Learn how to get your CRM database into shape for the GDPR. These are the slides to the 45 minute presentation I recently did for the East Midlands branch of the PM Forum (for Marketing people in professional services). More than happy to repeat it for anyone else in professional services.

1. PM Forum East Midlands
Thursday 16th Nov 2017
for Professional Service Firms
GDPR opt-in:
How to get it, prove you have it &
use it to improve your marketing
Simon McNidder, CRM Database Headache Solver, Database First Aid Ltd

2. About Simon McNidder
• 20 years using, managing and implementing CRM
• Won 2 CRM industry awards when in-house
• Previously worked for PwC and Pinsent Masons
• Now help law firms with CRM and their data
• I am not a lawyer & can’t give legal GDPR advice

3. The GDPR rules I’m working to

5. • If you don’t have all your mailing and contact data
in one list, you cannot safely ‘unsubscribe’ contacts
when they request it
• If you don’t have a CRM database or marketing
email software, you cannot record and prove your
contact’s opt-in
Risks (It’s about sleeping well at night)

6. You have two options
• Sort out your data and processes
• Bin most of your lists and never use them again

8. You have two 1 option
• Sort out your data and processes
• Bin most of your lists and never use them again
You can’t do this because
you need to manage your
relationship with your contacts

9. Action plan

10. Month 1: Find all your data
• PMS / Accounting system
• Outlook contacts & auto-fill cache
• Excel / Word lists / Will banks etc
• Piles of Business Cards
• Website response forms
• Mailing and event databases
• Pitches and tenders
• LinkedIn?

11. Month 2&3: Combine your data
• Delete as many unwanted lists as possible
• Separate unwanted contacts (e.g. unsubscribes)
• Standardise the columns in the lists you want
• Add lists together (or use software)
• Combine duplicated contacts
• Remove unwanted contacts in your main list
• Ban the use of old lists

12. Month 4: Spring Clean your list
You will need email marketing software for this bit
• Add all your spreadsheet contacts into the software
• Send all contacts a ‘are your details correct’ email
• Include:
• Tell them why they are getting this email
• Ask them to check their details
• Ask them to indicate their interests
• Ask what issues are they facing
• Ask about their business
• Ask them to opt-in, or out
• After reminders, expect 1/3rd of you database to update
their details

13. Don’t….
• Put marketing information in the email – like Honda
did
• Include ‘unsubscribes’ incase they got it wrong –
like Flybe or Morrisons

14. Month 5&6: Spring Clean your list
• Send letters to your contacts without emails
• Send letters to your contacts to bounced emails
• All you’ll want to do it capture their email address
and / or opt-in to your future marketing
communications (don’t throw away the responses)
• Send them a confirmation email telling them you’ve
received their opt-in and to check their details

15. Then use your new knowledge
• Expect a 300% - 400% increase in click rates from your
marketing emails
• I halved an existing event invite list, and tripled the
bookings for that event
• The first mailing after improving Pinsent Masons CRM
data received an immediate instruction for work
• Circa 30% - 50% of your database will opt-in and tell
you what they want to hear from you about
• A more ‘one-firm’ view when tendering, as everyone
interested finds out about it

16. GDPR boosts your cross selling
“Find all the contacts interested in property but not
known by any property lawyer”
“When you are about to meet a contact, see what
they are interested in and bring a relevant colleague
or at least some of their literature with you”

17. When you meet new contacts
• When meeting them, ask if OK to add their details
• If NO - write “Do not Solicit” on their business card
• If YES - send them a ‘welcome email’ ASAP and include:
• Tell them why they are getting this email
• Ask them to check their details
• Ask them to indicate their interests
• Ask what issues are they facing
• Ask about their business
• Ask them to opt-in
• NB. You may need to train your staff

18. When new contacts add themselves
• Copy your ‘Spring Clean’ form as a template
• Ensure your website sign-ups use the same form
• If you can’t use the same form, at least have an
opt-in message on the sign-up page
• Send a confirmation email confirming

20. And from then on…..
• Delete unwanted contacts
• Do not collect data you won’t use (fax, prefix)
• Do an annual ‘Spring Clean’
• Always send a ‘welcome note’ (automated if you can)
• Staff to use central database (the same way)

21. GDPR – Look on the positive side
• Opted-in contacts respond more
• Spring Cleaning shows you which contacts want to
interact with you… and which don’t
• Your contacts should soon receive less junk mail, so
your emails have less ‘noise’ to compete with

22. Technology requirements
• If you have a CRM or email database…
• Add opt-in fields for each type of marketing you do
• Add interests fields so contacts know what they will get
• Ensure you can have a form that contacts can update
• If you have nothing but excel spreadsheets…
• Purchase email software to record opt-in
• You don’t have to buy a CRM database

23. Any Questions?
Simon McNidder
CRM Database Headache Solver
Database First Aid Ltd
07919 56 86 55
simon@DatabaseFirstAid.com
www.DatabaseFirstAid.com