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Prepare for Mastery in Sales Conversations: 9 Keys to Absorb, Organise & Recall Valuable Knowledge

Merriam Webster English dictionary defines the word 'raconteur' as a person who excels in telling anecdotes and stories. Almost all great salespeople are also great raconteurs. They seem to have a wealth of stories, business stats and information, interesting trivia and conversational points that makes it a joy for Customers to listen to them.

And what's even more impressive is that they have an almost uncanny knack of recalling just the right story or fact that will be most useful for the conversation. They almost seem to pull them out of thin air, like magicians.

It is in fact an ability to connect the various pieces of knowledge and bring them to the fore as and when needed. That's a valuable cognitive skill, which can be learnt with preparation and practice.

Here are 9 keys to absorb, organise and recall valuable knowledge. Practising them regularly will set you on the road to mastering sales conversations:

1. Be 'fully present', cultivate concentration
- Make sure information flows in without obstruction
- Record vividly if you want to recall accurately
2. Become a knowledge sponge - Read, listen, absorb all you can
- Pursue a wide range of interests, professional and personal
- Pick up more than you ignore
3. Stay out of junk, avoid mental popcorn
- If you watch videos, stick to knowledge-enriching ones
- Distinguish the 'elemental' from the 'ephemeral'
- Exclude content that is transient, not profound, not connecting to anything in life
4. Take copious notes
- Make note taking a part of your meeting practice
- Listen radiantly in Customer calls and make intelligent notes
5. Reduce ideas to their first principles
- Distill important ideas, it helps in organising them
- Reduce to 2-3 core principles that are easy to remember
6. Build visual, spatial, time related associations
- Create associative memories ("Where, when, with whom did I experience?")
- Use an associative trigger while recalling
7. Get curious, be eager to know
- Grow your epistemic and perceptual curiosity
- Ask often – "What is this?"
8. Develop a love for analogies and connections
- Seek out analogies, relate what is new with what is familiar
- Think Intersectionally, look for connections between seemingly unrelated things
9. Pause, to retrieve and pull out
- In conversations and presentations, pause to recall the right piece of knowledge
- Speak a little slowly allowing mind to search

"Spectacular achievement is always preceded by unspectacular preparation"
– Roger Staubach

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Prepare for Mastery in Sales Conversations: 9 Keys to Absorb, Organise & Recall Valuable Knowledge

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