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But, if you are looking to make a real impact on your social life and career this year – and pick up  an easy-to-learn skill along the way – I suggest you make building a better memory one of your top New Years resolutions.

It’s a common misconception that you are either born with a great memory or you aren’t. Decades of research and personal experience has shown, however, that this idea just isn’t true. Men and women with poor memory habits can quickly improve, and even people who already have great memory skills can get a lot better. That’s because building a better memory is as much about mental exercise as it is natural ability… anyone can do it, and it doesn’t take as much effort as you might think.

Consider what you get from a better memory:

Better career prospects. The ability to remember names and faces alone can be valuable to managers, professionals, and salespeople. When you add in the fact that most of us have to remember passwords, phone numbers, product details, prices, features, benefits and so much more, building a better memory is one of the most valuable things you can do for your career.

More time in your day. The less time you spend looking up information, searching for misplaced files, or putting off important projects because you can’t recall what you need to know, the more time you have to spend on more important tasks (or just things you actually want to do). Having a great memory is a good way to give yourself more available hours every week.

An improved social life. Learning to associate names and faces is probably the most popular topic in building a better memory, and for good reason: It’s not just invaluable at work, but also in social situations. If you want to have an easier time making and keeping friends, a strong memory can help you.

I meet people from time to time who think that learning about memory must involve lots of headaches, charts, diagrams, people in white coats with pocket protectors and other things designed to bore you to tears. Few things could be further from the truth – getting a better memory isn’t just easy, but its very creative and can be lots of fun! If it weren’t, I wouldn’t have spent so much time learning the simple techniques myself.

Funny, unique and interactive in his entertaining conference keynotes and workshops, Bob Gray reveals the untapped potential in each of us. His empowering systems and their many applications in the business world give participants immediate ‘walk away’ value. Book Bob Gray today as your next conference keynote speaker.

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They say that a good deal of success in life just comes down to who you know. That’s certainly true, but I might amend that to include the people you’ve met and can remember.

If that seems like a small distinction, it isn’t – most of us meet hundreds, and maybe thousands, of people who could help us live better lives in dozens of different ways, if only we could make the right connections and associations at the right times. In other words, if we could recall the name of that great contractor we met, the recommendation for the dentist we got, or who the boss’s nephew was again, more things would tend to go our way.

That’s why it’s important that you make the most of holiday parties this year. It’s a virtual guarantee that you’re going to meet someone you’d like to know, or at least remember, at a later date, but most of us aren’t as strong with names and faces as we would like.

With that in mind, here are some quick tips for remembering the names and faces of people you meet at holiday parties this season:

Make a quick image association. This is one of the easiest memory techniques to learn, and one of the most powerful. When you meet a new person, associate their name with some image in your mind; perhaps they remind you of someone you know or someone famous. Or simply associate them with someone you know or someone famous who has the same name. Hold it firm for a moment or two. The stronger the picture is, emotionally speaking, the easier it will be to recall later.

Remember where you are when you meet someone. If you can recall where you were when you met someone, or who you were with, you stand a much better chance of recalling their name later. So, take a quick mental snapshot of your location and associate it with the new name.

Spell their name. Spelling their name forces you to hear it, most times we don’t actually forget a name, we just don’t remember it in the first place, and this is usually because we don’t hear it.

Say or repeat their name. Use the name once or twice in your initial conversation. Say the person’s name, either out loud in conversation or quietly to yourself. Then, remind yourself again at a later time of their name, and it will likely stick in your memory.

These are only simple techniques, of course, but they work. In my keynotes and workshops, I teach attendees to quickly memorize names and faces in rapid succession, and you can easily learn to do the same. Best of all, if you practice these techniques regularly, the names won’t just stay with you, but you’ll be able to recall them later, and maybe even for years to come.

Imagine how convenient it would be to remember the names, faces, and details of everyone you met at holiday parties, industry events, and social gatherings!

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I will be completely upfront in telling you that I think any person, in any occupation, can strongly benefit from improving his or her memory. It’s just one of those skills that carries over into so many parts of your personal and professional life that it would be hard to overvalue.

With that being said, however, one of the groups that I tend to work with most often are salespeople. If ever there were a set of professionals who could use a memory presentation to make more money right away, it’s these hard-working folks who turn ideas into commission checks.

How can a stronger memory multiply your sales income? Here are just a few of the most obvious ways:

By helping you to remember every key point in a sales presentation. Using this system can assist you in not only recalling key points, but also delivering them in the correct sequence. Too many times salespeople give a dynamite presentation only to remember 30 minutes later that they forgot a key point. This leads to lost credibility . . . and potentially lost sales.

By helping you to remember customer names. Is there anything worse than sitting face to face with an important prospect – or seeing them at a convention or social setting – and not being able to remember their name? Putting names together with faces is the top challenge that salespeople ask me about, and it’s also one of the easiest skills to teach.

By letting you build stronger relationships with clients and colleagues.There is more to building rapport with customers than remembering names, of course. The more you can recall about their spouse, children, career background, and so on, the easier it is for your buyers to feel like they know and like you.

By giving you an edge with product knowledge and account details. There is also a professional component to your memory. When you have key product features, prices, part numbers, and other details available off the top of your head, you look and feel more confident. In addition, you are able to move sales forward more quickly.

By keeping you on top of what your competitors are selling. If you are able to master your competitors’ products as well as your own, you can counter nearly any objection. It isn’t enough to know about your industry – you need to be able to remember all key information at a moment’s notice to make it worthwhile.

