Can you have a business without a database? 

The short answer is “not for long”.

Those of you who are not familiar with a database, it is a software program where you keep all of  your business and/or personal contacts. Trying to run a business without an effective database is   like trying to run a marathon barefoot: if you don’t have the right gear, you’ll be in a lot of pain and probably won’t be able to reach your goal.

Some business owners keep all of their contacts in their smart phones. Smart phones are a great place to start putting your contacts. But, you can’t share these with your business partners or other employees. You can’t keep track of the conversations you had with them over time. You can’t save all the documents that you mailed to them. You get the point.

The next choice is Microsoft Outlook or Google contacts. These are better than your smart phone because you can categorize them and notify a group of people in one click. But it is limited in what you can share with others, and won’t keep the history of calls or emails in one place.

A better idea is a database also known as a CRM database. A CRM database saves your contacts, categorizes them, and sends relevant messages. It can setup reminders on when to contact people. Most importantly, when you pull out a contact two years down the road, it shows the history from day one: how you met, how you grew your relationship, what photos you shared, or the business you did together. When you are ready to make a call, CRM shows you the phone, address, and relevant information along with the entire history together with all documents. So now you can make that call knowing that you did not miss any important information.

A CRM database also helps you to keep track of the products and services that you sell. It can tell you which services you are selling more and which ones you hardly sell. So, you can strategize your business better and price your services.

A good CRM database also can save customer feedback. You can analyze the feedback and learn about your brand.

Most CRM databases are hosted in the cloud so you don’t have to worry about losing the data or backing it up every night. You can sleep easy knowing your data is safe and secure and available to you 24x7.

For a free 30-day trial of cloud CRM that will help you effectively manage your customers, contacts, documents and more, check out Snapshot CRM at www.snapshotcrm.com.

Next week’s topic: How to grow your database.