How to…
remember names

Remembering a potential client’s name is a very visible way to demonstrate your commitment to customer service. It shows you listen and pay attention to details–two qualities that consumers certainly want in a Realtor^®.

Even if you consider yourself bad with names, you can improve your memory without complicated instructions or lengthy mnemonic tricks. The key is to create links between new information, such as a person’s name, and information that already exists in your memory.

Association techniques take advantage of this linking. You can link a person’s name to his appearance or features. For example, you meet a tall gentleman named John at an open house. You associate his height with his name and think of him as Long John or even Long John Silver. This association may seem corny, but you’ll remember John if he walks through your office door.

You can also create an association between someone’s name and that of a person already familiar to you, such as a celebrity or relative. For example, at the same open house you meet Shirley. She lacks a defining physical characteristic like Long John; however, your sister’s name is Shirley. Spend a few moments and concentrate on that connection, and Shirley’s name will leap to mind the next time you see her.

Successfully implementing associations takes practice. Not every person’s appearance lends itself to easy association, and some names are difficult to link to ones familiar to you. But with a little effort, you can master these association techniques.

For a more-structured approach to remembering names, Benjamin Levy, a corporate entertainer and memory trainer, offers a four-step system that incorporates association techniques in his book Remember Every Name Every Time. His FACE method (Focus, Ask, Comment, Employ) consists of simple steps you take every time you meet someone new. The first step, Focus, involves concentrating all your energies on the person you’re meeting and assuming value with every interaction. Levy writes, "There must be no more important person in the world to you for the 20 seconds it takes to make your initial contact."

Once the introduction is made, ask to hear the name again–even if you’re sure you heard it the first time. Ask the other person to spell it, especially if the name has more than one common spelling, like Stephen and Steven. Not only will this reinforce the name in your head, it also supplies small talk.

Once Stephen has spelled his name for you, comment that your father’s name is Stephen or a friend spells his name that way or that your brother is considering naming his next child Stephen. The important thing is to say the name aloud again and employ an association technique, such as linking his name to Stephen F. Austin.

Finally, employ Stephen’s name in conversation. At a cocktail reception ask, "Can I get you a drink, Stephen?" Or introduce him to someone else. It’s not necessary to say his name in every sentence of your conversation–that would be annoying. Using it once or twice, however, will reinforce the name in your mind. At the very least, employ his name when parting company: "It was nice to meet you, Stephen."

Whether you decide to try Levy’s FACE method or simply work on your associations, don’t wait until your next open house to try the technique. Practice at a dinner party or other non-work situation. Set a realistic goal of remembering four or five names rather than trying to remember everyone. Then, at your next open house, impress potential clients with your attention to detail.

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