RealTown's RealTalk

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Hello everyone,

I would like to get some feedback on a subject I have not truly seen discussed
here and that is how everyone chooses to organize their contacts, specifically
in Outlook. This really has two parts and I will share my situation.

I have considered myself very organized in Outlook. I have my main default
contacts folder, which has all my family, friends, occasional contacts. Then I
have a few subfolders such as "clients" (which has every person I have ever done
business with, or have had numerous contacts with after an open house, etc.),
"brand new clients" (which is where I put everyone initially from an open house,
lead, etc. until I figure out which folder to place them in), another one that
is all of the contacts from an organization I belong to, and lastly I have
"services" which are all my contacts for a carpet installer, contractors, my
attorneys, mortgage companies, etc.

The challenge: I now own a fantastic PDA that, of course, will only sync with
the main contacts folder, and I find myself on the road with the need to call a
specific person in "services" and can't do it. My system has been great when I
am at my laptop because I know where everyone is and can find them quicker in
the separate folders, as opposed to searching through hundreds and hundreds of
them in one contact folder.

I have considered using the categories and just tested a couple dozen contacts
and sorting them. I don't like it, but I guess it may be because it is new to
me.

One of the reasons I also have them separated is because if I want to do a
mailing to my organization, I click a button on that folder and have the labels.
The same goes for the clients or my friends and family.

I would like to be more efficient and am wondering what some of you long time
Outlook users do to make your system efficient and how you keep track of every
one.

One more tweak to this, even if you don't use Outlook, I am also wondering how
everyone categorizes all of their contacts for mailings. I have had one awesome
mentor in my life that told me he only uses three categories: gold, silver and
bronze. Everyone starts on bronze. If they make more than 1-2 contacts with
them, they move to silver. Anyone that they WORK with becomes gold, as do any
close friends or associates that start sending them leads. They do specific
mailings throughout the year and the golds get something monthly, the silvers
every quarter, and the bronzes twice a year. I have had others give me some
ideas and I don't know what is best.

Since this is the most technologically advanced group of realtors in the world
today, I would like to hear what you do and I believe this will benefit a lot
more peopl than me.

So let's hear some ideas and solutions to get us organized for 2007!

Mark Claessens

Mark Claessens, e-Pro
Real. DEPENDABLE. Results.
Edina Realty
www.DependableRealEstate.com
Mark@DependableRealEstate.com
Office: 763.767.5250