Want to stay relevant in this business and in life? Take your memory recall more seriously.

Your ability to remember people, details, and moments is what keeps you connected in a noisy, distracted world. It is also what makes you unforgettable.

I learned that the awkward way.

Once, I came out of a deli in my neighborhood, saw Juliana Margulies, and instinctively wagged my finger, as if to say, I know you from somewhere. Former client? High school? Somewhere. It was not until a week later, when I saw her on television, that I realized what I had done and was slightly mortified.

Another time, a couple burst into a new-development sales office, arms open, calling my name like we were long-lost friends. I had no idea who they were. Two years earlier, I had represented them in a dramatic deal that fell apart. I should have remembered them. She was seven months pregnant when the condo they had under contract for months went rental.

Memory is a muscle. And in real estate, it is one that separates the transactional from the trusted.

Remembering names and small details is not a party trick. It is professionalism. It is how people feel seen. AI can analyze behavior, but it cannot recall how you take your tea or that you are the actress who has lived in this neighborhood for years.

If you want to make a lasting impression, train the part of your brain that remembers people as much as the part that negotiates deals.

Coaching Corner: Memory Training Plan

Warm-Up: Name Reps
Say a new contact’s name twice in conversation. Link it to a visual or a rhyme: Samantha loves SoHo. Ben, the baker from Brooklyn. Do this at every introduction.

Workout 1: The Ten-Second Note
After each meeting, take ten seconds to record one personal detail. Something human, not transactional. Think: “Has a corgi named Luna.” “Drinks oat milk lattes.”

Workout 2: The Friday Recall Routine
Every Friday, review your notes. Choose three people to reach out to with a small, thoughtful check-in. You are building relational stamina.

Workout 3: The Mental Walk-Through
On your commute or walk to a showing, picture your last five clients and say their names, deals, and one personal detail out loud. It is not just recall. It is reinforcement.

Cool Down: Reflection Stretch
At week’s end, ask yourself: Who did I remember that others might have forgotten? That is where trust is built.

Your recall is your reputation.
Keep that muscle strong. It is what keeps you human.