Keep an alphabetical customer record book with detailed information on all
clients and prospects. A loose-leaf form is best because it is easy to add pages.
There are many customer recordkeeping systems available. However, it
should include a page for each customer and prospect to record the
following information:Keep the customers separate from the prospects. The prospects can be moved
to the customer section when their status changes.
This information is invaluable in developing a personal relationship with the
customer.
It could be that some of these headings do not apply in some service
businesses, so the headings should be adapted. The customer record is a key
part of good territory planning and keeping it up-to-dated is very important.
Business name, address, postal code
Telephone numbers, Fax numbers, e-mail addresses
Owner's names and titles
Decision maker's names and titles
Sales volume last year
Potential sales volume
Product lines carried by main competitors
Your product lines carried
Call frequency and best time to call
Space provided to note personal likes and dislikes
Recreation activity of key people
Notes area to keep update on special events that they are involved in
(such as birthdays, trips, births in the family, or anniversaries)
Provide a large space also for topical general comments on current
business activity