American author, salesman and motivational speaker Zig Ziglar revolutionized the sales world. His books, speeches and seminars have helped millions of people achieve success in their personal and professional lives.
Hilary Hinton ‘Zig’ Ziegler was born in Alabama in 1926. He was the tenth child among eleven siblings. He faced a difficult situation at a very young age. When Ziegler was 5, his father’s new job moved the family from Alabama to Yazoo City, Mississippi. Tragically, her father John Ziegler died of a stroke a year later, and her younger sister died just two days later.
Between 1943 and 1945, he enrolled in the Navy V-12 Navy College Training Program at the University of South Carolina. However, he decided to leave the college in 1947. The decision that launched his journey into the world of sales.
He moved to Lancaster, South Carolina, taking a job as a salesman at a cookware company. In 1950, Ziegler was promoted to the company’s field manager and eventually to divisional supervisor. But cookware was just the beginning for him.
While working for this company, he became interested in self-development and motivational speaking and started giving speeches himself. Ziegler believed that everyone has the potential to succeed. In his own speeches he emphasized on ‘faith’, ‘self-belief’ and ‘hard work’.
In 1963 Ziegler founded “American Salesmasters” with two other partners. Salesmasters rented auditoriums in cities across the South and Midwest, prepared lists of speakers and contacted local merchants to sell tickets.
The audience included real estate agents, insurance agents, car dealers, financial advisors, entrepreneurs, small business owners and people curious about the world of sales. The aim of this organization was to give lectures on sales techniques and improve the image of salespeople by organizing various seminars.
Ziegler’s Contribution
In 1977, Ziglar founded the Zigmanship Institute, which later became known as Ziglar, Inc. as Over the years, Ziegler’s reputation as a motivational speaker grew exponentially. He left a lasting impact on the self-improvement industry by authoring more than 30 books.
Calling his unique approach ‘The Ziglar Way’, he reached out to people from all walks of life. He disseminated his knowledge through books (selling several million copies), cassette tapes, podcasts, and especially his personal presentations.
At the height of his career, Ziegler gave 150 lectures a year. Even at the age of seventy, he delivered at least 60 lectures a year. He charged $50,000 per lecture and other expenses.
He had a specific formula: prepare well for each speech, deliver something funny (in his words, “I’ll make the audience laugh every seven to nine minutes”), and repeatedly emphasize important messages (in Ziegler’s words, “every five minutes.” Then I will give them a concept, an idea, a process, a light of hope”).
In 2007, he suffered short-term memory loss after falling down a flight of stairs. Still, he continued to attend motivational seminars until his retirement in 2010. He died two years later, in 2012, at the age of 86 in Texas.
Ziegler’s Sales Philosophy
Ziegler’s sales techniques became valuable tools for salespeople to achieve their goals. As it turned out, salespeople using this strategy were able to build more effective relationships with customers, meet their needs, and generate more sales.
Zig Ziglar’s sales strategy and sales philosophy were as follows:
- Know your product First, you need to be integrated with your product. The idea of its strengths, its unique features should be clear. Try to understand how it will differentiate itself from other products in the market. For example, if you want to sell the latest fitness app, you need to know its unique features well. It could be a personal workout plan or dietary advice. Get clear on how these great features will add value to customers’ lives, solve specific problems or meet needs. Knowing the product well allows you to communicate its benefits effectively and sensitively to customers. .
- Belief in yourself: Build confidence After knowing about the product, it is necessary to believe in yourself. Ziegler was a firm believer in the power of confidence. He often said, you are born to win, but to win you have to plan to win, prepare to win and expect to win. Confidence is contagious. If you show confidence in your ability to sell, customers will be more inclined to believe in your product. So, equip yourself with latest information and knowledge, improve sales skills. Go into every conversation with the belief that you can and will succeed. .
- Trust in the customer: Trust the customer After believing in yourself, believe in the customer. This means understanding their needs, problems and how your product can solve them. And going into conversations and campaigns accordingly. By doing this, you create importance about your product in the mind of the prospective customer, which makes for a good and successful sales pitch. Remember, every customer is different, each with their own needs and problems. Understanding this will also enable you to develop strategies to meet the unique needs of each customer. Show respect to all customers, build trust and create fruitful relationships.