To find out more about memory training for salespeople and my entertaining keynotes and seminars, contact my office today.

The post Why a Strong Memory Can Multiply Your Sales Income appeared first on Funny Motivational Speaker, Entertaining Humorist - Bob Gray.

Where did I put my keys?

Did I turn off the coffeepot?

Did I unplug the iron?

Where did I put my glasses?

Did I lock the back door?

I must remember to put that file in my briefcase?

Did I turn off the computer?

And on and on. We can only imagine the amount of time wasted every day throughout the world spent looking for keys, glasses, briefcases and time spent driving back home or to the office to check that the coffee pot or computer has been turned off or the iron unplugged or the front/back door has been locked.

To overcome these aggravating time wasters you have to get in the habit of paying attention to the action of turning off the appliance or locking the door or putting down your glasses. Once you are aware that you are doing it, it only takes a few seconds to form a crazy association of that action which can save you a great deal of time and aggravation.

For instance, as you turn off the coffee pot, imagine picking up the coffee pot and tipping out the remaining coffee over the kitchen counter, or picking up the pot and smashing it on the counter. That is all you will need. As you are driving to work and wonder if you turned it off, you immediately visualize the coffeepot and instantly conjure up the image you created. If no image comes to mind, obviously you left it on and need to go back.

Each and every time you place your glasses down; conjure up an image between your glasses and where you are placing them. You place them on the microwave after reading the defrost time of a lasagna, see yourself opening the microwave and imagine hundreds of pairs of glasses flying out. Or imagine opening the microwave and a large pair of glasses have melted, same with car keys or any other item.

Each time you lock a door, imagine sticking your finger in the keyhole to lock it, or your eyeball, or your foot.

When you place the important file in your briefcase, imagine opening your briefcase and a gale force wind blows out scattering the file across the office.

As you are completing the action, say aloud, “I am locking the door,” “I am unplugging the iron,” you might want to try this one if you live alone or once the family has already left for the day!

Have you ever had a great idea strike you in the middle of the night and you tell yourself, “I must remember that in the morning” only to have it disappear once you wake up? Well the next time this happens, take something from your bedside table and place it on the floor beside your bed. When you wake in the morning, the item on the floor will remind you of the thought.

So remember, get into the habit of becoming aware of these actions, and simply form a silly association.

Please share, below. You can also join me on Twitter, Facebook and or LinkedIn for more brain/memory information, links are at the top of the page.

Bob Gray CSP HoF

Keynote Speaker

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So here is my eighth post on memorizing the US state capitals. Again, please take a moment to read the April post regarding how our memory tends to cling to the absurd and make sure you are reviewing these crazy images at the critical times in order to store them onto your long term memory. (See below)

OK, let’s memorize the next five capital cities for Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and South Carolina.

The capital of Oklahoma is Oklahoma City. For Oklahoma is see an Oak tree. I always picture the one in the backyard which played a huge part in my childhood where I grew up in England. If you cannot picture a particular Oak tree then any tree will do. In this tree I imagine hundreds of model skyscrapers (City) hanging from the leaves like Christmas tree ornaments.

Oregon’s capital is Salem. I change Oregon to Oar Gun and picture two gigantic guns being used as oars in a sailing boat. I can’t help but instantly think of the Salem Witch Trials whenever I hear the name Salem. So I imagine a couple of witches rowing this boat, see real ugly caricature cliché images of witches, perhaps like the witch from The Wizard of Oz.

Pennsylvania’s capital is Harrisburg. This is an easy one, how about a huge Pencil stuck in a Hairy BURGer……imagine taking a bite, disgusting I know……but memorable!

Rhode Island’s capital is Providence. I picture a lonely Road winding its way across an Island, I then imagine a Professor Dancing along this road, Prof Dance/Providence.

And finally the capital of South Carolina is Columbia. I see Carol Singers again, just as I did for North Carolina, only this time they are dressed in swim suits which represents warmer weather in the South. Personally I see old 78 and 45 rpm records stuffed into their swim suits. Whenever I hear the name Columbia I am immediately transported back in time to my living room in England. I see my dad playing his old 78’s with the Blue Columbia labels, I also see my old Columbia 45’s with their black and white labels. If you are young enough to have only ever downloaded music and have absolutely no idea what I am talking about regarding 78’s and 45’s, then you can picture the Carol singers in their swim suits, and they are stacking a Column of Beer/Columbia in front of the door where they are singing.

So to review:

An Oak tree with Skyscrapers as Christmas ornaments
Oklahoma/Oklahoma City

Two Witches rowing a boat using guns
Oregon/Salem

Eating a Hairy Burger with a Pencil stuck through it
Pennsylvania/Harrisburg

A Professor dancing along a lonely Road
Rhode Island/Providence

Carol singers dressed in swim suits with records stuffed in their suits
South Carolina/Columbia

Here is my standard wrap up.
Again, make sure you review these images within 60-75 minutes from now, it takes less than 60 seconds but is critical for long term storage, then again within 24 hr’s, then 1 week later and then 1 month later.

I will continue to post state capitals and their crazy images in groups of five. I have just ten more to go then you will have all 50 memorized and a great handle on how to visualize the ridiculous and absurd. This is essential for us to apply memory systems to more practical business applications like recalling Names and Faces, speeches and presentations, model numbers, prices, to-do lists etc.

Please share if you found this informative, thanks.

Bob Gray CSP HoF

Motivational Speaker

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