business associates & acquaintances? I am a recent graduate, and have just entered the sales/PR industry. Within 5 months here, I have a huge Rolodex, primarily filled with other recent graduates and people I've met once or twice at networking events and other such places.
My question is, what is a good way to manage a huge network of people? I mean, how do you ensure that you stay connected with everyone? I know how to stay connected with say, 30-50 people, remember their likes/dislikes/interests, and send them relevant articles etc.
But if you are a veteran industry professional, at some point, you will have 500 to 10,000 contacts. This is especially true of the sales/PR world. How do you manage such a large network?
- Do you maintain a large excel file? If so, what fields do you have etc?
- If you use only the Rolodex, how do you track whom you met when, and how do you follow-up?
- Do you use a notebook? How do you manage the entries there?
I am not trying to be cheesy or manipulative, but I just happen to meet nice people and we have a good conversation, and send each other a mail or two, and then, we forget each other. Instead, I would like to stay in touch with them, and help them and be helped by them (given that we are in the same industry, and here, connections and personal requests go a long way). But how do I manage the information overload?
PS: I am looking for tools and systems; not for hints on how to connect by sending articles and being authentic, but rather, on how to manage the information over-load.
My question is, what is a good way to manage a huge network of people? I mean, how do you ensure that you stay connected with everyone? I know how to stay connected with say, 30-50 people, remember their likes/dislikes/interests, and send them relevant articles etc.
But if you are a veteran industry professional, at some point, you will have 500 to 10,000 contacts. This is especially true of the sales/PR world. How do you manage such a large network?
- Do you maintain a large excel file? If so, what fields do you have etc?
- If you use only the Rolodex, how do you track whom you met when, and how do you follow-up?
- Do you use a notebook? How do you manage the entries there?
I am not trying to be cheesy or manipulative, but I just happen to meet nice people and we have a good conversation, and send each other a mail or two, and then, we forget each other. Instead, I would like to stay in touch with them, and help them and be helped by them (given that we are in the same industry, and here, connections and personal requests go a long way). But how do I manage the information overload?
PS: I am looking for tools and systems; not for hints on how to connect by sending articles and being authentic, but rather, on how to manage the information over-load.