A Powerful Tool: Your Memory

The next time you are at an event, try this exercise: how many names can you remember of the people you've met?

This serves two purposes:

1. When you get home to log in your new-found contacts, you'll be more apt to put in correct information.
2. It also allows you to start the qualifying process of "who was most memorable" among your new contacts.

There are some devices that help you remember:

• Clothing colors or something they wore: that yellow tie, the pretty dress, the guy in the shades.
• Some physical attribute: eye color, hair color, no hair, they were tall.
• Something they said: they went to a college you know, they know someone you know.
• You asked them to follow up with you.

As time goes on we lose a bit more of our ability to remember things. I joke I'm having "age issues," but it is the truth. I'm not the memory machine I was when I was younger.

Why remember people: well, this is the whole point of networking. We want to eventually recontact these people, work with them ,maybe hire them. Their first impression is important.

Relentless

Five unbreakable rules

There are a tremendous number of things we all have to remember as we move through life. But only a handfull are truly unbreakable. Always:

1. Be polite.
2. Return calls.
3. Make eye contact.
4. Have and carry business cards.
5. Keep your resume current.

Well, these are my five unbreakables. Let's take them one by one:

Be polite. Like Mom told you, "do unto others as you have them unto to you." The Golden Rule. People always remember a polite person and never forget a rude one.

Return calls. Somebody (no matter who) takes the time to call you, you need to return the favor. Answer their question.

Make eye contact. People will know you are serious and listening to them.

Business cards. Your calling card is indispensible. "Get back to me" now carries weight because they now know how.

Keep your resume current. There is nothing worse than having to scramble to either make one up or have to search files or your hard drive for the latest version. Your life is a work in progress--make sure the portrait is up to date.

Relentless