What Should I Do With All These Contacts?
So, I have literally hundreds of business cards that I’ve collected from my time at matchmine. And since I’m now doing both freelance and contract work, I’m wondering what’s the best way to use my contacts. Here’s a thought I had:
Given the fact that I HATE getting spammy, list-like emails from people and companies, I don’t want to just add everyone’s name to Plaxo and enter them as contacts. I’d also love to be able to create a database of people I’ve met (you can see the inherent conflict here, right?). So, I was thinking about putting together one huge contact list with everyone on the pile of biz cards I have. Then, I’d send out one email that says the following:
Hi. I’m Nathan Burke.
You’re getting this email once and exactly once because I have your business card. As the web community evangelist for matchmine, I met you. Most likely I met you at Podcamp Boston or the Web 2.0 Expo in New York. Now that matchmine has closed its doors, I’m trying to pull together a list of people that wouldn’t mind getting emails from me periodically.
So, instead of asking you to reply and let me know if you DON’T want to be on my list, I thought I’d do it the other way. If you’re someone that wants to stay in touch with me, please reply and let me know that. Otherwise, I promise: I won’t send you email again at this address.
Like everyone else, I hate getting spammy emails, and I don’t want to be that guy. But I really do want to stay in touch with people that I’ve been fortunate enough to meet and talk to at the various events I attended over the last few years.
So, if you want to stay in touch, feel free to email me back and I’ll put you in my address book. I’m not planning on sending out a newsletter of any type or anything like that, but I definitely want permission from anyone that ends up in my contact list.
Thanks so much.
-Nathan
http://blogstring.com
http://www.nathanwburke.com
nathan.burke@gmail.com
What do you think? Is this the way to go, or will people hate the fact that I’m sending them a big bulk email regardless of the fact that I have their business card? I’d love to hear any suggestions. Thank you!
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Hi Nathan -
I share your hesitancy to broadcast messages to an entire contact list, but there are times when it is fine to do so, and major transitions definitely qualify.
I was in a similar circumstance two years ago. If your experience is anything like mine, almost everyone on your list will understand your situation, more people than you think will be happy to hear from you, and a surprising number are likely to offer help, leads, and maybe even some consulting work. Those few who might be perturbed by such an email are often identifiable before you send it out. If you want to be very careful about it, don’t send an email to anyone whose card cannot immediately be associated with a face.
It’s a bit of overkill to promise never to contact people again unless they opt in — they already opted in to hearing relevant stuff from you now and then by giving you a business card. Instead, promise that this will be the last “broadcast” email that you send (unless they opt in to further broadcasts). Always leave the door open to further one-on-one contact, and make sure that any one-on-one contacts are meaningful and relevant.
Next, think about having a contact plan for everyone in your address book. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy - just figure out whether you want to reach out once a year, once every few months, etc. Set aside a little time each month to get back in touch with individuals, and send them a personalized note. Always include something that is directly relevant to that person - a tip, a lead, whatever. Doing that consistently is easier said than done, but the folks I know who do this find it to be very rewarding. By the way, this applies to friends as much as it applies to business contacts.
Good luck!
PS. You might think about getting one of those business card scanners. With hundreds of cards, the time saved with a good scanner can easily be worth the $150-200 they cost. (I had good luck with the IRISCard Pro 4.)
I think those are great suggestions, and I love the idea that if I send the one “broadcast” email, I’ll promise to never send another broadcast, as I agree, you’re right about it being overkill if I say I’ll never contact them again.
Also, you’re right- the point is to keep in touch with individuals rather than having a huge broadcast list. That’s the goal.
Great comment, and I’m definitely going to take your advice. Also, I’m going to look into card readers.
Thanks again!
Hi Nathan,
Y’know, I’ve often thought that social networking sites should have ‘degrees’ of familiarity.
- Really close friends & family
- Co-workers & casual friends
- Business contacts
etc… I know this doesn’t solve your problem, but I think it’s an interesting concept. (You’ll probably tell me there are sites that already do this - but you know I’m not talking about the linkein degrees of separation, right?)
Of course, people move from one circle to another throughout life, so maybe it wouldn’t work…
Anyway, another idea I’ve had is rather gruesome. If someone in your contacts passes away (gasp!), you’d get notified… weird, but oddly useful as you get older…
Anne
My first instinct is to briefly email to say hi and communicate with folks that I’ve met so they get added to my contacts but also know that my door is wide open.
As for taking care of the business cards, well, you can thank me later:
Shoeboxed