By Sean O’Neil | Memory Dynamics Inc.
How many times has it happened where you’ve met someone for the first time and no sooner did the handshake break with that person and you’ve already forgotten their name?! Or worse, it’s somebody you should already know. Yikes!
For the average person, it’s just downright embarrassing. For a business owner or salesperson, it can mean the difference between a commission or losing the sale. And for those of us in real estate/investing where our whole business along with our entire success is built on networking and building relationships. Therefore, not being able to recall someone’s name can easily send all the wrong messages. In fact, even just one of these wrong messages can end a relationship before it even begins.
While it’s true that networking can be one of the easiest and most effective ways to grow your business, it’s no longer just about meeting someone and making a good first impression. It’s about creating lasting impressions.
Finish this sentence: People want to do business with people that they _______, _______, and ________.
Did you quickly come up with the words, “know, like, and trust?” Of course, you did. Most everyone has heard this axiom before. And it makes perfect sense. But have you ever stopped to consider what it truly means?
Unfortunately, it’s not a checklist. We can’t just show up at our weekly/monthly networking meetings 7 or 8 times in a row and think that everyone has seen us enough times, so now they know us. Check.
Nope, not how it works.
And just because somebody knows us, doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll actually like us OR trust us. As a matter of fact, just the opposite. Sometimes the more they get to know us, the LESS they like and trust us. But how can that be?
Well, have you ever been guilty of asking someone with whom you’d like to do business, “I’m sorry, I know I’ve asked you this already, but what was your name again?!”
Ouch. Message sent (or rather, wrong message sent). Message received.
We all know how we feel when someone doesn’t remember our name. But we also know that powerful feeling when they do. It’s like walking into Cheers. Not just another face in the crowd. We feel heard. We feel seen.
But something else magical happens when someone remembers our name. We like them. We want to get to know them. And somehow, we even trust them. And guess what else happens? When they’ve taken the time to get to know our name, we also feel more compelled and obligated to remember theirs.
You see, not only is it important for us to remember the people we want to do business with, but it’s equally important for THEM to remember US. And it all starts simply by remembering their name.
And if you truly want to know the importance of remembering the names of your customers, clients, and prospects, all you have to do is one thing –– just ask the one you forgot!
Now please mark your calendar and come join me at the upcoming AZREIA monthly meetings as I’ll be sharing some very valuable tips, tricks, and strategies to help you better remember names and faces and vastly improve your own networking game.
– Sean O’Neil, 24-Year Memory Expert and President, Memory Dynamics, Inc.