You’ve asked (“Hey, Kelly, how do you organize your contacts?“) so often that I am actively seeking a “good personal CRM” system (good being better than a ziplock full of business cards, a robust collection of contacts on Linkedin, haphazard contact lists depending on whether gmail is in the mood to sync with my iPhone etc.). I recently downloaded 11 apps to test and almost immediately deleted 10. This is a work in progress — no definitive conclusion yet on finding any tool that gets the BYDN stamp of networking approval – however, worth sharing where I’m at on this networking organization journey:
Of the 11 apps I downloaded, UpHabit remains on my phone, because there is now a desktop version and the company is very focused on user privacy.
The apps I deleted:
- Hippo: Text to verify account (so easy to set up!) but I had to manually add people and notes.
- Remember: Facebook login to set-up. As I’m in the process of moving off Facebook, I hit delete as soon as I saw the account set-up/login requirement.
- Friendsome: Location based networking app, so an immediate delete by me as I’m really not a fan of location based apps (sorry, it is no one’s business where I’m at).
- Garden: Biggest feature seems to be reminders to reach out (which I can do via calendar, snooze on gmail or good old pad + paper).
- Copper: CRM of GSuite. Google has enough of my info plus Copper clearly states they share your info with third parties (ah, no thank you!).
- Bond: Provides a digital list of platforms for you to select contacts from as well as frequency of contact. I like the concept (as every one in our network does have a preferred platform for communication) but no, not exactly what I’m looking for in a CRM.
- Tibbits, Levitate, and Cultivate all seem to offer digital note taking and labels for your contacts (which I’d say is a feature not a complete network organization system to my way of thinking).
- Contact Journal: Again, another auto reminder system. I did like that its audio note (moments) feature (but obviously not enough to keep the app on my phone).
I have yet to play around with UpHabit‘s new desktop app – so stay tuned on that – and I met recently with the founder of Kinship (app is not yet in Beta), so another contact/network organization tool on my list to check out.
Your Questions And Networking For New Business
On the podcast, I’m answering listener questions! This week’s question: I’m seeking to grow my coaching practice and realize I should attend more in-person events, so I’m looking at signing up for a regional business conference, as well as joining my local chamber of commerce. What additional suggestions do you have for someone like me who is looking to grow their client base? Find my answer on the podcast.
There is a biz dev theme here, as also on the podcast:
- A better (and more productive) way to approach new business development. Skip firing off yet another batch of falsely personalized cold emails to prospective clients/customers, and take a listen instead (I’m looking at you, the guy who sent me the “I found your website on the internet” email). This is clearly a subject that gets under my skin, as I found no less than 7 blog posts I’ve written around the subject.
- A bunch of networking do’s and don’ts — especially for overly enthusiastic “connector” types who believe sending “you two should know each other emails” are helpful (spoiler alert: many times they are not).
Got a networking question that needs an answer? Ask me!
Finally, one for your networking calendar, plus a professional development suggestion:
- The Fourth Floor presents Board Boot Camp. Is getting on a corporate board on your ambition list? The Fourth Floor is committed to getting more women boards, focusing exclusively on the opportunities available for women via advising and investing in early stage companies.
- Free training series on What It Really Takes to Get a Promotion. My friend and host of the Career Mastery® Kickstart Summit, May Busch, has just released a free video series called “What It Really Takes to Get a Promotion”. May was promoted 10 times throughout her 24-year career to become COO of Morgan Stanley Europe, and she’s helped many team members and clients to land their promotions as well. So, you can be certain that what she teaches works. Learn more here.
