Zig Ziglar was one of the best motivational speakers on the subject of sales.
Even though the last time he spoke professionally was in 2010, anyone who has heard of him invariably responds with a smile, particularly those of us who work in sales. Here are 20 of his best sayings:
#1 You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great
#2 People don’t buy for logical reasons. They buy for emotional reasons.
#3 Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalise on what comes.
#4 With integrity, you have nothing to fear, since you have nothing to hide. With integrity, you will do the right thing, so you will have no guilt.
#5 Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.
#6 You were designed for accomplishment, engineered for success and endowed with the seeds of greatness.
#7 Remember that failure is an event, not a person
#8 I have always said that everyone is in sales. Maybe you don’t hold the title of salesperson, but if the business you are in requires you to deal with people, you, my friend, are in sales.
#9 If you treat your wife like a thoroughbred, you’ll never end up with a nag.
#10 Positive thinking will let you use the ability which you have, and that is awesome.
#11 If you want to earn more, learn more.
#12 Timid salesmen have skinny kids
#13 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.
#14 Some people do really find fault like there’s a reward for it.
#15 Success is dependent on the glands – sweat glands
#16 Many people who want to be great aren’t willing to do the work to make it possible!
#17 New research shows that you will be dead longer than you will be alive.
#18 Dreams grow if you grow.
#19 I’m so optimistic, I’d go after Moby Dick in a rowboat and take the tartar sauce with me.
#20 The top salesperson in the organization probably missed more sales than 90% of the sales people on the team, but they also made more calls than the others made.
What are your favourites?