes about recent encounters gives you valuable information that can help make your follow-up calls more successful.

But there’s a small catch with contact databases. While you don’t want to spend big bucks on a customer relationship management (CRM) system too soon, you need the functionality of a contact database to grow significantly.

Read on to find out how you can create a simple but effective contact management database without spending a dime.

1. Create your database (use our free template)

If you are creating your database from scratch, you should include columns for basic contact information, such as:

First name
Last name
Street
City
State
Postal code
Phone number
Email address

Even if you don’t have all of this information, be sure to record some you do – the blank spaces serve as a reminder that Collect information when you have the opportunity.

Mrs with glasses looks at the computer screen and on the phone.

Once you have some information, you should try to segment or group your contacts in a meaningful way. For example, Barb Betts (one of our top guests on Stay Paid) segments her contacts in a fun way that drives their reach:

Top notch: These contacts are Barbs enthusiastic fans. You hear from her at least every week or two. You will receive invitations to the best customer events. She considers them friends and the feeling is mutual. Referrals from this segment do not require a listing presentation as these clients have already sold her as the best agent for the job.
Business class: Clients in this segment have a lot in common similar like first grade, but the relationship may not be quite as close. You may receive invitations to the client’s Christmas party, but may not be invited to a private dinner party. Barb makes a point of staying in touch with these contacts on a regular basis, maybe once a month, because they actively connect them with new leads.
Business: This group is made up of people who who know and like Barb. If she throws a pizza party at an outdoor concert in the community, they’ll know about it. You may hear from her once a quarter.
Readiness: The people in this group are previous clients to whom Barb may have sold a house 15 years ago. She might recognize her at the grocery store, but she probably won’t remember her name. And yes, they hear from her too.

Other ways to identify and segment your contacts are the value they represent (such as their potential for referrals or estimated lifetime value), the Length of relationship or other criteria you find useful in identifying opportunities.

Remember, 80 percent of your business comes from 20 percent of your customers, so you need to know who’s who.

Here are some additional fields you might want to add:

Important dates: It’s crucial that you know when you last checked in have worked or spoken to a contact as well as your goals for a follow-up interview.They may use this information to ensure that you do not stay in touch for too long.
Type of contact: Whether you are speaking on the phone, sending an email, or a When planning direct mail, you have to communicate differently with different target groups. What you say to customers is not necessarily the same as what you say to potential customers. Likewise, preferred communication channels vary across generations. By categorizing your contacts, you can easily sort and segment them for more targeted marketing opportunities.
Notes on recent conversations or encounters: This information is invaluable when tracking, and they it’s also important to trust your memory. Record notes about what you discussed during a recent conversation, reminders to follow up on specific topics, or even personal information about the contact, such as birthdays, hobbies, and pets.
Social Media Accounts: Not only can you use social media to communicate with customers, prospects, and influencers, you can also take some time to gather information from your customers’ accounts that will help you build relationships and to strengthen. If you see someone celebrating an anniversary, write down the date and call to congratulate them.

2. Fill in the information

Start by entering all of your existing contact information from your personal address book, recent sales transaction documents, your email list, and even your trusty ol’ Rolodex (that’s another one something?) Spend time filling in as much information as possible and make a point of calling contacts to fill in any gaps. (This is a good excuse for a follow-up call!)

Make sure you include everyone you have contact with – customers, business partners, prospects, acquaintances, etc. This will likely be most of the time – Part of the process, but trust us – it’s worth it.

One Row of commoners and women looking at camera.

3. Commit to keeping it up to date

Any contact database is only as good as the data it contains. So, to be effective, it needs to be kept up to date. Your contact database is a living, breathing resource.

If you check the database as often as you should, this will become one of your most accessed documents. After each encounter with a customer or prospect, remember to update the notes section. As mentioned earlier, be sure to document events, actions required, and other important information from your conversations. Make it part of your routine to add information as you receive it, rather than waiting until you have all the details you want.

One final word. . .

Now that you have all your information in one place, don’t let it go to waste. Reach out to connect (or reconnect if it’s been a while) with those around you, and stay in touch to maximize your chances of repeat business and referrals. We help our clients maintain relationships and stay in touch by sending a personally branded magazine to their mailing list every six weeks.

Every issue is beautiful (get a FREE PDF of our latest issue here), but the real beauty is in the way these magazines are made It’s incredibly easy to follow up.

Before you call your recipients, check your database to refresh your memory on a few details. Just call your recipients the week your magazine arrives and ask if they’d like to receive it. Start a conversation about an article, recipe, interview, or anything else — and mention it reminded you of it. That’s it: There’s no pressure to sell anything because you’re just calling to say hello, thank them for their business, and let them know you’re available to help them or someone they know help.

It’s that kind of constant contact that keeps you in mind for repeat business and referrals!

Whatever system you choose, it’s important to stick to it to remind you how important a clean, updated contact management database is to your business. So stop sabotaging your relationships and prioritize more meaningful connections. If you want to make contact management a habit but don’t want to spend time building your own database, use our free Excel contact database template (file opens automatically).