Most people, including myself, have a difficult time with remembering people's names. I can recall many embarrassing occasions when no sooner did I let go of shaking the other person's hand than I completely forgot their name. It's a bad habit, and it makes me feel uneasy. In the past, to try and avoid embarrassment, I've made a joke of forgetting someone's name, and simply laughed off the fact that I had mistakenly called someone Fred instead of Frank. However, my jokes and apologies are starting to wear thin.

A couple of weeks back I attended a memory training course hosted by Freedom Speakers and Trainers. www.deliverfreedom.com I was amazed by what I learned about my memory. The good news was that I discovered that I did not have amnesia, just a lack of a memory filing system that takes care of filing things away properly for future use. It really turned out that simple. Since taking the course I've noticed that my memory retention for names has increased over 300%. (Now if I can only remember where I left my car keys).

When thinking about sales prospects, I suspect they have a problem with remembering names too, especially the names of cold calling salespeople. To make sure that my prospect's don't forget my name I've started relying on an old idea, but one that still delivers results. Immediately after someone tells me their name I try paint a picture of something in my mind to match their name. For example, if someone I meet is named Paul, I think of the word tall, and picture a large building, and Paul's name sticks in my memory. So far it's working out pretty good.

I've also borrowed an idea straight out of Dale Carnegie's book, "How to Win Friends and Influence People". I have started to say the name of my prospect throughout our conversation. In his book, Dale Carnegie mentions how there is no sound sweeter to any human being than the sound of their own name. People like to be recognized, and it makes them feel important when they hear their name. I certainly want my prospect to feel important so I'm making a point of starting sentences and asking questions by mentioning my prospects name before asking them a question. It has made it much easier to break the ice and start conversations.

I also found my car keys!