Christine H.
I can help you reduce the time, cost & effort required to collect incident/asset data which is remote from your office?
How do you manage business cards you receive?
We all go to network events and come back with a bundle of business cards from people we have spoken to (and maybe from some that we haven't). I have used various business card holders and written brief notes on the back of cards to remind me of the conversation we had. But as time goes on there are more cards and more folders to search through for the card you want. Would be interested if anyone has a system that works well for them?
Good Answers (7)
Terry C.
Construction Safety Expert
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there are great apps that allow you to scan them into your smartphone. I spend 20 or 30 mins daily entering & annotating them
I write notes on the cards, when I'm able to do so discreetly, so I can easily recall the discussion. Then, I'll get all that information into my CRM (using HighRise for now) and make sure I tag/categorize the new contacts.
The key, at least for me, is to get the information off the cards and into a CRM asap. That way, I can set my followup reminders, and easily find people later by searching or clicking through tags/categories.
There are also apps to get information off the cards, if you have too many to handle manually - one is made by LinkedIn actually, so I've put a link below.
Links:
Yuhannes W.
Relationship Builder | I help businesses connect with their target market & increase sales | Online Networking ROI
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There are a lot of excellent tools for managing hundreds of business cards, but I am going to take another route here.... I believe you should re-evaluate how you network. I used to be like you, go to many networking events, be the last one out and come home with so many cards. I stopped doing that. I only take 5-10 of my own cards to any networking event. If possible I try to get the guest list of the people attending the networking event. I pin-point the 1-5 people that i actually want to meet and focus on meeting or being introduced to them. Once I've met my targets, I might mingle and get 1-3 more business cards then I leave. The result is I have 3-7 business cards and i can usually put them in Outlook or many times I just add them to LI and don't even add them to outlook. 3-7 cards is a lot easier to manage than 10 - 20 cards.... An excess of cards ends up sitting on your desk, making a mess and collecting dust... eventually you never enter them in your data base. Most of the people you end up being dead contacts any way.. a waste of time and data entry.. just taking up space in your contacts section.
So again, evaluate your networking methods, focus on a few key contacts and this will decrease your card data entry time no matter what contact management system you use! Good luck!
Sally S.
Speaking & Storytelling Strategist
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Some I just throw away.
I use Card Scan to scan the cards into a database. It does a good job of putting the right information in the right fields for all but the most artsy cards. I then make a note of when/where I met the person and any other info I need. I only scan ones of interest or ones who have indicated they want to be on my mailing list.
I use card scan.
Links:
Maria G.
Small Business Administration, Development & Strategic Planning, Sustainability Management, Project Management
There is great software on the web, that can link with your outlook, gmail, etc and you can add your business cards right into an online cloud-based file that is at your fingertips. One free-software is: Plaxo - which is what I use.
Also if you have a small business, in addition to adding contact to Outlook, you can utilize your CRM (cloud-based free software is available). Our company uses Podio - and we add all our contacts into Podio - making it available to our team and connecting that contact to a lead/sale/prospect, etc.
Links:
Clarification added 3 months ago:
If you are in need of small business administrative support contact us @ info@c-leveled.com
Hi Christine, in my opinion the key is dealing with all new cards/contacts/leads in a timely fashion (preferrably same or next day) before the details of the conversations are forgotten and the urgency in follow up disappears. I've used several different CRM products (basic Outlook, Maximizer, Access, & other proprietary software) and the key is consistency, timeliness and categorizing (just like Crystal mentioned). Categorizing means recording the necessary information in a way that you can sort on it later. For ex. it's crucial for my business that I understand how each new contact arrived in my database (meeting, website, referral, networking) becausethen we are able to send information accordingly (ie. our disccussion was about a specific product which means I can then sort the database in the future based on that product and send them new information when it becomes available or we like to know what events we met people at or who they were referred by so we can thank the referrer when the lead moves forward to a business relationship).
Whatever you use ensure it allows you to track the information that is most helpful to you and also allows you to sort/search on that info.
Let us know what you end up doing!
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Erica F.
Social Media Optimizer, Publisher at ALC Publishing, President of Yuricon
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I have a pile of card, unsorted, in a corner of my office. I throw new ones on the pile and about once a year I go through it and throw 97% of them out. It's not a formal system, but it works for me.
Gina A.
Helping Businesses Succeed: Projects * Processes * People * Technology (http://www.AbudiConsulting.com)
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While it is not the most elaborate system, I enter business card information into my Outlook contacts. Works for me.
Frank A.
Offering an inexpensive, parttime, professional services franchise opportunity.
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I like Erica's answer, as it describes me. I think, however, what is right or best depends on our business. I tend to meet lots of people and have a service that has very low price point. I used to practice law and individual business cards had a greater value.
Brijendra C.
Human Resources at Dodsal E & C Pte Ltd
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- I use card munch now
they process it for me
If you are a "paper-in-hand" person, I'd suggest a simple business card holder or a Rolodex. If you prefer the high tech method, a simple card scanner system will do. Whatever you choose, make sure it's manageable, organized and easily-accessible.
I store in business book alphabatically.
