If there is a secret to you success in real estate then it has to be consistent and persistent lead generating.  It is the one thing that will separate the agents from the mega agents.  There aren't many people that enjoy lead generating, it is just a necessary evil.  It is a sure fire way to guarantee future business from today.  The good lead generators will succeed no matter what the market is like.  They rely on their database for business not a good market.  The one tool that is a must for effective lead generation is a database management program of some type.  There are hundreds out there for you to choose from.  They all have various forms of capabilities with various prices.  There are many agents in our office that use ACT and find it very useful for managing their database.  Keller Williams has partnered up with Top Producer 7i.  It is an amazing program that will almost run your business for you. However, it definitely has a learning curve.  At Mega Camp I was introduced to The Wise Agent.  I have played with it for the last few nights and have found it very user friendly.  If you are just beginning your career and don't where to begin then just use Outlook.  Outlook can do a lot but eventually (hopefully) you will out grow its capabilities.  Basically, I don't care what kind of database management system you use as long as you have one.  You will find that having one and utilizing it will help you stay organized, start systems and lead generate effectively.  Ask some of the top producers in our market center or in the industry what type of program they are using and see if it is a match for you!