A contact is a name and an email; a relationship is the history, context and personal knowledge, and that's the part with value.
The idea
A contact is just identifiers: name, phone, email. That part is a commodity. It's in email signatures, on business cards, and bought and sold by data brokers. Collecting contacts is like tossing pennies in a jar. The relationship is everything else: the way you met, why they matter to you, what you hope to do together, the history between you, even which ice cream flavor they love. It runs both ways, too. The relationship is the asset. So make capturing contacts as close to effortless as you can, and spend your time on the relationships.
How to do it
Let software capture the contact data: email, calendar and phone imports.
For each person who matters, add the relationship layer: how you met, why they matter, what's going on in their life.
Ask the questions that turn a record into a person. You have her birthday, but what cake does she like? You know his title, but is it the job he wants? She lives in New York, but is she a parent, and what are the kids obsessed with?
Keep it short: write down one or two things you'd want to remember about them next year.
Example
I once met a recruiting candidate at a cafe in Virginia on a frigid morning. Walking out, we swapped weekend plans, and he mentioned his kid was really into basketball. Instead of a milquetoast thank-you email, I ordered a basketball on Amazon and shipped it to his house with a short note. One small detail from a goodbye, and a gift he'd see in his driveway every day.
Relatable: In Relatable the profile holds the relationship side (notes, history, how close you are) right next to the contact details. How-to: Manage a contact's profile.
Related frameworks
CAPITAL: Aggregate: Build one database you own with everyone you know, fed automatically from email, calendar and phone, as the base for everything else.
The One-Year Test: Before writing a note about someone, ask what you'll want to remember about them next year. Write one thing, maybe two, then stop.
The Four Points of Information: Four places good notes come from: where the relationship stands, where their work stands, next steps, and personal details. Keep only what you'll use.
The Three Things That Matter in a Database: For each person, know three things - how you know them, how you feel about them, and when you last talked. Everything else is optional.