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MEMORIZE AHEAD
If you know you’re meeting with or photo-
graphing a group of people, make the extra
effort to find out and memorize their names
ahead of time. For example, if you’re photo-
graphing a wedding, ask for the names of the
parents and members of the wedding party
before the event. The same goes for family
portrait sessions; as much as possible, try to
know each family member’s name and face
prior to the session. Calling clients and their
friends and family by their names elevates
the customer experience.BRAIN POWER
“I can tell you that there is no such thing as
a good or bad memory,” Kwik says. “ThereWORK YOUR IMAGINATION
Coming up with a visualization for a
name is even easier if you’ve already
brainstormed some visualizations.
Kwik suggests going to the U.S.
Census Bureau to look up the most
common names in the United States
and then creating visualizations for
each of them. That way, when you
meet someone with that name, you’ll
have an indelible image at the ready.is just a trained memory and an untrain-
ed memory. Everybody can improve their
memory regardless of their age, background,
career, education level, gender, IQ. None of it
matters.” Once you begin practicing these tech-
niques, you become sharper, he adds. Exer-
cising the memory muscles that have atro-
phied in the smart-phone-reliant digital age
strengthens them.
Most important, remembering a person’s
name makes them feel good and makes
them remember you, too. And in a field
where success hinges on referrals from cli-
ents who feel good about their experience,
that’s everything. In the words of Maya An-
gelou, Kwik notes, “I’ve learned that people
will forget what you said, people will forget
what you did, but people will never forget
how you made them feel.” Make them feel
important by remembering their name. •jimkwik.com