If you have read any of my previous articles, you know that I am a big advocate of database management. The purpose of this article is to dig deeper into the nuts and bolts of how to build, develop, and maximize your database with the goal of increasing your profits.

Many business people do not even have a database, and those that do many times do not consider it anything more than an electronic rolodex designed to keep track of phone numbers and email addresses. I can tell you from personal experience that a database, if properly cultivated, can be so much more, and can in fact be one of the keys to increasing your business.

We will explore the following five key elements of building a successful database in this article:

1. If I don’t already have a database, how do I get started?

2. What characteristics should I look for in a database program?

3. What information should I put into my database?

4. What tasks should my database accomplish?

5. Database maintenance and daily use.

If I don’t already have a database, how do I get started?

If you don’t already have a database, the key is to get started as soon as possible and get in the habit of using your database every time you come into contact with a prospect, business partner, or customer.

Do not get analysis paralysis and over-analyze the situation. It is important to understand that habits take time to develop, and using your database will not be easy at first. Especially in the first month, you will spend a lot of time getting your database up and running. There will be a lot of data entry involved to get your current contacts into your database.

The first step is to gather all of your paper records so that you can enter them into your database. Customer mailing lists, rolodexes, business cards, old files, anything you have that has contact info for people you have come into contact with. You should include past customers, prospects, business contacts, and anyone else you know.

The other thing to consider is what database system to use. It is difficult to start with one database and then switch to another a couple months later, so do your homework and decide which one will best fit your needs. There are many industry-specific database programs, especially in fields such as real estate, and there are also some good general-purpose programs such as ACT! and Outlook. My program of choice is ACT!, and although it is not without it faults, it accomplishes 99% of what I am looking for in a database program.

What characteristics should I look for in a database?

Your database program, on a basic level, should keep track of phone numbers, email addresses, physical addresses, and other contact info. It should also be customizable so that you can add fields to keep track of specific data that is important to you or your line of work. For instance, I am in the mortgage industry, so one of the features I like about ACT! is that I have been able to add a couple hundred specific fields to my database such as information about the loan that my clients have, their financial information, and other mortgage-related data.

I have also programmed in fields that help me with prospects such as time frame for buying, most important hot points, best time to call, referral source, referral date, and other relevant data for follow up.

There should also be a place where you can take notes under each contact. I use the notes/history tab in ACT! to record key elements of each conversation I have with a prospect, client, or business partner and try to take my notes immediately after the phone call. If I get an email from a contact, I simply copy and paste the entire email into the notes/history tab. You will find that if you take good notes on your conversations, it will be easier to build rapport because you can refer back to key points and details about your prospect that will impress upon them that you were paying attention and that they are important to you. No human can remember everything about everybody and every conversation, so take notes!

Another key feature that any database will have is the ability to schedule reminders. After each phone call I have with a person, I schedule the next appointment or phone call so that I don’t have to remember to do it. Related to this is the ability to schedule an activity series. ACT! for example has a feature where I can program in a series of activities at the click of a button that may be common to multiple contacts. The particular series is already pre- set in the system.

Mail merge capability is yet another key feature that you should look for in your database program. If you are not familiar with mail merge, you should take the time to learn what it is and how it works. Mail merge will allow you to send out a group of emails to multiple people, but customize each email for each contact you send it to, using information from their contact record. For example, you can send out 100 emails, and each one will be customized to say “Dear “First Name.” This is a powerful feature that if used can help build your business with minimal effort on your part. Mail merge can also be used to generate customized paper letters.

The final feature that must be part of your database program is the ability to do complex lookups. What I mean by this is that you must have the capability, for example, to look up all contacts in your database who bought something between July and December of 2005, or you may want to look up all of your clients with last names from A-M. Basic database programs will only allow you to look up contacts on one level. Better database programs, such as ACT! will allow you to look up on multiple levels. For example, a good database program will let you look up all of you clients in California, and then further narrow it down within that group to Clients with last names from A-M. Not so good database programs will only allow you to look up clients in California, but then you couldn’t go another level down and narrow the search. You will find that you want this feature as you get deeper into databasing.

What information should I put into my database?

At the very least, your database program should serve as an electronic rolodex. But, with only this minimal information, that’s all it will be to you. Again, it is important to make sure you are getting a program that is customizable so that you can add the fields you want. In addition to phone number, addresses, and names, here is a brief list of some of the items that I have included in my database:

Referral source, referral date, website address, best time to contact, preferred form of contact, hot points for sales, ID number, status, time frame, birth date, number of children, hobbies, surveys, and industry specific information that pertains to your business.

You should also have a notes section in which to record notes on conversations with your contacts. It is also very useful if your database program keeps a history of emails, phone calls, and appointments that are recorded automatically when you “clear” your reminders.

What tasks should my database accomplish?

Your database should allow you to follow up with your prospects, clients, and business partners, in an efficient, methodical way that doesn’t take a lot of your time. In my opinion, this is the single most important thing that your database can do for you to help you grow your business.

The key is to develop systems that help you stay in front of every person that goes into your database, literally forever. For example, I have categorized my contacts into six general categories for follow up: prospects, clients, “in process”, “delayed leads”, Realtors, and Business contacts. I have developed specific and automatic follow up systems for each category. These systems incorporate different types of contact: email, snail mail, and phone. Once a contact is put into a particular category, they are plugged into the follow up campaign for that category forever.

With a follow-up system like this in place, it is not a coincidence that when it comes time to buy, your prospects will think of you. When it comes time to refer, your business partners will refer to you. And when they do, it is important to get into the habit of opening up your database from the first second of the first phone call with each prospect or new contact. Take good notes, ask good questions, and record it all in your database. The more you know about the people you come into contact with, the easier it will be to sell more.

Database maintenance and daily use

The final key to developing an effective database is to make sure you have a maintenance system in place. You must first of all purge your database on an ongoing basis of contacts with bad phone numbers, bad emails, etc.

Once you get deep into database management, you will become so reliant on your database that it will be the backbone to your business. It is extremely important to back up your database on a regular basis and to store the backup on an external source. I am to the point where if I were to lose my database, my business would be in serious jeopardy. I back up every 3 days, and store the backup on an external hard drive as well as on my desktop.

Developing an effective database will not be an easy task and at first you may question my assertions in this article. However, with persistent work, over the course of just a few months, you will see that an effective database will transform your business and take you to new levels.

RJ Baxter has been a mortgage consultant for four years. RJ utilizes his teaching background by educating consumers and advocating ethical business practices in the mortgage industry. RJ has received several awards for customer service and loan volume and has consistently ranked in the top ten among over 400 loan consultants at PrimeLending. To access more of RJ's articles or read more about RJ or PrimeLending, please visit http://www.rjbaxter.com

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