nicholasbarry's picture Submitted past nicholasbarry on
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Here's how I continue runway of which contacts in my network I need to keep upwardly with. I employ Outlook at work, but I don't like the repeating reminders recommended by Mark because I'll accept to reconstruct all those when I migrate somewhere else. And there are some other advantages to spreadsheets, too.

I started past creating a elementary spreadsheet with these columns:

  1. Contact's proper name
  2. Terminal Contacted
  3. Contact Every...
  4. Contact Next
  5. Near

With someone I've just met, I fill in (i) their proper name, (two) the engagement I met them, or a more recent appointment if I have corresponded with them since then, (3) the number of days I think it's ok to wait before contacting them over again, (4) a formula equal to the engagement I terminal contacted them + the number of days I can wait [due east.g. "=B3+B4" in Excel or Google Spreadsheets], and (5) the metropolis or region they're located.

When I'm following up with contacts, I look at which rows have a "Contact Next" equal to today, or even before today, if I didn't follow up with them when I was supposed to. Y'all can sort the spreadsheet according to the "Contact Side by side" column, or even filter it. I actually accept conditional formatting so anything older than today shows up with a light pink background, so it stands out for me.

Then in one case I contact someone, I mark "Final Contacted" as today'south date, and I don't have to worry about contacting them over again for a while.

If I generally contact someone every three months, and I hear from them two months afterward I last contacted them, I'll update the date, and so I'm off the hook for some other iii months. For people I contact often, I don't bother updating the date. Every once in a while I'll find they're marked as someone I'm supposed to contact, just I know I've contacted them more recently than the spreadsheet indicates, so I'll but update the "Last Contacted" date to today.

MT recommends ninety days as generally the longest you want to wait before reaching out to someone again, but says that if you demand to go to 180 days, that'south better than zippo.

The "Virtually" column is really useful. If you're visiting an area, yous can sort by the spreadsheet to see which people are in the area, so you know who to contact near getting together. Or even if you don't go to visit them, it's a great excuse to call them and let them know you're in the area, and you thought of them and merely wanted to grab up.

Y'all can ever add columns if you want. I go on it simple because I generally call back who everyone is, and I don't often need to exist able to sort/rearrange based on other criteria, but you could add columns like these:

  • Notes: I leave detailed notes most contacts in my Google Contacts for each person, merely you lot could easily add together a Notes cavalcade.
  • Category: If y'all want to be able to filter contacts according to whether they're clients, colleagues, friends, acquaintances, professional contacts, family unit, etc.
  • Social Media: A link to their social media (including LinkedIn) profile, in case you wanted to bank check that out before contacting them, to refresh yourself on what they've been up to recently
  • Your history: Where, when and how you met them

It's extremely piece of cake to create and maintain. I highly recommend information technology. I use it to manage well-nigh m contacts I want to stay in touch with, but it's just as useful if you're managing 25 contacts.