Have you ever met people… and 5 minutes later can't recall their names?

If you said “YES” to that, you’re not alone. Most people claim to be really bad at remembering people’s names.

It's not only EMBARRASSING and damaging to your REPUTATION, it's particularly BAD FOR BUSINESS, especially as someone who wants to build a network.

Building a network marketing business means connecting with lots and lots of people. You meet them both in person and online. All year long, you are introduced to people at parties, barbecues, church, club and organizational meetings, and networking events.

THE HOLIDAY SEASON CAN BE A BONANZA FOR YOU

Because it’s the holiday season, you’re likely to be introduced to more new people during the next few weeks than at any other time of the year. You've heard it all your life: "To be a success, it's not just WHAT you know - it's WHO you know!" But, if you can't recall someone's name, will they feel that you know them? Remembering the names of the people you meet is THE single most important interpersonal skill you can possess. So, it’s really a big deal when you’re bad at it.

I PRACTICE WHAT I PREACH

If you’ve ever seen me speak at a live event, you may be aware that I’m known for one jaw-dropping demonstration. Before I’m introduced, I’ll meet as many members of my audience as I can. Then when I’m on stage, I will go around the room and call off all the names of the members of my audience. You can find videos of me doing this on YouTube with shockingly large numbers of people.

I wasn’t born with some special ability and I’m certainly no genius. I simply learned techniques, mental tactics, and strategies, that work when you apply them. They work for everyone. And they’ll work for you too.

It’s like riding a bicycle. Nobody is born knowing how to do it. At some point, someone shows you how it’s done, then with a little practice, you can do it too. Even if it’s been years since you’ve ridden, with just a tiny bit of practice, you’ll soon find yourself peddling down the street again. It’s a skill, that once you’ve got it, you’ve GOT IT. It stays with you.

That’s the way it is with all this mental power stuff too. Nobody is born knowing how to remember a whole seminar room full of people’s names. But, by learning and applying a few easy-to-understand rules, you gain a whole new ability to stop forgetting and start remembering.

WHAT CAUSES YOUR BAD MEMORY?

Many people want to talk about memory improvement, but I like to start the conversation by determining the causes of a bad memory.

I call them “The 3 Causes Of Forget-ory”.

The 1st Cause of Forget-ory is that YOU DON’T GET IT.

If you don’t get it, you can’t keep it. The word “forget” means to NOT GET. Like the word forego means to give up or not go.

Let’s say you’re at a party and someone you know comes up to you and says “I’d like you to meet my friend Mr. Blblblblblblb”. (You didn’t hear or understand the name.) You smile and nod. And for the rest of the night you’re calling him buddy or pal. Or if it’s a woman, darlin’, sweetie, or honey.

If you want to remember the name, you’ve got to first GET the name.

The 2nd Cause of Forget-ory is YOU DON’T CARE.

Now if I’m allowed to read your thoughts, you’re likely saying something like this: “But Matt, I care. I really do.”

Well, you’ve got to care enough actually to DO something about it.

It’s kind of like the overweight person on the couch who says he or she cares about their weight but isn’t willing to DO what it takes to lose the weight.

Did your mother ever wag her finger at you and say, “You can only remember what you WANT to remember?” Well, guess what? Mom was RIGHT.

You CAN only remember what you WANT to remember.

In fact, I know people who have a so-called ‘poor memory’ for names and yet they can recite the names of many of the players on their favorite teams, and even quote all kinds of statistics about them. But they don’t remember their wedding anniversary or the names of people they were just introduced to.

Sometimes when you’re meeting someone you get distracted and your attention wanders. For example, you’re at a party and while you’re meeting this person you may be saying to yourself “Where’s the food? Where’s the bar?” Meantime, you’re not paying attention to the name of the person you’re meeting.

If you want to remember people’s names, or anything else for that matter, you’ve got to care enough to DO something about it.

(The idea is to create a Mental Filing System. I teach you how to do exactly that in my book and video-based training class.)

The 3rd Cause of Forget-ory is that YOU DON’T BELIEVE.

This is a major culprit. It is so big, that it makes the first 2 causes look small by comparison.

You don’t believe that you have a FAN-TAS-TIC memory right now.

I can tell what you believe by listening to the words you use to describe yourself. All the time I hear people saying things like, “I have a lousy memory”. Or they blame it on getting older. (By the way, I’m 71 years old and still do live demonstrations of memory power.)

I’ve heard people say something like this more times than I can count. “I can always remember a face, but I can never remember a name.” Or they’ll jokingly say, “I must be getting the Alzheimer’s.”

I want you to be absolutely CLEAR about this. Saying those things to yourself is not the RESULT of a poor memory. It is the CAUSE.

When you excuse your so-called poor memory with statements like the ones I just mentioned, your mind doesn’t even bother to try to retain it. You told your mind NOT to remember something, and your mind simply obeyed you.

Look, if you’re going to give your mind instructions, why not give it instructions that are actually beneficial to you?

GIVE YOUR MIND THE RIGHT INSTRUCTIONS

Begin saying things like this to yourself… “I’m going to remember you.” Or, “I’ll remember your name.”

You start by giving your mind the proper instructions. Do it out loud but under your breath.

Tell yourself what you WANT your mind to do. Stop telling it to do stuff that hurts your results. When you do that, guess what? Your mind will obey. Maybe like a child, or a pet, a little reluctantly at first, but if you’re firm with yourself, and consistently tell yourself that you will remember, you will be impressed at how well it works after a very little period of time.

What I just covered here will get you started. You’ll be able to TRIPLE YOUR MEMORY POWER but simply paying attention to the “3 Causes of Forget-ory”.

1. Make sure you GET the name. 2. CARE enough to make the effort to remember the name. 3. BELIEVE in your ability and give yourself the right instructions.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Being able to remember people’s names is A REAL-LIFE SUPER POWER.

Obviously, there’s a lot more that I can teach you on this topic. If this is important to you, I guarantee positive results faster and easier than you can imagine. You’ll see more information about the resources I provide through my books, videos and training course in my BIO below this article.

Imagine the enhanced respect and admiration others will have for you when you can easily and effortlessly recall the names of all the people you meet. You will wield greater influence and enjoy a new level of self-confidence and personal power.

Remembering people's names is an essential skill that will benefit you in many ways far beyond your network marketing business. Whether you’re a salesperson, pastor, minister, teacher, counselor, politician, manager, business executive, entrepreneur, or simply a single person who's in the market, remembering the names of the people you meet will allow you to enjoy increased success and lead a fuller and more richly rewarding life.