Share

A-   A+

Create a company wide database of contacts associated with all of your customers, vendors, employees.  Include everyone and every entity that has something to do with your company.  Make it accessible 24/7 for everyone anywhere using their company telephone or database access number. Consider about the following possibilities.

Advantages of a company wide database:

• Include everyone: Your company wide database includes customers, vendors and all employees. It also includes categories for searching when peoples’ or companies’ names are not readily known. (i.e. a customer buyer’s first name may be known but not the last.)
• Tied to switchboard: When any known person from a customer, vendor or category calls in to your switchboard, they are quickly found or recognized internally on your database so your employee knows who they are and can retrieve their information number to call them back.
• All sources: Your database includes industry types when individual names are not always known.  (i.e. electricity company, water/sewer company, county tax office, scrap companies, police department, ambulance, post office, overnight delivery vans, copier repair, shipping supplies, office supplies, CPA firm, tax preparer, loan companies)
• Comprehensive customer employee names: Include every contact name from your customers including the buyers (who places orders), purchasing managers (actual decision makers) and even accounts payable personnel (who ultimately pay you).
• Vendors: Include contact names from your vendors including your assigned sales reps (who take orders from  you).
• Remote access: Make your database available to all of your sales representatives remotely through their laptops, tablets or cellphones.
• Vendor lists: Make your database available to your purchasing personnel to lookup vendors by category (who is approved and who is not).
• Administration access: Make your database available to your accounting personnel to lookup  financial lending firms, tax authorities or government agencies. The database will include all of those banks and capital sources where your company borrowed money in the past.
• Name search: One can search the database for names.
• Contact information: One can search the database for customer buyers’ titles, phone and fax numbers and email addresses.
• Websites of vendors/customers: One can search for customer and vendor websites.
• All-inclusive telephone numbers: One can search the database for phone numbers for employees, vendors or customers.
• Fax numbers: One can search the database for customer or vendor fax numbers.
• Zip code sort/search: One can search the database for companies within defined zip codes.
• Industry sorts: One can search the database for companies in similar industries.  You may want to include SIC (Standard Industrial Codes) to ties families or types of companies together.
• Common parents: One can search the database for companies all related or owned by a common parent.
• Supplier codes: One can search the database for common supplier codes or vendor numbers assigned by your customers for your company.

Benefits from this company specific database include the following examples:

• Print a list of all customers in zip code 77041.
• Print a list of all customers in southern Iowa.
• Print a list of all customers in one city.
• Print a list of all customers assigned to one rep.
• Print a list of all heavy industrial customers in a defined state (industry sort).
• Print a list of assigned customers and scan the known ‘decision makers’ for new customers.
• A sales representative may search all divisions of a common parent company prior to making a sales call. Knowing this relationship will allow sales people to mention the buyers’ names of sister divisions which may help get their foot in the door of a new related customer.
• If customer prospects are entered into the sales database, other non-sales employees with database access will be able to see and review targeted customers and relay their connections or knowledge to those firms to the company’s assigned sales reps. (i.e. family or friends work there, previous company work experience, knowledge of what the prospect makes and sells, etc.).
• Print out targeted customers to print on the company bulletin board for employee review. Employees who previously worked there, have family or friends who work there or know information about the targeted customer can assist in the sales campaign.
• Print a telephone/fax number list for all customers for John Smith, the newest company sales representative.
• Print a list of all steel manufacturers (vendors) for the purchasing department.
• Print a list of all steel manufacturer vendors who might be potential customers for other items of mutual interest.
• Print a list of all customers, buyers and telephone numbers by first purchase date in order to acknowledge various companies’ anniversaries of doing business (i.e. ten years of business this month, send $50 voucher off their next purchase).
• The receptionist will be able to tell who the caller is if the caller ID is tied into the database.
• Your salesperson in the field will spot a company he recognizes while driving in the car, search the database for the buyers’ names and seek out an appointment with that individual in a sales call.
• Your receptionist will immediately have access to the police station’s telephone number in a time of crisis.
• When an ambulance is needed, the telephone number is readily available.
• Your insurance broker is quickly available to report losses or changes in coverage.
• Your sales person will be able to check if his customer happens also to be a vendor of your firm.

Log In to continue reading our in-depth analysis of this idea  GPI 409 – Create your unique...