If the key to growing a business is marketing, then the key to managing a business is being organized. I've been focusing more lately on becoming more organized. For example, when I meet with a client, I need to easily determine if there is anything I have not covered which needs to be discussed. Are they taking advantage of every available service? To help keep track of this, I have created a customized report in ACT. Then, when I meet with a client, I will print out this report, and bring it to the meeting. The report is divided into several sections including: contact info, goals, services, and family.
The contact info section contains their mailing and e-mail addresses, phone numbers, the person who referred them, the date of our last meeting, client status or category (i.e.; "A" or "B"), birthdate, anniversary, etc.
The goals section lists their goals and the target date of each and any comments I may have logged.
The services section is divided into three parts. They are: portfolio management, financial planning, and miscellaneous. The portfolio management section tells me if I have all necessary documents on file, their required rate of return, their risk profile, etc. The financial planning section also shows which documents I have on file, plus the effective date of the planning engagement and the applicable fee. The miscellaneous section shows whether they subscribe to my newsletter, and a couple of additional services.
The family section lists each child and grandchild, their DOBs, and spouse's name if applicable. Then I can talk about their family when we meet, which is an important part of the relationship.
In addition, I have created a marketing tab. The data in this tab includes every referral the client has made, the date of the referral, the result, whether or not a thank you has been sent, and a section for notes.
There is also a document tab where I will store the clients risk questionnaire, investment advisory agreement, financial planning engagement letter, and a few other pertinent documents.
Using ACT or something similar is an extremely useful tool in organizing and managing the business.
