If there’s one question I’m asked at every party, it’s this: “So what’s the best way to organise my business cards?” The questioner usually presents me with a pick list along these lines:

A. by first name
B. by last name
C. by company name
D. by event where we met

My reply? It’s E: All of the above…and then some. Then my new friend asks, “So how on earth do I do that?”

The answer is simple: Get the information into a database and bin the cards. Voila – searchable, sortable business card data – and no more clutter!

If you’re doing things right, the point of the business card is to enable you to continue the relationship you started when someone handed it to you. This means you need to be able to access all the information and meaning associated with the card’s owner at the touch of a button.

What good are those piles of old business cards doing you where they are? What opportunities have you missed while deciding whether it’s better to buy a little card caddy with a lid or a book with pockets for each card? It’s about keeping in touch, not about storage.

Make sense? Good. Now here’s what to do:

1.  The next time you look at a rubber-banded bunch of business cards on your desk, open up a new Excel spreadsheet.

2.  Across the top of the sheet, type headings for the basic information you see on the card: First name, Last Name, Company Name, Mailing Address, Mobile Number, Website…and so on.

3.  Now add some columns for other things that pop into your head when you’re looking at the cards, such as:

• Mailing Lists (the type of communication you’d like to send this person: Christmas Cards, Monthly Newsletter,
  Useful Articles, Promotional Information, and so on)
• Interest Areas (i.e. which of your services or products the person seemed interested in)
• Lead Source (where you met this person)
• Notes (other details you’d like to remember)

4.  Get somebody to help you enter the data from your cards into your spreadsheet, and discuss questions or enhancements that may come up the first few times information is entered. Tweak your spreadsheet design as you go, but whatever you do, keep it simple!! You must create a system that is quick and easy to use on a regular basis.

5.  Select a list management and communication application that will help you quickly and easily send emails, letters, flyers or postcards to people matching your criteria for a given mailout. Upload your spreadsheet and from that moment onwards, enter all new business card data directly into your new system.

6.  Devise a keep-in-touch routine and implement it, dedicating your time to the purpose and style of the message rather than letting your energy be drained by business-card-guilt or tedious data entry.

7.  Enjoy developing the relationships you’ve created instead of fretting over how to organise those business cards.

(…and don’t forget to back things up regularly! See the post Backing up Your Life Online for more on this.)

Need help with some of these steps?

Contact us to arrange a complimentary consultation with our database organisation and mass communications experts.

Filed under: Contacts