Ziegler On The Power Of Positive Or Positive Thinking
Ziegler has always believed in the power of a positive mindset. He believed that one’s thoughts and beliefs directly affect his actions and results. How can you too develop a positive mindset?
• Celebrating your strengths: Celebrate successes, no matter how small. Did you manage to finalize a tough but good deal? Then celebrate! Have you received positive feedback from a potential buyer? Then celebrate!
• Surround yourself with positive people: Surround yourself with positive people who inspire you. Ziegler says you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. So, be judicious in choosing a partner.
• Visualize success: Visualize your success and believe that you can achieve the goal. Imagine closing a good deal or achieving your goal. This fantasy will inspire you to turn your dreams into reality.
• Embrace the challenge: As Ziegler once said, difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations. Don’t be discouraged by a tough sell or difficult client, see it as an opportunity to improve your skills.
• Practice Gratitude: Gratitude is a powerful tool for developing a positive outlook. Remember those who have helped you, no matter how small it may seem. Be grateful to those who have given you the opportunity to grow.
Sales Strategy: The Zig Ziglar Method
Being a successful salesperson is not just about being good at conversation. For this one has to master various sales techniques. Zig Ziglar, the guru of the sales world, shares some strategies to effectively increase sales.
1. Dealing With Objections
Ziegler outlines several key steps in dealing with customer objections:
- Attentive listening: Listen attentively to customer objections. Try to understand their concerns and the reasoning behind them.
- Acknowledgment: Don’t ignore or deny objections. Rather, admit them openly. It shows that you respect what customers have to say and are willing to address their concerns.
- Turn objections into opportunities: See every objection as an opportunity to get more information about your product or service and highlight the importance of the product by alleviating customer concerns.
2. Sales Confirmation Strategies
Ziegler outlines several strategies for securing sales.
- Assume that the sale will happen: This strategy assumes that the buyer has already decided to buy. Negotiations with the buyer should then proceed towards finalizing the contract. For example, instead of asking if they want to buy, you can say, “Can we proceed to payment?”
- Alternative selling strategy: Here, you can present two options in front of the buyer. Whichever of the two options the buyer prefers will come in your favor. For example, “Would you prefer an annual or monthly subscription?” This question will make the customer feel in control, increasing the likelihood of their purchase.
- Creating an emergency: In this technique an emergency is created. For example, “This discount only lasts until the end of this week.” By emphasizing that the offer is short-lived, the customer is encouraged to make a quick decision.
3. Strategies For Retaining Motivation In The Sales World
Motivation is essential to lasting success in the sales world. Below are some effective strategies to keep your motivation level high:
- Celebrate success: Every success is worth celebrating, no matter how small the victory. Completing small contracts or getting positive feedback—these small successes contribute to your overall goals.
- Maintain a positive outlook: There can be many obstacles in the way of sales. A positive outlook will help you overcome these obstacles and stay motivated even in challenging situations.
- Visualize Success: Visualize clearly what you want to achieve. The power of imagination will inspire you to move towards your goals and turn your dreams into reality.
- Take regular breaks: Take regular breaks to avoid fatigue and boredom. Re-energizing will help maintain your performance and keep your motivation levels high.
Key Advice
Ziegler’s key sales advice is to build rapport with buyers, be persistent in keeping in touch with clients, and always try to give the client something good. Ziegler emphasizes maintaining a positive attitude and believing in the product or service you are selling.
What Are The Most Common Barriers To Sales and How To Overcome Them?
The most common barriers to sales are objections from clients, competition from professional sellers, and lack of credibility.
To overcome these obstacles focus on building strong relationships with clients, dealing with their objections with empathy and understanding. Work to build credibility and reputation in the market. Always keep yourself updated with the latest trends and constantly fine-tune your sales strategies to stay ahead of the competition.
