Memory Slip #3: Forgetting an appointment or showing up late.

Any sales person knows that showing up late is terrible, but forgetting an appointment altogether is even worse. The solution is simple but requires a commitment on your part to be better organized and to take the time you need to plan. Many common memory challenges arise when people have too much going on and try to rush to get everything done. A simple, common sense solution is to keep your memory jogged by writing everything down, in a daily planner, on sticky notes, wherever will help you to remember. Take an hour once a week to review what you have coming up and to plan what you need to do and when.

Memory Slip #4: “I should have said…”

If you’ve ever thought of the perfect thing to say to someone ten minutes after you needed to say it…you’re just like every other human in the world. But in a professional context, this can easily cost you a sale. Have you ever thought of the perfect answer to someone’s question or objection right after the prospect walked out the door? Wondering why you didn’t make the sale, your brain suddenly turns up again and you think, “Oh, no! I’m so stupid! I should’ve said that!” (Or shown them that property or demonstrated that feature or followed that procedure in my sales manual.)

You can overcome this challenge by memorizing information systematically. Systematic learning is not rote memorization - the way you learned your multiplication tables - but developing a system to help you store and retrieve information easily.

To recall information and train your memory, you must learn to speak the language of your memory, which means creating pictures. When you must recall information, if you can see something, it becomes much easier to recall it, even with a great deal of detail.

When giving sales presentation or searching for particulars of product knowledge, you must create mental images and organizational systems in your brain, in a sort of mental file folder system. Once you organize the information in your brain, it’s quite easy to find; if it’s in a big pile, you may know it’s there somewhere, but who knows how long it will take you to find it!

Learning leads to confidence, the key to success

Sales people need to take their business seriously enough to put effort into learning. Many “wing it,” and don’t make nearly as much money as they want to as a result. No one gets rich in selling by accident. Those who dedicate themselves to learning and growing are always the most successful.

The good news is that you can learn to overcome memory slips and will grow as an effective sales person as you do, because you will gain greater confidence. And all other things being equal, the salesperson with more confidence will always get the business over someone who has less confidence. The formula for success is the same as the formula for improving your memory: preparation, listening, and proper learning.

Roger Seip is the President of Freedom Speakers and Trainers, a company that specializes in memory training. Workshops are presented all over the country. To learn more, visit www.deliverfreedom.com, call 888-233-0407, or e-mail info@deliverfreedom.com