It's often difficult to keep up with all of the things that are happening with people in your network. But, there are some great tools that can help you keep up.

 

One that I've been using for the last six months is Google Alerts. This handly little tool allows you to select a key word or phrase and will notify you when something new about that topic hits the web. You can set the notifications for daily, as-it-happens, or weekly.

 

First I recommend that you do this for yourself. Setup an alert for your own name. I've been surprised a number of times at being quoted in blogs and other news publications that I wouldn't have known about otherwise. Next think about your best clients and customers. I've been able to make some really fun congratulatory calls to clients when I've been notified about awards, acquisitions and other honors. What about your top prospects? Do your competitors, or even their incumbent vendors know what's going on with these folks. This is an incredible opportunity to stand out.

 

My own Google Alerts consist mainly of full names and company names, but it's also a useful tool for keeping up with speific industry news that might be useful for you.

 

Try it out. Setup your own Google Alerts today.

 

Happy Networking!

 

Scott Ingram