Are Your Marketing Contacts in a Rolodex or Palm?

A Rolodex is very important in today Picture this: you meet with a trusted adviser and ask for an introduction to someone within an industry you wish to serve.

This adviser knows the perfect person and immediately begins searching through one of several gigantic Rolodex wheels propped on his desk. He finds the card, gives you the information, and off you go after thanking him for his time.

As you head back to your office, are you thinking, “Gee, that’s an old-fashioned way to catalog important names,” or “Hey, I’d better get one of those Rolodexes!”

Last weekend’s Wall Street Journal featured a cover story on how long-time businesspeople covet the Rolodex. Some even search for discontinued models on Ebay. I don’t blame them.

“But even as some executives cling to their Rolodexes, the models they covet most — like the hulking, 6,000-card wheels that once signaled the huge network of contacts — have vanished from the market.”

Even though I heavily depend on my Palm and have done so since buying my first handheld organizer in 1999, I know that if this electronic product fails, I’ll have a serious problem recalling its contents. But that won’t happen to a Rolodex that sits atop a desk.

Years ago, in pre-Internet days, I remember reading an article that said when executives left their jobs, the only thing they cared to take was their Rolodex. That article influenced me to buy my first model, which I still have.

It doesn’t get much use today, but there’s no way I’d get rid of it, as there are many contacts stored in it that are very-important resources.

Do you have a Rolodex as part of your marketing arsenal? Would you consider buying one today, or is a handheld organizer more your style?

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