Is there such a thing?
The top fear in database sales is overcoming our prospect’s last bad experience with a database that had out of date information, wrong information, wrong type of contact, bad information. They felt like they paid a bunch of money for a pile of poop. The problem is, the minute a database is published it is obsolete. Someone has already moved.
I’m reminded of the resume that came across my desk once. In the 10 years this child had been graduated from college, she had held 11 jobs. Can you imagine keeping track of her (alone) in a database? Multiply her by the thousands of prospects you need in a good database.
Back in the day, people stayed employed with the same company for their entire career. Then they got something we called pension. People entering the workforce after 1990 will have no idea what a pension is. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports that employees ages 25-34 stay on the job about three years.
So how do you get an accurate, productive database?
Because of the nature of humans, databases are fluid, moving objects, although most businesses don’t treat them like one; most likely the just let it sit until someone has time to print it out, call on it, or send to the mailhouse. Then they discover it’s old and out of date.
First, it helps if you start with a database that has just been updated and verified, preferably just for you . Buying a database that has been sold and resold is like buying used clothes. We’ve graduated from college. You can buy a new shirt, right?
Then, you have to pay attention to your database: use it, update it, delete it, add to it. Think of yourself as its plastic surgeon. Everyday you add a little or take away to make it better. It’s not a Barbie Doll that you purchase that’s perfectly proportioned (in her world) and will always stay that way. It’s your spouse, who will change (get bigger or smaller) as you live your life together. If you take care of it, it will take care of you.
