Using plain Outlook as your private CRM (and why not share it)

For many years I have been looking into the right software to optimise my own sales activities and often I have been involved in reviewing CRM software for companies, small and large.

And even though I would be willing to spend money on any of the existing CRM packages or online services I have ended up using plain Outlook to manage my activities, prospects and tasks. And to be honoust, it is quicker and easier (read: more effective) than anything else I have ever used.

Please note, this is NOT Outlook with Business Contact Manager or Microsoft CRM, this is Outlook as you find it on pretty much every desk and it is centered around the normal Task List and Contacts folder that Outlook has (and therefore it works with any version of Outlook, I now use 2003 but have used 2007 as well).

The major benefits from this system are:

• System independant (ok, other than Windows and Outlook out of the box)
• Very fast to set up and even faster to use (eg. all the smarts of Outlook still apply, keyboard shortcuts, help functions etc.)
• Compatible to everything that is compatible to Outlook (think Plaxo backups, Smartphone sync, your favourite plugins etc.)

Because several people have asked me to help them implement this “system” for them as well, I decided to write it down and give some insight on the pro’s and con’s. Also note that this is not an attempt to put down any of the CRM systems on the market today. For real Customer Relationshop Management my method will not be sufficient, but for increasing your own productivity (sales based or otherwise) it can help a lot.

To start of let me summarize the components that create my “CRM on a stick”:

Must haves

• Outlook Contacts – This is where all contact details are saved on a per person basis. 
• Outlook Tasks – This is where all opportunity information is saved. 

Nice to haves

• Autocorrect or some third party “quicktext” tool to allow for automatic entry of startlines, dates etc. I use Fingertips
• Synchronization with your phone or PDA, I use Nokia PC Suite
• Voicemail-to-email. This is my personal reminder service into my CRM in case I am not in front of a computer.

The first thing I decided to do was to add all my business contacts to my normal contact list. I actually use categories to distinguish between business and social contacts and it also helps me identify if a business contact is from earlier days or current days (without removing old contacts). I do this by naming the category to the context in relation to me. So currently I am working for 3 companies and I name the category by the company I am representing. Down the track this makes much more sense then naming it “customer” or “business”. 

I relaxed the necessity of having “accounts” and relied on proper use of the the Company field.. So make sure you always enter Company field but don’t worry about exact naming (PTY LTD etc.) It is just to make sure you can find all contacts related to “Logica” etc.

Now, if you get disciplined in having the name field, company filed, phone field, email field entered correctly and in my case also the category field, you will be able to link up the contact to opportunities and make a call or send an email instantly.

Next, the core of the CRM system.. Tasks. I use the subject of the tasks to identify most of the required info about the opportunities. I consider an opportunity as a topic to be discussed or being discussed with typically one party where there is chance of revenue (be it recurring or not). When I receive a lead from someone or some system I will enter it as an opportunity and if a contact exists I will link this contact to the opportunity (note: each opportunity is a single Task item and can be considered as a “project”) Each opportunity is also catergorized based on the company I represent (note this could also be project or could be left out).

The subject of the opportunity will typically look like this:

Opp: Verizon Business, Netherlands – EH

I use Opp: together with Act: (action) and Proj: (project) and Buy: (purchase) as tasks of private and business matter all in one Tasks list. Why? So I can synchronize all my tasks with my smartphone. This is not required but makes life easier. Also I use an abreviation for readability on the smartphone. 

I then identify the account/company and will also enter a shortcode for the type of opportunity (which in my case is similar to the company I represent). This helps me identify between different opportunities within the same company and helps me group opportunities (which in Outlook I can also do by Category but not on my phone). 

I use the built in Outlook function to link Task to Contact. This is where you need to be careful. Only link the Task to the contact and DO NOT assign the Task to the contact (otherwise they will receive an email with the task information, this is typically not the intention The advantage is any contact information is kept up to date in the contact items without impacting on the tasks (and no double management exists). Also multiple contacts can be linked providing account type relationships. 

I then use the notes field to track progress with the opportunity. Everytime I have attempted call, email (in or out) etc. I will make a short note with timestamp. This allows me to always backtrack and for instance I can forward the Task Item (which now has become light version of an Opportunity Dossier) to anyone I would like to discuss it with/hand over to.

I use Fingertips to automatically enter a line with my name and date.. so by typing a two letter or three letter shortcode it will produce the related line, so for an outgoing email I type “oe ” and then it spits out:

“— date and time — Richard Wolfe — 

Email sent to “

I then only have to finish the line, set a new follow-up date and save the task. This lowers the barrier of producing tidy notes and also forces me to write the name of the person who the contact was with, which becomes quite important in time as opportunities become more complex and your memory fails you (which I guarentee it will). You can also type the first line manually but it helps to use Autocorrect (built-in) or Fingertips.

Also I strongly recommend changing the view of the Tasks list in Outlook to include a Preview Pane on the right side of your Outlook window, this way as you browse through the opportunities you will see your most recent notes about that opportunity immediately. 

The last and perhaps the most crucial part of my system is to enter a due date to the task list which represents the next time you need to take action. Typically I will put a desired result/next action in my note and then use the due date to manage when I need to follow up. This way if I have completed the things I need to do right away (eg. send email incl. proposal) and then entered the follow-up date I can forget about this opportunity for now and concentrate on the next one in line. This becomes a very fast and mind-easing process.

Once this has been set up you will notice a low barrier to entering a new opportunity and a very low barrier to open up your tasks and attend to the customers that need attention today, perhaps the once that should have been done earlier this week and why not the ones that are pending action tomorrow or later this week but might as well be followed up now. Doing your daily sales round is easy as tasks that are due show up in red and you can even check your “follow-up list” on your phone when travelling etc.

My final tip is to have a voicemail-to-email service that you program under a quickdial on your phone. I use this to make a quick-note of any action I need to take at any given time. I dial the number, leave myself a quick voicemail and when I am back at my desk the email (with voicemail included) reminds me to set up a new opportunity based on a lead I was given in a conversation or to add an action to do something I thought of when I was on my way to work. As soon as you have left the voicemail you can clear your head again and not worry about forgetting it etc. (I use XOIP in the Netherlands but I would use a local solution to minimize calling cost!).

This system has helped me manage my personal sales pipeline of multiple companies on one machine alongside other responsibilities. When you have little time to do it well the barriers to do it need to be low. This system has proved to work for me, it has several shortcomings but my guess is that you could finetune it easily to suit most or your requirements (without seeking assistance of a software engineer!!)  

I do intend to add screenshots later but for now, if you have any questions, please email me and I will help you out.

Kind regards, Richard