Do It Yourself Sales Tools
Below is a MRR and PLR article in category Business -> subcategory Sales.
Create Your Own Sales Tracking System with Index Cards
Introduction
Discover how to craft a straightforward sales tool to efficiently track and follow up on every lead. Perfect for salespeople and anyone looking to automate their networking tasks.
Essentials for Your 3x5 System
After being inspired by the Hipster PDA and Levenger's Shirt Pocket Briefcase, I developed a simple yet effective method using 3" by 5" index cards. Here's what you'll need, all available at Staples for around $25:
- A sturdy box for the cards
- Monthly 3" by 5" index tabs
- Daily (1-31) index tabs
- Alphabetical index tabs
- Plenty of white ruled index cards
- Colored index cards
- A small portable case for daily cards
Setting Up Your System
Let's assume you're starting on January 1st. Organize your tabs as follows:
1. January tab
2. Daily tabs (1-31)
3. February to December monthly tabs
4. A-Z alphabetical tabs
5. Blank white and colored cards
Begin by creating cards for your leads. Use white cards for potential clients and colored cards for existing customers to distinguish between them easily.
How It Works
Imagine it's January 1st and you've just attended a networking event. You meet a potential client, receive their business card, and want to contact them on January 2nd. Staple their card to a white index card, place it behind the "2" tab, and you're done for the day.
On January 2nd, push the "1" tab back behind the February tab, consistently moving the system forward. Retrieve the card for your January 2nd contact. You call and discover the lead is out of town until January 6th. Note this on the card: "1/2/05 - On vacation till 1/6" and move it behind the "6" tab.
Continue this process until the lead becomes a customer or requests no further contact. Once they become a customer, move their card to the corresponding alphabetical section.
If you don't reach a contact on the scheduled day, simply move their card to the next day.
On-the-Go Convenience
To avoid carrying a large box, use a small case to transport the cards you need for the day, making it easy to stay organized while away from the office.
Utility Beyond Sales
This system isn't just for salespeople. It's also ideal for networking. Use different colors to categorize leads, clients, and contacts. For networking, I use red cards and write intervals like 7, 14, or 30 days to remind myself how often to reach out. This aligns with Keith Ferrazzi's "Never Eat Alone," which advocates regular network engagement.
Additional Tips
Consider adding daily tabs to each month for more precise future planning. Also, using sticky tabs for birthdays can help compile a monthly birthday list, although it might be simpler to use a digital calendar.
By implementing this method, you can streamline your sales process, ensuring no lead slips through the cracks, while enhancing your networking efforts.
You can find the original non-AI version of this article here: Do It Yourself Sales Tools.
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