# Record who they are, where you met, what they want and what was promised

Record who they are, where you met, what they are trying to do right now, and what each of you promised. Those four make a reason to talk again; everything else is a bonus, and anything they did not mean to share stays out.

A note about a new contact has one job: to give you a reason to talk again, and enough context to make that conversation specific. Here is what does that.

## The four things that matter

1. **Who they are.** Full name spelled correctly, role, company, city.
2. **Where and how you met.** The event, the dinner, the person who introduced you. It anchors everything else.
3. **What they are trying to do right now.** The project, the problem, the decision in front of them. It is the reason to talk again.
4. **What was promised, in both directions, with a date.** This is the part that damages trust if it is lost.

If you have time for one line, write the third and the fourth. A name without a situation is a card; a situation without a name can usually be traced.

## Worth adding when you have it

- **Who they know, or who introduced you.** It helps you reconnect later and make introductions.
- **What they care about outside the deal.** A product they are proud of, a cause, a city they are moving to.
- **How they like to be reached.** Some people answer messages within the hour and ignore email for a week.
- **A personal detail they volunteered.** Leave it out unless it was clearly offered.

## Leave it out

- Anything they did not intend to share with you.
- Opinions about their appearance or manner.
- Guesses written as facts. Write "I think they are raising" rather than "raising".
- Anything that would embarrass you if they read it. Could you show them the note?

## A weak note and a strong one

**Weak:** "Noor, hotel, Amman, nice, follow up."

**Strong:** "Noor Ghannam, Hotel Manager, Wadi Sakina Resorts, Amman. Met at the hospitality investment forum. Refitting the resort kitchens before the season and needs quotes for cold rooms. I promised two supplier names by Sunday."

The strong note is three sentences longer and far more useful. You can write to Noor on Sunday without thinking, and the message will be about her problem.

| Person | Where met | Right now | Promises |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Leila Shamoun, Creative Director, Atlas Thread | The fashion trade show, booth beside ours | Opening a pop up shop in Dubai; looking for a fit out contractor | I send a contractor's name; she sends launch dates |
| Omran Fakhoury, Head of Sales, Middle East, Helios Rooftop Solar | The renewable energy expo | Selling rooftop systems to hotel groups; wants warm introductions | I introduce him to Noor Ghannam after her refit |
| Ines Varga, chief product officer, Tilde Learning | Introduced by a mutual friend at the edtech meetup | Licensing courseware to schools; teacher training is the bottleneck | I send a case study by Friday |

Each row could turn into a message in a minute, because each row already says what the message is about.

## When and where to write it

Within the hour is ideal, and that evening still works. The next morning can be too late if you met several people, because the conversations merge. Write it where you will look again, since a note in a notebook you do not reopen is lost.

## The checklist

Name spelled correctly, with role, company and city.
Where and how you met, in words you will recognise later.
What they are working on or deciding right now.
What you promised, and what they promised, each with a date.
Nothing they did not mean to share.

## Where Marrow fits

Marrow is an app on iPhone and Android. You say the four things in a voice note on the way out of the room, and it files them: the person, the meeting with its context, and each thing you promised as a follow up with a date.

The person's page keeps open follow ups, notes and a timeline of what was said. The reply after each voice note says what was saved, so a misheard name is visible at once. Marrow is in Beta.

Who should not bother: if you meet one or two new people a month, a notes app does this well. If you want a tool that researches people without being asked, look elsewhere. Marrow looks a person up from their public profile when you ask, and a company when you ask about it or ask for a meeting brief.

## Related

- [Guides](/guides)
- [How to remember names and details](/guides/remember-names-and-details)
- [How to follow up after a conference](/guides/follow-up-after-a-conference)
- [How to clear a backlog of business cards](/guides/business-card-backlog)
- [Voice notes as your CRM](/guides/voice-notes-as-your-crm)

Last updated 10 October 2026. Canonical: https://usemarrow.com/guides/what-to-record-about-someone-you-just-met