BANGALORE: Remembering a face and connecting it to the right name can hasten the way to success in business. The wrong name can also create an embarrassment that may last for weeks.

Remembering names is not all that you need in most careers. Recollecting numbers, names of places and their demographic structures and, yes, birthdays of colleagues and business associates also helps.

Psychiatrists and corporate trainers agree that you need to be motivated to remember things. When you meet a person for the first time and exchange cards, do take a moment to study the card after you have shaken hands. This also shows that you are genuinely interested in the other person. Remembering details such as the university he or she attended, whether they have a Ph.D. and the job description helps.

"After the meeting is over, don't just file the card. Keep a small notebook into which you enter as many details about the person as you can find out. You can jot down details such as Krishnan K., VP Marketing, IIM Ahmedabad, plays tennis, has a daughter in medical college, has a German Shepherd, has won trophies and so on. These then become topics for easy conversation the next time you meet," says former HR head and consultant M.K. Rao.

Enquiring about a person's pets or his hobbies shows that you care for him beyond mere business needs. He is not just the head of a corporate division that gives you large orders but a person you value as a friend. Just the fact that you remember Mr. Krishnan's daughter is studying medicine tells him you remember him and his family well. His attitude towards you also becomes something more than just a representative of a supplier.

You, in turn, should be able tell him something about yourself, your interests outside business and about your family. If he remembers to ask about your son's 12th class results do reply and thank him for the interest taken," Mr. Rao says.

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