Monitoring your clients’ contact information, buying patterns and birthdays can be a tedious task. Electronically automating the process can revolutionize a sales force. But, amazingly, some sales forces are STILL filing bits of paper.

Just ask Sandy Helsen. Owner of Sailor’s Wharf Yacht Yard, a Florida-based boat brokerage house, Helsen spearheaded the implementation of FrontRange Solution’s GoldMine Business Contact Manager application nearly four years ago.

At the time, the brokerage house’s sales force relied on an outdated database to track customer activities. Desperate to implement a tool that would provide an in-depth look at every activity that occurs with a contact, Helsen turned to GoldMine – a decision that has since generated favorable results. To date, FrontRange’s contact management system has enabled Sailor’s Wharf to increase sales by 25 to 30 percent and place key contact information at the fingertips of its salespeople.

It’s a far cry from the days of Rolodexes and dog-eared notepads. Prior to implementing GoldMine, Sailor’s Wharf sales reps had to rely on either their personal notes or an archaic database that contained little more than prospects’ business titles and mailing addresses.

Says Helsen, “There was absolutely no way for the brokers to keep track of who they had contacted and when they had last contacted them.”

Today, Sailor’s Wharf sales reps can simply click on an icon on their desktop PC to access key data ranging from clients’ anniversaries to the number of boats they have previously owned and the sailing trips they have taken. All of which has amounted in enormous time savings for the brokerage house’s sales professionals.

Says Gene Lang, a Sailor’s Wharf sales rep, “I had a paper form for every customer in a notebook, so I had to flip through every page to see when I needed to contact somebody. With GoldMine, you have a calendar that tells you every day who you should call.”

But that’s not all. GoldMine also serves as a single source of customer information accessible throughout the organization; it enhances visibility into the sales pipeline and eliminates the possibility of trespassing in other reps’ territories. After all, according to Helsen, boat buyers take an average of two years to make a final purchasing decision. And many are known to wander into the brokerage house, establish initial contact with a sales rep and then disappear for literally months.

Says Lang, “When prospects walk through the door, you can immediately see what their history is, help them out, and see if they’ve been involved with another salesperson, because a lot of times they just don’t think to tell you.”

Salespeople can also use GoldMine to generate email messages straight from the system – correspondence that is automatically logged and entered into a prospect’s profile. Users can create custom groups of related tasks to simplify workflow. Sales professionals can print lists based on particular demographics – customers who favor certain sailing routes, for example – to create highly targeted special promotions and events. And any contact information gathered from those who enroll in Sailor’s Wharf sailing courses can also be added to the system as a source of fresh leads.

However, in today’s tough economy, Helsen believes it is GoldMine’s ability to enhance levels of service that has offered the most return on investment. According to Helsen, there are more brokerage houses in Florida than in any other state. Losing credibility due to inconsistent and inaccurate contact information is a risk Sailor’s Wharf’s sales reps simply can’t afford to take. What’s more, being able to access information such as a prospect’s sailing trips with the click of a mouse instantly adds a personal dimension to business relations and helps to separate Sailor’s Wharf from its competitors.

Admits Helsen, “The only thing that we have to offer a customer that’s different from any other brokerage house is service. Our being able to pull up personal information very quickly makes them feel like part of a family, not just a number or a dollar sign.”