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Learn More About A Prospect
With Just An Email Address

By Dave Courvoisier
Voice Actor & TV News Anchor

Three email add-ons. Three brainless installs. Three programs that immediately multiply the amount of information you will instantly have about people interacting with you by email.

Social media connections bring you engagement with your clients, peers, and prospects on those platforms, so you can’t afford to lose an edge by missing critical information about people who are that freely available. 

These three programs give you that.

HOW THEY WORK

When you highlight an email in your list, these program automatically glean social media (and a lot more) information about that person, and display it in a panel off to the side of your screen.

 I use all three - sometimes in tandem, and each has its strengths. 

They all work in the background, and you’ll wonder how you ever did without ‘em.

1. GIST

Gist can be used with just about any browser, smartphone, Outlook, Gmail, Android, SalesForce - you name it. 

At left is a screenshot from within Gmail.

It’s a free download, and a quick/seamless install. 

It places a panel on the right side of your screen, and the info displays there. 





2. RAPPORTIVE

Rapportive installs primarily on your Chrome Browser as an extension, and works only with Gmail.

At left is a screenshot from Gmail (notice in this shot the Gist panel off to the right of the circle highlighting Rapportive).

Rapportive is free, a quick install, and provides a box of information from within the email window you open from your list of Gmail.

I really like Rapportive for its simplicity and consistently usable information. 

3. XOBNI

Xobni (INBOX backwards) also works from within most popular programs:  Outlook, Gmail, iPhones, Blackberries, Android, Chrome, etc, and is free to a point, then it costs for extra features.

But in my mind is certainly the most meaty of the three in the paid version.

The screenshot shows it running from within Outlook:  

HONORABLE MENTION

Outlook Social Connector from Microsoft works only with Outlook, but it’s pretty slick and free as well. 

It situates in the bottom center of your Outlook screen, and provides only social media information about the person whose email you’re reading:

Do  yourself a favor and install one of these today.  You’ll be amazed at the information you’ve been missing.

ABOUT DAVE ...

Dave Courvoisier ("pronounced just like the fine cognac, only no relation”) is an Emmy Award-winning broadcaster, writer, producer, voice actor, and the main weeknight news anchor on KLAS-TV, Channel 8, the Las Vegas CBS affiliate. He's become the voice over industry's social media tech guru, and writes Voice-Acting in Vegas, a daily blog of adventures and observations in a style that’s true to his friendly Midwestern farm roots. 

Email: CourVO@CourVO.com
Web: www.courvo.com
Blog: www.courvo.biz
TV bio: KLAS-TV bio link

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Comments (7)
STEPHANIE ROBINSON
12/1/2011 at 6:50 PM
Wow, thanks so much for this article! I have to admit, I do google a lot of my clients, cause its great to know what else they have worked on in the past, or may be working on in the near future!

Also, as a young woman I tend to always approach online business relationships with a hint of caution. One time, I was solicited by a new client who gave me a weird vibe right from the beginning. I googled him, and couldn't believe it when I found out he had been convicted of multiple counts of possession and distribution of graphic and violent child pornography. Yikes! I knew I didn't want to lend my voice to any project of his after learning that information. :S

(Thank goodness this was only one bad experience - all my clients since then have been amazing!) :)

But ladies... always be careful online!

I always assume people have the best intentions, but sometimes online you have to be careful!
Chris Caldwell
11/30/2011 at 6:03 PM
I have Outlook 2011 for Mac. Do any of these work for that program? Or do you have a recommendation? Many people in the VO industry are mac based.
Mike Hanson
11/29/2011 at 8:21 PM
Once again Courvo demonstrates his exceptional newsman roots, with a post grad in IT/Social Media. He keeps on top of things that are ultimately very important. I read his blog almost daily, but somehow missed this one. Thanks for "re-blogging" it or whatever you did. I probably act on 10% of what Dave recommends, but that's because I only understand 10% of what he recommends. But I'm learning. Or, at least remain willing to learn.
Ken Budka
11/29/2011 at 10:45 AM
Thanks Dave - information at your fingertips is such a powerful thing to opening doors, building relationships and setting you apart from the masses when it comes to marketing.

Awesome tools and great tips as always. I'm downloading them as we speak.

Ken

BP Smyth
11/29/2011 at 8:41 AM
Gee, I wonder, what's next?? Just Google a persons name and their complete life's history appears, from birth, including what they had for breakfast that day (so the Government can easily monitor our caloric intake)??!!

Don't laugh, we're just a cyber click away from such information collection and eavesdropping on us all. Trust me, some cyber geek is working on it right now. May God help us all.

Thanks for the information Dave. My question to you and all out there in our business.....Just how much information do we really want (or need) to conduct our business? Frankly I don't care if Suzy Q. is making a meatloaf for dinner tonight. I just want the "gig" and a "check" for doing it!! :)

All the best,
BP Smyth

Alan Sklar
11/29/2011 at 7:53 AM
Courvoisier thinks he's so smart!!!!!
But, dammit.....he is.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!
Pearl Hewitt
11/29/2011 at 1:12 AM
Wow! Dave you are such a techno-wiz!! I am incredibly impressed. Thank you for this information. These are amazing tools to help us be 'nosey' data detectives!

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