How do we keep track of our business deals?
If you are only working with one or two deals, keeping track of them is a simple matter. However, most of us have far more than two deals on the plate and even more coming down the pipeline. It is sometimes quite difficult to keep track of all the details and remember who said what to whatever. You need to keep track of the names of people on each deal or project and what their responsibilities are. There are many techniques that you can use to keep on top of the situation. You can purchase CRM (Customer Relation Management) software to handle the contact details plus a host of other information. Unfortunately it is time consuming and you can often miss out on important proposals or calls that you need to make. Keeping track of details is necessary, and keeping accurate records is also of prime importance.
Using the computer to track information does not have to be onerous or difficult; it simply has to be planned into your day. I use my computer extensively for everything I do, but I do not carry it to meetings with me, I carry a simple paper notebook for each client and keep meticulous notes. I then transfer the important points to the computer system and have it refer to my journal for further details (I number my journals and file them for later use). Appointments, phone numbers, managers' names, titles, project roles are all on the computer system. Making detailed notes with dates are on my power page in my notebook.
We will go into more detail for the power page a little later in the chapter. Right now let's walk through the various components that are necessary for keeping the details straight and continuing to nurture our business relationships.