_Card Follow-up._ For most extensive follow-up systems, the card index is used, for the reason that a card is easy to handle, occupies but little space, and can be adapted to any classification desired. A card is used for each prospective customer, or name on the list to be followed up, and should bear the name and address and a brief history of the efforts made to secure an order, or accomplish the object of the follow-up.
In operating a follow-up system--especially if the object is to sell goods--the correspondent should have before him a history of the efforts previously made to secure an order. He should know what letters and other literature have been mailed just as the personal salesman knows what arguments he has used. When form letters have been used it is not necessary to have copies of the letters in each case, but they should be identified by their numbers, or otherwise. Records of these letters, by date and number, can be made on a card, so that the card itself will give the correspondent a complete history of the case. The correspondence--letters from the prospective customer and copies of special letters to him--can then be filed in the regular way, and is accessible at all times.
The oldest method of operating the card follow-up is to use the tickler index in a card file. The follow-up is operated in exactly the same manner as described for the correspondence file tickler, except that the cards are filed ahead instead of the original correspondence.
[Illustration: Fig. 24. Card Used for Follow-up]
A typical follow-up card is shown in Fig. 24. At the head of the card is the name and address of the prospective customer, followed by the credit rating, the business, and the source from which the name was obtained--whether from advertising, a special list, or from a traveling salesman. The body of the card is ruled for a record of letters mailed, form and special letters separated. When a letter is sent the No. and date--if a form letter--is entered, and in the file column is noted the number of days the card is to be filed ahead--as 10 days or 30 days. If at the time specified, the next form letter in the series is to be sent, provided no response has been received, the No. should be noted on the next blank line in the No. column, so that the letter can be sent by a clerk, without consulting the salesman.