I recently started to go back to many networking and training events. What does this mean? Tons and tons of business cards! So I tried to look for a good CRM system so I remember to follow up with my contacts, and hopefully categorize them for future needs (buyer blast etc). 

So now we have 2 goal:

1) Enter all business cards information to a computer

2) Find a good CRM application

Let me walk you through my experience.

I do not like data entry. No one likes data entry. How can we make this work? I ring my VA (virtual assistant) whom I have not been able to find a good task for since a couple weeks ago (terribly guilty), and set up a quick excel sheet for her to enter the information to columns as directed. Viola! All done in one night! (My sweetest VA Mary is in a different timezone from us, thus she was able to do the magic while I am sleeping)

CRM application. My dear fancy boss subscribe to a great CRM system called Solve360. It is the best and easiest to use CRM I have seen so far, for a price most business owners can afford. Well, I am just starting and I probably can not afford that (about $40/mon). So let’s look for a free one! I found Contactually. It is actually quite awesome. 

To me, Contactually reminds me to email my key contacts at the time I set myself for. For example, it asks me to email my old professors every 120 days from last contact.  This is just want I need with a busy life ahead of me! 

Did I tell you Contactually integrated with my LinkedIn, Facebook, and Gmail account? It automatically recognized my contacts across the board, a simple swipe and confirm from me lets Contactually reconcile all the information, and generate most accurate contact, activity and interactions between the contact and myself. 

I have been using it for a few days and there are still alot of things I can optimize my Contactually account! Love it!