To celebrate 2008, I’m sending you 10 tips as New Year’s resolutions for your database…
10. I will clean up old contacts. I have thousands of names in my database, and many are outdated or duplicated. I will create a *dynamic group membership* for all customers with missing or bounced email addresses.
When addresses go bad, they’ll automatically be removed from my email distribution list. Then I’ll call (or delegate someone) to update this critical information. I will have Aviva update my postal addresses with National Change of Address processing (NCOA) to find out who’s moved and standardize addresses to find more duplicates.
9. If I’m using ACT! Software, I will delete unused Groups. Groups take on a life of their own. I will “use them or lose them.” I can delete groups without deleting my contacts.
8. I will get my company newsletter out monthly. If I planned to start an email newsletter and never published, I will attend The Database Diva’s half-day workshop, “Start an Email Newsletter that Makes You Money”
7. I will erase or clear the “antiques” on my Task List. I will NEVER get to those incomplete tasks from a year ago.
6. I will stop setting activity alarms, except when I REALLY need them. One to three alarms per day is plenty. Alarms are unnecessary if I keep my eye on my Task List.
5. I will stop rolling over my calls, meetings and to-do’s in my ACT! Database (TOOLS > PREFERENCES > SCHEDULING PREFERENCES). If I can’t keep up with activities I schedule for myself, I will design a more realistic follow-up plan.
4. I will call one day ahead to confirm all my Meetings (not really an ACT! thing, but I’ll set my Task List DATES filter to “Today” to do it).
3. When someone hands me a business card, I will write a few words on the card to remind me about this person. (How many business cards do I have that I can’t remember why I have them in the first place?) Then I will use a Card Scanner to auto-import it into my database. (Why leave it to mold on my desk?).
I will code the contact record in the REFERRED BY (where I met this person) and ID/STATUS (database segmentation categories for future communications.)
My “few words” will go into LAST RESULTS (which in ACT! will automatically record a time/date-stamped history for me under the HISTORY tab, saving me an extra step). I will then THROW AWAY the card!!! (Ed. Note: The Diva gives you enthusiastic permission for this.)
2. When I make an unscheduled call I will ALWAYS record it in ACT! with my keyboard shortcut CTRL+H
1. When I clear an activity, I will ALWAYS schedule a follow-up so I never let important contacts fall into a black hole.
BONUS TIP: I will not become a poster child for bad database marketers: I will back up my database daily and/or test the backups I currently create. If I am a single or remote user, I will buy a flash drive (for less than $20) and make an additional back-up copy of my database to store in a safe, off-site location.
Happy New Year!
