KEY CONTACT LISTING

A key contact listing presents the names of people that you feel are important in meeting your needs. You might place people on the listing for many reasons, including knowledge, skill, personality, wisdom, or physical prowess.

A key contact listing offers several advantages: other people can refer to it, you don’t have to depend on other people to find out who’s who, and you can retain the knowledge of who’s who even after the person with that information departs.

You can build the key contact listing using a word processing, spreadsheet, or database package on a microcomputer. You can alter the data as changes arise, and then can reprint and distribute it. If you do not have a microcomputer, you can record the information on index cards and store them in a cabinet.

for Developing a Key Contact Listing

• Identify the key people that can affect your performance.
• For each person, list their name, title, location, phone number, E-mail address, organization, and any background information that may be of use.
• Organize the listing of key contacts according to some criteria or a criterion (e.g., expertise).
• Frequently update the listing.
• Make it a point to occasionally contact these people, whether to verify the information or to renew ties (e.g., networking).