Q:  Denise, if you were starting your business as an agent today, what program would you use to manage your database?

A:  Hands down I would use Microsoft® Outlook. I already use Outlook for my email so I don’t even have to open another program if a client calls and I need to make some notes. Outlook also has a very powerful contacts feature complete with functions to house photos, insert a number of contact pieces of data such as birthdays, notes, and tasks related to these individuals. You can easily set up a mail merge or send out information to a list of people. And you can search your messages and notes.

Many agents spend money each and every month on contact management systems when really they should first spend some time learning what Outlook has to offer in terms of contact management. Just take a look at some videos on YouTube to learn some skills or if you are a Club Zebra PRO member, you can check out Heather’s latest video on Outlook contacts by clicking here.