What's a Database
A database is simply a list of your personal and business contacts. A data base can be anything from an address book to a rolodex to a list of e-mail addresses to a complete dossier on your customer with a complete background. To be effective in today's world your database must be in some kind of organizer program like Microsoft Outlook or Act!. All modern databases work essentially the same way. They all have multiple fields where you store information about your contact. Typical fields are First Name, Last Name, or Contact Name. There will be fields for home address information and business information. More sophisticated systems will provide the ability to keep your daily calendar and remind you of appointments. Some are geared to certain types of businesses and have special features to help you track the sales cycle. The more information you keep on each customer the more powerful a tool it will be for you. Every computer with Windows software comes with a simple contact management database called Outlook Express. If you have nothing else, start with this. Your data can be moved to a more sophisticated database if you want to move up.
Who Should be in Your Database
The quick answer here is everybody you know and everybody who knows you.
- friends,
- family,
- acquaintances,
- customers,
- potential customers,
- vendors,
- service providers
- competitors
Don't leave anyone off. Remember, you want to be able to stay in contact with anyone who might be a customer or who might be able to refer a customer to you. For a more in depth discussion of who should be in your database read our article on Increasing Subscribers.