We will not sell or rent your email address. So, you have a PDA and now you want to do something with it. For most people, a PDA is simply an electronic rolodex. That’s the most common use for it. So, how do you get your contacts into your PDA. If you already use Outlook or some type of email client application, you have probably already entered contacts there. By synchronizing your PDA with that application, you can transfer that information to your PDA. You can enter new contacts into that application or into the desktop application that comes with your PDA. For example, Palm PDA’s can be synchronized with the Palm Desktop application. You can see everything that’s in your Palm. I currently synchronize with Outlook. I prefer to have my contacts in the same place as my email. However, I will probably switch to ACT! because it has better tracking for contact activities. But, that’s another story. Simple contact management focuses on the basics. First, how many records should you enter for a single person? Ultimately there should be one record per person. I work with a lot of small business owners. Some have several businesses. I create a different record for each company they have or work for. There is usually a different address and phone number for each company. For most people, this is not a problem. When I meet someone new, I create one separate record for the person and one for the company. Personal information goes in the first record and company information in the second. Palm allows you to store four phone numbers or email addresses. This is somewhat limiting. If a person has more information than that, you can store the other details in notes about that person. Or, you can always create another record. Palm also gives you four custom fields. I recommend that you one of those fields for birthdates. You can name the field Birthday. However, if you synchronize with Outlook, you will have to dig to find that information. It’s not easily accessible. The Pocket PC allows you to track more information about a person. However, you can always store that in notes. Most people simply don’t take the time to make note of important information. Why? It may not seem important at the time. Or, they don’t want to be writing in a PDA while someone is talking to them. I keep my PDA handy whenever I am talking to someone. I enter information on the spot. My memory is faulty. When my wife asks me to do something, I pull out my PDA and make a note. I remember important details only because I have taken the time to enter them while it was fresh in my mind. People marvel at my ability to recall information. Whenever I meet with someone, I check my PDA for details about them and then ask about their spouse or children by name. PDA stands for Productivity, Discipline and Action. That’s my mantra. You have to be disciplined about using a PDA or you won’t be able to take advantage of the tools available to you. So, now you have a wonderful PDA full of contact details. What’s next? Well, make use of it. The purpose of a list of contacts is to follow up. The simplest way to follow up is to schedule a time to call someone. If you schedule an appointment or meeting, enter it into your calendar. If you agree to call someone at a certain time, write it in your calendar. I can’t tell you how many people I talk that don’t carry a calendar with them. They might say, I’ll call you tomorrow at 3pm. I write it in my PDA. But when 3pm arrives, there is no call. They forgot. Don’t let this happen to you. It’s embarrassing and you’ll lose credibility with your customers and prospects. Another way to schedule follow up is to use your task list. If I talk to someone and they tell me they don’t have time to meet, I add a task to call them in one month. When that day arrives, I see a task that I need to call them. It’s easy. It just takes the discipline to add the task when you complete your conversation with that person. Now, remember, there are complex contact management applications such as ACT! and Goldmine that provide far more elaborate capabilities to track and plan contact activities. For most people, that’s overkill. Just learn to use the basic applications and you’ll be fine. Simple contact management will make you a hero to your customers. You will follow through when you have committed to doing something. You will remember the names and ages of their family members. But, only if you take time to note it in your PDA. Contact management will succeed only if you keep the focus on building relationships and keeping your promises. Rick S. Cooper, MBA, is The Sales Results Expert. Rick is a Business & Technology Coach who specializes in working with professional services entrepreneurs who want to attract their ideal clients. He coaches entrepreneurs to improve their sales skills and increase their sales results. He teaches them how to leverage technology tools and increase their productivity. Rick is Founder and President of The PDA Pro. Receive Rick's complimentary audio "7 Steps to Attract your Ideal Clients" by visiting http://www.ThePDApro.com/freebies.asp. | 
