Keeping a database of your prospects, clients, and strategic vendors should be a priority in any small business.  But how do you do it?  And what tools work best?

Your database will make you rich, your products and services unfortunately will not.  The more people you have in your database, the more prospects, clients, and referrals you’ll get.

There are several ways to go about “Contact Management” and I wanted to give you a quick overview and point you in the right direction, to get the most bang for your buck in the least amount of time.

What’s the difference between a….

  • List
  • Auto Responders and Newsletter Systems
  • Contact Management System
  • Database
  • CRM System


All these terminologies can be confusing, the good news is that the difference is quite simple.

  • Lists are a collection of contact information in a spreadsheet type of list format.
  • AutoResponders and Newsletter Systems are programs that allow you to keep lists and send broadcast emails and sequential messages to them.
  • Contact Management Systems are the next step up and allow you to often keep track of conversions and additional details, such as appointments, emails, tasks, etc.
  • CRM – Customer Relationship Management Systems are the Cadillac of Contact Management systems, in addition to keeping extensive contact information, appointments, emails, and tasks, they also include orders, sales, service calls, opportunities, etc.
  • Databases are technically all of the above, one might argue a list is not a database but in a nutshell a database is a collection of information organized in a way that can be cross referenced and searched.

You’ll want to start out with keeping a simple list and putting that into a Auto Responder like AWeber.   It’s quick, simple, and at the click of a button you can email everyone in your database.  Best yet, it’s low cost.

To get an understanding of what the ultimate contact management solution and database looks like, have a look at Infusionsoft’s Demo.

Now everyone’s situation is different and there are many factors to consider when implementing the right tool for your small business.   Contact me and I’ll point you in the right direction.

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