Tricks for remembering names

As a small business owner or employee you may have close relationships with many of your customers. A really great way to show them you care about them and appreciate their loyalty is to remember their names. Here are some tricks to help:

Repeat
When you meet someone for the first time don't just hear their name and move on. Use their name immediately afterwards to help solidify it in your brain. If the new person says, "Hi, my name is Sarah." You should say something like, "Nice to meet you, Sarah. I'm Brian." You can also use their name when saying goodbye. Take a moment to carefully look at the person's face so that you can associate it with their name. This way you will be using your visual memory as well as your hearing.

Make an association
If someone at a conference says their name is Mary you just might find yourself meeting another Mary at the same lecture series. Popular names are especially hard to recall because they occur so often. To help you remember, associate the name with something you know about the person. Maybe Mary says that she likes golf and is from California. If that brings you to sing "Hotel California" but replace "Hotel" with "Mary" you have a much better likelihood of knowing her name when you run into her later. You can also think of someone famous that has their name, like Mary Tyler Moore or Mary Shelley.

Pay attention
Often, when we meet someone we don't remember their name simply because we didn't really try. We heard them say it and the sound went in one ear and out the other. Make the effort and pay attention during introductions. You'll be amazed just how much easier of a time you have recalling it the next time you meet.

Ask for the spelling
Both unique and common names can be much easier to remember if you know the way they are spelled. Some names like Cathy, Kate and Aiden have multiple ways to spell them. If you are introduced to someone with a name like this it can be helpful to have them spell their name. Repeat the letters in your mind or even write them down so that your visual memory is involved in the process. It's also much easier to learn uncommon names this way. Learning the spelling will come in handy when you go to send out birthday cards for clients.