VIP Review: Relationship Database products
Jinfo Blog

21st January 2010

By Penny Crossland

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'Relationship Management' has been a much talked about topic amongst database producers throughout the last 12 months, and one which has been followed by Livewire contributors (see http://www.vivavip.com/go/e26223 and http://www.vivavip.com/go/e25995). Responding to this increasing interest in the subject, VIP’s January edition includes a timely review of three relationship management databases, BoardEx (http://www.boardex.com), The Directors Database (http://www.thedirectorsdatabase.com) and Leadership Networks (http://www.leadershipdirectories.com). All these databases have varying director, C-suite (top-level executives) and institutional leadership content, which can, on a basic level, be used to identify individuals and their backgrounds. However, they come into their own when used for business development and networking purposes, which makes them powerful tools in times of recession. BoardEx currently contains detailed information on around 370,000 board members of every quoted US and UK company, 2,000 European companies and 3,000 of the largest US and UK private companies. As of 2008, data on senior executives, influential individuals and their connections is also included. These individuals are, in turn connected to around 50 million people either through board memberships or through other organisations. The database establishes connections to individuals via a ‘degree of separation’ tool. BoardEx allows subscribers to manage their organisations’ client and prospect lists, as well as their individual contact and prospect lists, establish connections between themselves, colleagues and others and view individuals’ networks. A feature which makes this database stand out from others is the ability to upload Outlook contacts to establish relationships with executives already in the system. A ‘degree of separation’ tool enables users to establish up to two levels of connections between individuals or organisations and a sophisticated alerts feature delivers news on board changes within organisations or news on individuals. Despite a wealth of data, results are clearly presented, and report formats are flexible. US-based The Directors Database is produced by Board Member Inc (BMI), a publisher and events organiser specialising in issues related to board governance. The database contains details of senior executives of publicly traded companies on the NYSE Amex, NYSE Euronext and NASDAQ OMX exchanges, as well as CEOs of US-based private companies with $1 billion in annual sales. The relationship management feature within The Directors Database is the ‘Six Degrees of Separation ‘ Report, which provides details of multiple levels of relationships among boardroom executives. The database will be useful to those wishing to establish boardroom connections between directors of the top publicly traded companies, however the system does have its limitations. It is not possible to upload personal contacts in order to establish director connections and relationships, making this more of a marketing tool, than a relationship management system. A very different approach to relationship management is offered by Leadership Networks. This is a visual relationship mapping service, which provides views of networks between influential individuals throughout the US public and private sectors. The database allows users to map paths between individuals, organisations and between organisations and individuals. Most importantly, the service allows users to visualise their own professional networks, enabling them to leverage their relationships. The database contains details of around 40,000 US government, corporate, professional and non-profit organization and their 400,000+ employees. Leadership Networks is a visually compelling and powerful networking tool. The database is differentiated from the networking software tools we are used to by using current and verified data, rather than user-generated content. Unfortunately, there is no facility to share information amongst colleagues, making this less useful for business development purposes. Purchase the full report reviewing relationship management resources: http://web.vivavip.com/go/shop/report/1574 Save money by purchasing VIP Issue No. 74, January 2010, which includes this full report, as well at the report on Moreover Newsdesk: http://web.vivavip.com/go/shop/magazine/74

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