Ziglar: 10 Pillars of What Selling is Really All About
He died in 2012 at the age of 86, but Zig Ziglar will be remembered for many years to come as the guru of sales. Ziglar was a top salesperson before he became a famous sales trainer, author and motivational speaker. He was an inspiration to me in my early years of business ownership because of how he looked upon sales - as a way to help people. I had a chance to meet Ziglar when he was a keynote speaker of a conference I attended.
These 10 powerful quotes from Ziglar reveal his secrets and show what effective selling is really all about. Attention to Ziglar's beliefs are timely, since too many businesses today are using overly aggressive and often, unethical ways, to make a sale.
Let’s see what the great Ziglar had to say, so we can enjoy better profits in the year ahead.
1. You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want.
This simple statement is the essence of effective selling. It’s not about what you want, what your company wants – and it’s not even about the great service you have. It’s about exactly what the customer wants. To find that out, ask a lot of questions.
2. People don’t buy for logical reasons. They buy for emotional reasons.
Despite what Ziglar knew and said, many businesses try to sell their products and services on logic - stressing features. While those things are important, the buying decision comes on an emotional level. Stress the end benefits. If you can save people time and money, tell them how much – and what they can do with that extra time and money.
3. When you encourage others, you, in the process, are encouraged, because you're making a commitment and difference in that person's life. Encouragement really does make a difference.
As a practicing sales professional, Ziglar would discuss the business and personal lives of his prospects and offer encouragement. This gave him a huge likeability factor. People trusted him. Offer sincere encouragement.
4. Honesty and integrity are by far the most important assets of an entrepreneur.
It’s just as important to let clients know what you cannot do, as what you can do. That will give you credibility and help build life-long business relationships. The goal is to become the go-to person for information on your industry, even if you and your company cannot always provide the services and products needed.
5. You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.
We all know would-be entrepreneurs and salespeople who have a million reasons why they can’t get going. Start somewhere – and then adjust, fine-tune, experiment and change direction if you have to. But please – start.
6. People are basically the same the world over. Everybody wants the same things - to be happy, to be healthy, to be at least reasonably prosperous, and to be secure. They want friends, peace of mind, good family relationships, and hope that tomorrow is going to be even better than today.
Why is this important? It addresses the things that people think about when they consider your service or product. Make a connection between one or more of the items on Ziglar’s list of what people want, and what you can offer. In the case of my business, it’s “peace of mind” so I do everything I can, including offering a guarantee, to make that happen.
7. You cannot climb the ladder of success dressed in the costume of failure.
It is here that I failed miserably for years, dressed like a hobo. It wasn’t until I bought a few good suits that people started to take me seriously. Despite all the talk of casual dress in business, smart dressing is smart business. Always has been, always will be.
8. Statistics suggest that when customers complain, business owners and managers ought to get excited about it. The complaining customer represents a huge opportunity for more business.
A master of positivity, Ziglar looked at problems as opportunities. Welcome the customer who complains. It’s your chance to set things right and win a customer for life as a result.
9. Send out a cheerful, positive greeting, and most of the time you will get back a cheerful, positive greeting. It's also true that if you send out a negative greeting, you will, in most cases, get back a negative greeting.
How many salespeople do you meet with a scowl on their face? How many sales clerks ignore you and don’t even speak during the transaction? Unbelievable. But it happens every day. If you can’t be friendly to people, you should not be in sales and you should not own a business.
10. If you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time.
Financial goals are one thing, but look at it this way instead: how many people can you help today? Aim to be of service.
Zig Ziglar was an inspiration for many business people. His advice and observations are timeless.
Posted by Sanket Dave on Friday 26 December 2014
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