Keeping in touch keeps you relevent
One of the best ways to develop a trusting relationship with your clientele is to show that you care about who they are. A Customer Relationship Management system is a great tool to help you collect and recall detailed information on your contacts. Every business should have some form of CRM.
There are all kinds of CRM programs on the market, including ACT, Salesforce, Zoho, Google's Insightly, Highrise, just to name a few. Some are free for a set number of users, while others can get pretty costly depending on your needs.
Whatever you choose, here are some tips to making the most of your database:
Pick a CRM system that will allow you to create custom fields.
Other than the basics of Name, Company, Title, etc., decide what information is particularly important for you to know about your leads and current clients. Some "Must Have" fields should be:
"Personal Info": What is his/her career background?, how many kids?, any hobbies?
People are impressed when you remember details about their personal lives. While you should never try to dig out personal information in an interrogating way, this sort of information will come up periodically in your interactions with a person. Accumulate bits and pieces over time, and always keep track of it in your CRM.
"Important Dates": Birthday? A kid's upcoming graduation?, anniversary date of when they became a client of yours?
A well timed card can go a long way in keeping your brand top of mind. Note significant dates as they come up in conversations with your contacts, and use it as an opportunity to stand out from the crowd by sending a hand written card to commemorate the occasion. My realtor is the best date scouter I've ever met. I always receive a hand-written card, and an occasional gift on my birthday, wedding anniversary, and anniversary date of our home purchase. How he picked up on our wedding anniversary date, I'll never know. But the point is, these kind gestures keep him so top of mind, I would never think of recommending another realtor to anyone.
"Ideal Customer": What industries or types of companies does he/she seek as clients?
One of the best ways to develop referral relationships with others is to be the first one to "give." Get to know the ins and outs of your contacts' business, and what he/she looks for in an ideal customer. If you are able to give a solid referral, or connect them with others in your database you feel might make excellent strategic alliances, you are well on your way to keeping you and your company top of mind.
"How We Met": How did you originally meet this person? At an event? Through a mutual acquaintance?
Making note of how you originally met your contact will be instrumental in reconnecting with that contact after any length of time. When you reintroduce yourself by qualifying "We met at the industry conference last month", what you are essentially saying is "You made such an impression on me, that I would like to continue building our relationship." Don't ever underestimate the power of stroking an ego.
Building a CRM database is not an overnight task. It is a gradual process of data collection that will take time and effort. But the return on your time investment will be priceless. It is truly one of the most powerful ways to help you and your business rise above the clutter.