Database maintenance is one of the most boring items on my to-do list; however, cleaning up my ACT! on a periodic basis allows me to feel certain my contacts are current and my database is running efficiently.

Here are the five top ways you can keep your database running smoothly:

1. Reindex on a consistent basis:  This defrags ACT! – getting rid of temporary files that slow down your system.  It also takes care of any inconsistencies that may be occurring behind the scenes:

2. Create a Lookup of Incomplete Records: Periodically I examine my database to see if anyone on our team entered a record with incomplete information. This consists of two criteria for me:  One, they do not have a street address AND they do not have an email address. 

When people subscribe to our eZine, they are only required to enter a User Name and an Email Address.  Therefore, they may be in our database without a street address.  However, if there are folks with both these items missing, I will delete them after double-checking their records for a valid reason for the inconsistency. (I send these exceptions to the Record Manager to complete the records.)

3. Opt-Outs and Bounced:  If you use SwiftPage Email, you have an opportunity to view a list of bounced email addresses and opt-outs.  I review these on a periodic basis – usually when I am ‘brain-fried’ and cannot, absolutely CANNOT make another sales call or do any meaningful work but I am manning the phones for Tech Support.  Great time to update your database.  These folks I have to take one at a time and decide whether to delete or touch base.

4. Look up by Edit Date or Contact Activity:  The easiest way to view whether we have a ‘bloated database – one containing contacts we have not bothered to ‘touch’ on a periodic basis – is to either Lookup by Contact Activity (I ask for NOT Changed in one year’s time) OR simply look at my Contact List and Add the Column Edit Date (throw in Create Date and ID Status to get a complete picture). 

You can take these one by one to decide if they should stay in your database (for example – you may have neighbors or colleagues that you want in there but may not contact on a regular basis).

5. Dead Wood: One of the best ways to ensure you are not wasting your precious marketing time (after all, we only have so much time to devote to marketing!) is to take a peek at folks you have performed your due diligence but they still have not turned from a suspect to a prospect, or a prospect to a client.

This can be accomplished several ways – if you have a field that tracks your marketing efforts – look up by that field and see whether your efforts have gained ground. AND/OR – look at your sales funnel – are there folks in there that you should retain or are you chasing a sale that won’t be worth it once you catch it! 

It may somehow feel satisfying to have a database of several thousand contacts; however, there’s something magical about cleaning up your ACT! – you are in fact, making room for new, meaningful clients and prospects.