WHAT’S IN A NAME?

Quite a lot. Win Your Customers Over by Developing This Skill 

Shakespeare made us believe that a name is no big deal, it was a social construct without personal validity. Juliet said, “What’s in a name? That which we call Rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Perhaps, ideally, but not in reality. In the real world, even a naïve Juliet understood that her Romeo was not a flower growing in a garden. He was a Montague, and his smell was fatally foul to her clan of Capulets.  

We are so much more than flowers, deeply cared for by our Creator. Matthew 6:26-30. And we have names. Some are as cool as the cats. (Read my post on T.S. Eliot for context).

There is familiarity in a name. For instance, Leah is my given name, but I have other names too. Depending on which name you call me, I know whether you know me from my mother’s or my father’s side of the family.  

In business, customers can become less than a name and more of a number. We expect that in government, with our federally issued social security identifiers, but should that be the case when it comes to our favorite companies? 

I hope not. What I hope to be to my service provider is more than a number, and how I trust that I am is when they call me by name.  

As an authorpreneur, I want you, as a reader or patron, to know I treasure your name as much as your business. So, I need to tighten my skills when it comes to remembering names. What I have learned is that the best time to do so is early on in business because companies have the unfortunate potential to grow cold as they grow larger.  

One way to warm things up is to practice remembering the names of your clients as you build your business, and calling customers by name whenever you make contact. Businesses do this differently. I personally do not like businesses that want to take my picture. That is a bit too intrusive, but you can still capture my face if you ask me to tag you on social media wearing some of your gear. Right? That I might do, and the results for the business are relatively the same.  

The second thing I have done is to watch YouTube videos on enhancing my memory. Of course, it includes a good diet, exercise, focus, and other effective life skills. But it is not a one-time viewing. I must make it a habit.  

Next, I want to make memorization fun. You must find what works for you, but never say you cannot remember someone’s name. Shame on us if we fall into that self-fulfilling prophecy. We cannot forget what we care to remember. And we should remember to recall the names of those who choose to use our products or services! Without personally appreciating those who have supported us, we teeter on the edge of becoming relics in the business world before we reach our greatest goals.

Lastly, I want to leave you with this thought. If we can remember Ian, the current hurricane in the gulf, set to harm anything in its path up the Florida coast, then surely, we can begin to remember a “Rose” who is helping our businesses bloom. 

Today and every day, let us find joy in remembering the names of the people who do business with us. Thank you!

Really, 

Leah 

p.s. Do you have a technique you use for remembering people’s names? If so drop it in the comments below.