BY Tim Londergan
Over time, small changes can make a great difference. It’s true for exercise, lifestyle habits and even retaining valuable sales intelligence. Using certain neuroscience tactics can help you learn faster and retain more information when you need it the most.
Sales Intelligence is Easily Retained Using Popular Neuroscience Techniques
Rapid learning techniques have been touted to generations of students to help retain information. Physical aids like highlighting or practice testing are widely used to improve student success. But there are more tactics that you can employ to make learning and retention of sales intelligence easier.
Sage Journals offer other effective techniques including:
- Elaborative interrogation
- Self-explanation
- Summarization (low utility)
- Imagery use for text learning (low utility)
- Rereading
- Distributed practice (recommended)
- Interleaved practice (recommended)
Effective Ways to Learn, Retain and Succeed
Getting smarter quicker is the goal. Inc.com contributor, Jeff Haden, explains a business superpower in learning faster and retaining more in this recent article. Whether trying to master a presentation or reviewing a sales pitch, readily available details will bring success.
Learn several things at once with interleaving.
Haden leads with a process called interleaving, where you study related concepts in parallel. Studies compared blocked (single subject) learning versus interleaving, where several subjects or skills are practiced in succession. Seemingly, the latter practice allows free flow of thought, so no single skill becomes mindless or dependent on muscle memory.
Change up the way you study.
As it turns out, repetition is not the best way to learn and retain. In fact, modification of your routine produces memories that help recall new knowledge. This is a reconsolidation of your thoughts and can be helpful as you rehearse.
Just as agility training prepares your body for the unexpected, altering rehearsal conditions to vary your environment is good exercise.
Distributed practice benefits long-term retention.
Unfortunately, retaining sales intelligence for easy recall is not always first nature. However, spreading out the content over time in cross-sessions or restudying the material in different context aids retention. Research shows massed study, such as cramming for a test, falls far short of spaced study in terms of recall.
Just as flash cards supplement textbook content, distributing your sessions over time can bring material quickly to mind.
What You Do with What You Know Matters
You may have access to a wide range of sales intelligence and data that will thoroughly impress your client. However, if you cannot express its significance or produce a timely, compelling argument, this information remains useless. So how can you leverage your knowledge and recall it on demand?
Test yourself
Again, author Jeff Haden, cites the Sage Journal for recalling the power of self-testing as a superior learning tool. Interestingly, the times we answer wrongly are as helpful as getting it right. Remember to test on key points as well as sequence of topics to keep yourself aligned.
Repeat key phases out loud
Studies on memory and cognition compared silently reviewing material versus the act of speaking the words aloud. Memory benefits from active involvement of speech or gestures. These elements make a word more distinct in long-term memory.
Take learning breaks.
Taking a break helps with the afore mentioned distributed practice. Walk away for a while then revisit the content. This process makes the information harder to forget.
Get plenty of sleep.
Sleep-dependent memory consolidation is a real thing. Your brain will file information and categorize it for recall. Sleeping on it is good advice. You can also review the next morning to restore your confidence.
You can improve your mental access to sales intelligence and expand your ability to recall by following these helpful tips.
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