If you deal with customers or prospective customers your best bet is to take note. Even the best person who can memorize can easily be distracted from the person they are talking to. Be prepared to answer the phone or make a call by simply having pen and paper handy.

Although you have pen and paper handy, you need to make sure that you take the next proactive step which is to physically take note. Write down what that person says. Not everything, but key points that are most important and will be utilized in searching for information or filling out a form.

You may give a couple of moving quotes for someone storing their stuff at your store. Take note as to when they said they needed it, what their name was and the special you quoted them.

This way you do not have to ask twice and they will know that you have truly listened and cared about what they told you.