Sales

Information Management

Records should be kept of all sales contacts. Successful management of business contacts starts with keeping records of all business contacts. Once it has been established that there is someone with whom you would like to form a relationship, you will want to keep a remembrance of that someone. This is at the heart of the creation and preservation of relationships. Keeping this database allows you to create, maintain, and develop a greater number of relationships.

Your contact database is like a gold mine source for profits. You can sift through the material in the database and turn that contact into an opportunity by selection at the right time the right contact.

Basically, you will make contact with a great number of people through your business efforts. Someday most, if not all, of these contacts can be of some benefit to your business activities, that is, if you let them. You must keep in touch with them to determine when you can be of service. This means that you should either telephone, e-mail, fax, or mail something to them periodically to remind them about you and/or to see if they are ready for your services.

One of the problems associated with so many contacts is that if you don't make an effort to keep in touch many, if not most, will soon forget you and you them.

Five years ago Tom had worked on a project with the sales manager of a corporation that manufactured trash collection trucks. Remember, waste management is the number one business in the United States today. Tom recalled the story this way, "A secretary at the corporation was instructed to get some photographer to come in and talk with the sales manager about a project (some photography). She saw my name in the telephone directory and thought, since I was close by, she would give me a try. When she called me I didn't recognize the corporation. I didn't recognize the name of the sales manager. I didn't even recognize that person when I walked into his office and shook his hand. And what even more shocking, he didn't even recognize me. I do remember doing working on a project photographing fleets of trash collection trucks for someone, but I didn't remember what corporation or what persons were involved. As we talked, the sales manager began to relate to me his relationship with some great photographer he had done business with in the past. As time went on and the more he raved about this great photographer, it began to dawn on me that this photographer he was carrying on about was me. I began to remember some of the things he was talking about. It was strange how I had forgotten all about the corporation and this person whom I intimately worked with for about six months five years ago."

It is easier to forget people, details, expectations, and past glories than it is to remember them. To remember you have to do something like making memorandum of the days' events. Since the purpose of making memorandum is to review them at some later date, it makes sense, once you've made them, to put them in some order so that you can locate and review them later.

It should be remembered that the most important thing is that person who is the contact. While a company or corporation is considered as a legal identity like a person, it consists of a group of people working together to make money for that legal identity. It's that person who's a part of the business and represents that business that is making contact with you.

If your contact left the business, would your relationship with the business continue? The answer is no. The only real thing you know about the business is that it is at an address where you think that someone whom you may form a relationship may be lurking. It would be someone else that would contact you on behalf of the business, that is, if you were contacted at all. The business is not making contact with you.

Your contact with the business is made through a link. Contact is made with some person associated with that business — the link. You would have to build a new relationship. Remember, people come and go in a business and you should to strive to build solid relationships with all persons within the business in order to get the work that is generated by the business.

Remember, making memorandum is not the purpose of making the contact. The purpose is to establish a relationship and to maintain that relationship through continuing dialogues with the contact. Don't get the idea that all you are supposed to do is find contacts in order to make memorandum. The purpose is to remember details about the contact. The information in the memorandum helps with the maintenance of that relationship.

This information helps you see patterns in other existing relationships. When you do find a pattern, you will find how much easier it is to attract additional contacts who will be like your exiting contacts. You'll know and understand their need and problems. That will impress the new contacts; that helps earn their confidence and business.

Consider the case when the prospect gives you the impression that you are being considered for an upcoming coming project. It is the case where you expended some effort and you almost got the job, but it was awarded to someone else. This is where the database becomes an asset in that it allows you to keep track of the contact; to anticipate their future needs, and to be considered the next time around. It is to your advantage to maintain some sort of dialogue with the contact.

This is where your database comes in. The database should suggest things that would interest the prospect. Every time you do  something that matches this interest, you may have something new to show and a specific reason to make contact. The database record should remind you of the prospects' needs and interests.

Things you should remember and associate with your contacts are:

1. The contact's name and address where the contact can be reached?
2. The contact's telephone number and extension number?
3. FAX number?
4. The contact's e-mail address?
5. Company name and address if different from contact's?
6. Secretary's name (if the contact has a secretary)?
7. Salutation to be used when writing to contact (i.e., Dear Jane:)?
8. Type of business and what does it need or what you can do for them?
9. Source of contact - Where did they learn about you or where did you learn about them?
10. What was the method of first contact (i.e., telephone call, letter, or some type of prospecting)?

A complete record of all your contacts

A. Date and time of your call or they called you?

a. What you called regarding?
b. What were the results of the call?
c. Comments? e.g., What, if any, new information did you learn? What did you tell them and leave with them (photographs, brochures, etc.)?

B. Date and time of the meeting?

a. What you met regarding?
b. What were the results of the meeting?
c. Comments? e.g., What, if any, new information did you learn? What did you tell them and leave with them (photographs, brochures, etc.)?

C. Date and time to make contact again?

a. Reason for making contact regarding?

There is no limit on the ways this information can be used. If you use it, it will increase your contact and your commitment frequency. It will find you new clients. It'll alert you when some of the business might be dropping away so that you may direct your efforts to bringing it back. It puts and keeps you in control of your destiny