TRACKING KEY PEOPLE

There is so much talk about databases today that I’ve found people who never actually contact anyone; they have no time, since they’re constantly tending to the care and feeding of their databases. Silver Mine, Consistent Communication, Email Ecstasy—you name it.

So what’s the best way to “track” people? How do you know where they go? Unlike the case of a big game hunter, looking for spoor probably isn’t the answer here.

The best way is to do this on an ongoing basis automatically. What would automatically tell you that someone has moved or changed contact information? In this transitory business environment, that’s more common than ever. When I was young, for most people it was one job until retirement. They had one phone number and one physical address. Today, the likelihood is four or more jobs post-college, and a multitude of numbers for phones, addresses for e-mail, and assorted texts, social media platforms, and other “hangouts.”