Good With Names?

I get frustrated when I hear people say that they’re not good with names.

It makes me wonder whether the problem is the fact that they’re not very good with people.

Are names really the issue?

Do you forget the names of friends and family?

Of course not.

You’re not expected to have instant recall of every name you encounter at a party or business meeting.

But if you’re struggling to remember someone’s name, don’t say you’re not good with names.

It’s OK to simply ask someone for their name again – they won’t mind.

They may well be thinking the same thing about you.

So go first, re-introduce yourself, and keep using their name until it sticks.

Because that’s the thing most people love to hear.

Make It Memorable

My mate Scott Wilson, MD of Weber Shandwick’s Consumer Division, tells a great story about Antigua.
He was once in the fortunate position of having to promote the Caribbean paradise as a holiday destination, and was trying to find a hook. “We’ve got lots of beaches” they said.
But so what?
So Scott counted them, (OK I’m sure he didn’t actually count them but he found something out)
It turned out that Antigua had exactly 365 beaches.
And you know what that means – one for every day of the year.
Now, you can bet your flip-flops that everyone that read Scott headline, or hears that line about Antigua (including you) will never forget that little nugget about its abundant beachiness.
There’s always something – a hook, snippet or phrase – that you can leave people with.
It means that you’ll stay front-of-mind with them and give them a reason to recall your last meeting.
In fact, if it’s a good one, I can promise that they’ll even mention it the next time you speak.