When I'm out meeting with coaching clients and doing speaking engagements, I'm often asked about client contact management systems. The question I get most often is "What system of management is the best?" Not to be short but my response is usually along the lines of "the best way to manage your contacts is a system that you will use."
What I really mean by that is that it's important to keep it simple. If you are a small business owner you may not need a fancy, expensive system. I personally use Google docs and Gmail to keep my client and lead contact info, and I use the Google calendar as well. The answer is really to find what works best for you and stick with it. I do think contact updates and management is something that needs to be updated daily as you gather and meet new people. If your system is not easy you will more than likely not follow through by spending a few minutes updating daily.
If you don't have a fancy system or don't want to pay for a fancy system -- and again I really don't think that most independent small business owner need an elaborate system -- here is something that is easy to create that really works.
On my computer I have two files in my business file system. One is titled Clients and the other is Leads. In both folders I set up file folders by client/leads name and I scan into my computer any paperwork, forms, etc. that I have collected on that individual. When I set up a folder for a client or a lead, I create a Word document for that client and stick it inside their folder. Then when I have contact with a lead or client I can pull up their folder, make the appropriate notes about our conversation in the Word document and save it to their folder with updates I made. I then back up my folders into Dropbox which gives me the peace of mind of knowing I will never lose my important data.
I do recommend creating folders for your leads. Some will not agree with me on this, but it makes taking a lead to a client a simple relocation of the file folder. About once a year I can look through my lead folders and archive those that I have not been able to make contact with or who have not expressed any interest in my services.
Often when I speak to someone about my services I will ask them if I can follow up with them within a certain period of time. If they say "yes," I then make a note on my calendar reminding me that particular week to make contact with that lead. Then all I need to do is look at their lead folder and pull up their Word doc to remind me of our conversation history. When I make my call to the client, it takes just a moment to add the current date and a few notes about our conversation. This is a simple system that works for me.
If you currently don't have a method of keeping notes/logs or records on clients and leads, at the minimum set a system similar to mine up and be diligent about keeping it current. When your business grows to the level where you need a more complex system in place, you will at least have some past records on each client and won't be creating everything from scratch.
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