Contact Management Software

Guide to Using Contact Management Software

Maybe it's time to ditch the little black book
By Chris Caggiano

If you're like most small-business owners, you probably have a less-than-sophisticated approach to contact management. Maybe you have a Rolodex or a Day-Planner, or perhaps you've gone digital and entered your contacts into your Palm or other hand-held device.

But there's a world of technological solutions out there to not only keep track of your important contacts, but also oversee your entire sales process. Depending upon its sophistication and cost, contact management software:

1. Helps you to store and retrieve contact information
2. Lets you synchronize your calendar and contacts with your PDA
3. Allows you to track sales opportunities and make sales forecasts

Action Steps

The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find an off-the-shelf program Beyond holding names and addresses, off-the-shelf contact management software helps you forecast sales, track prospects, generate call-back reminders, create broadcast e-mails, perform mail-merge tasks for direct-marketing mailings and more.

I recommend:  The most popular programs for small business include ACT, Lotus Organizer, Goldmine and QuickBooks Customer Manager.

See what other users are saying As you research off-the-shelf packages, check out the user feedback on public sites, such as Amazon and CNET. Then download free demos and try each program out before you buy. Make a tech support call to see how helpful the company is.

I recommend:  Find user reviews at Amazon, CNET, ZDNet and WinPlanet.

As you grow, consider Sales Force Automation (SFA) As your sales force grows, consider upgrading to a sales-force-automation (SFA) system. Essentially contact management on steroids, SFA systems feature such value-added features as greater forecasting and tracking functionality, as well as the ability to automate your sales and marketing efforts and analyze results.

I recommend:  For a useful guide on choosing a good SFA system, visit BuyerZone. For more information on particular SFA systems, check out Capterra.

Consider a Web-based service Whatever your size, there's likely to be a Web-based contact management or SFA system that will meet your needs. Web-based systems are great if you and/or your salespeople are on the road frequently and need ready access to prospect info. Costs range from $20 to $65 per user per month.

I recommend:  The most well-known Web-based SFA is Salesforce.com, but its pricing structure is best suited to businesses with 10 or more salespeople. CLP's lower pricing may be more attractive to soloists and smaller businesses.

Make do with what you have If you're trying to keep costs down or you're a solo practitioner, chances are you've already got something that will fill the contact-management bill. Handheld devices like the Palm, Blackberry, Treo or other PDA/mobile-phone combos often come with personal information management (PIM) software. Or if you use Microsoft Office or Lotus SmartSuite, those packages contain usable PIM programs as well. Your e-mail service will also likely have PIM functionality.

I recommend:  Find out more about your current software package's contact management capabilities, including sales prospect tracking and mail merge functions, by checking out Microsoft Office or Lotus SmartSuite.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• Take a good look at whether you must upgrade. Your current productivity or mobile device software may actually meet your needs.
• Match your staff size to your software solution: How many salespeople do you have now? How many do you plan to have two years from now?
• Check to see that the software that you’re considering compatible with your current computer system and can handle exports to your Palm or other handheld device.