So – how do you keep track of contacts that you met?
At ILM:07 I met about 50 people whose business cards I ended up with. Shamefully there are some people whose cards I look at now and think ‘huh?’ In my defense they have glossy cards which make it impossible to write on. Note to myself and anyone else reading this – glossy cards are cool, but don’t use them.
A contact is more than just a name + email – it is a budding relationship really. So just like we created ePM to handle our project management requirements (enthropia Project Management), we are creating a basic eCM (enthropia Contact Manager) to keep all of our relationships in line. This means companies, people, to-do lists, calendar events, and so forth.
If you haven’t already – it is critical you make sure you are organized about your contacts.
5 Responses to Contact Organization
Ben
December 5th, 2007 at 10:32 am
Highrise?
Dave
December 5th, 2007 at 11:40 am
I agree with the glossy cards- absolutely hate ‘em! I usually try to write a few notes on the back of the card immediately after meeting someone, and sometimes even when I’m talking to them. (Which is why I also hate the glossy ones, as well as the ones that fill the back with advertising or other junk.)
I try to keep the cards in chronological order, which often helps match cards with people/conversations. Soon afterwards, I try to go back and add more detailed notes into a spreadsheet or CM.
At trade shows, I also know that everyone else I met and gave my card to is going to have a pile of cards and may not be able to match my card/face/other info very well, so I try to e-mail a follow-up message within a few days of the conference with a short recap of what we discussed. (At least for the leads that I found immediately promising- tohers I may or may not send a short “nice to have met you” message depending on how long the in-person exchange was. Although, as much as possible, I avoid trying to make it look like a form letter.)
Ahmed
December 5th, 2007 at 11:52 am
I don’t mind the back so much – as long as it doesn’t cover the entire area. I like (and I know others do) having our logo square in the back. But lots of space around it.
Chronology is an interesting idea – perhaps I will do that too. The extra headache also is that some people run out of cards, creating more confusion.
With email I usually wait a few days – eg the conference was Thursday-Friday, and I will be saying hihi starting tomorrow – enough time to catch up on things and get back into a groove. I agree 100% with making it personalized.
What I am going to try to do next time is (as we have a booth) take pictures of everyone. Then when emailing them – include a link to the picture. Great way to remind them of who you are, build a more closer personal relationship, and drive them to your blog!
Ahmed
December 5th, 2007 at 11:54 am
Ben – I’ve read about HighriseHQ many times (I read their blog), but never took a look before.
Looks like it is *exactly* what we’ve built
Except ours is a bit more simplistic, and ties in directly into our ePM. Based on my reply to Dave – I think we will have to add one useful feature – ‘picture’ to ours.
Dave
December 5th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
Someone needs to make a business card scanner that you can hook up (via bluetooth?) to a cell phone with a built-in camera. Greet, scan, click- you’re done!