Bring your Rolodex into the 21st century!

CADY DARAGO, CO-FOUNDER AND MANAGING MEMBER, ESQUISITE MARKETING

When we are onboarding a new client, one of the questions we ask is if they have a CRM. Some don’t know what we are talking about (if that’s you, don’t worry – keep reading!). Most reply with an audible groan. Very few are excited to share their CRM with us because they are embarrassed about the terrible shape it is in. Why the negativity? Because CRMs are often a massive undertaking. But we’ve got some steps that will make it easy-peasy to get your CRM in order.

First Things First

What is a CRM, and why do you need to build one? CRM stands for Client Relationship Manager. It is a list of everyone you know – those to whom you send holiday cards, thank you gifts, who receive your newsletter, who pay (and don’t pay) your invoices, who refer business to you, and more.

Ok, I’m sold. What now?

Choosing where to house your CRM will take some research (more on this later). In the meantime, here are a few things you need to focus on:

Pull Your Contacts Together platform you use, LinkedIn, or anywhere else you keep this info. Combine it, remove duplicates, add missing info. We will assume you are working in Excel.

Break the info into the following columns as your data requires: prefix, first name + middle initial, last name, suffix, spouse/partner first name (and last name if different), business street address, city, state, zip, home address, city, state, zip, work email, personal email, and phone number(s).

Then, add everyone you know – referral sources, clients, former clients, other attorneys, prospective clients, vendors, alumni connections, attorneys you clerked with and judges you clerked for, folks who sit on nonprofit boards with you, your bowling team, your caddy, reporters who have interviewed you, friends, family, your third cousin and his dog. You get the picture. Don’t exclude anyone. Include everyone.

At this point, you will need to add a column to identify your relationship. We recommend making this a drop-down list so the information remains consistent and can be sorted accordingly. Your categories, or sources, should include referral source, client, attorney, prospective client, vendor, alumni, reporters, friend, family, and any others groups you have added.