I have a new, young Money Tree (Pachira) that I received as a going-away gift from someone very dear to me. I am not what the best at keeping plants alive and brought my new plant to my new home and placed it in a spot where it would receive a good amount of light in a room that is fairly warm.
In talking with my son, I mentioned that the last thing I wanted to do was kill the money tree and he recommended that I download Planta, an app with appropriate reminders to help keep plants alive. When I downloaded the app, it asked me for the money tree’s name. I named it Toddler and interestingly experienced an improved sense of responsibility in keeping this little guy alive.
Planta has helped Toddler survive. There have been those weeks that I was sure that I did not need to water Toddler, but Planta had me check on it anyway and check on it I did. As a result of Planta’s nudging, Toddler is thriving.
This whole process has an interesting parallel on communication. So many times, we think we don’t necessarily need to call someone to see how they are doing. In any relationship, big or small, there is much to gain from just calling or texting to see how they are doing. The level of communication may vary. There are some like cacti who will be fine with sporadic involvement, some like Toddler who need a little more attention and others who are highly sensitive to light, heat, cold, water, etc. and benefit from more constant attention.
Finding a "Planta" for your business
Use a system that allows you to track when you last reached out, and one that works as a reminder to call someone. Planta reminds me daily until I check the button that says I have watered or fed Toddler.
This system can be a CRM tool and there are many resources available. It can also be a simple excel worksheet. The goal of any CRM or client relationship management system is to maintain and strengthen the relationship. You can use one CRM for all communications; you can tie it to your Outlook or Gmail and track those communications; or, you can use a hybrid system. The best system for you is the one you will use and the one that works best with how you want to communicate.
Whichever system you choose, once you have it in place, follow the prompts, send the emails; make the calls. Planta is a wonderful app, but it is technology, and care and feeding is always best done personally by me.
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