Ziglar - Selling 101: what every successful sales professional needs to know

SELLING

WHAT EVERY SUCCESSFUL SALES PROFESSIONAL
NEEDS TO KNOW

ZIG ZIGLAR

Copyright 2003 by The Zig Ziglar Corporation

Portions of this book were previously published in Ziglar on Selling: TheUltimate Handbook for the Complete Sales Professional. Copyright 1991 by The Zig Ziglar Corporation.

All rights reserved. Written permission must be secured from the publisher to use or reproduce any part of this book, except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Ziglar, Zig.
Selling 101 / Zig Ziglar.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-7852-6481-7 (hardcover)
1. Selling. 2. Success in business. I. Title: Selling one hundred one.
II. Title.
HF5438.25 .Z542 2003
658.85dc21
2002151311

Printed in the United States of America

03 04 05 06 07 WOZ 5 4 3 2 1

CONTENTS

M any years ago Aristotle said that if you took two weights of the same material, the one that was the larger of the two would fall faster. For years this was taught at the University of Pisa. Many years later Galileo came along and said that simply was not true. When his opinion was challenged by the students, he went to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, dropped two weights dramatically different in size but of the same material, and they hit the ground at precisely the same time. Galileo had proved his point, but interestingly enough, at the University of Pisa they kept teaching that the heavier weight would fall faster. Heres why: He had convinced the students he was right, but he had not persuaded them.

The question in the world of sales is: How do you persuade? Answer: You dont persuade by telling, you persuade by asking. A large portion of Selling 101 is devoted to asking questions, with emphasis on listening for the answers. Those of vii you who read the Bible know (and whether you are a believer or not most people respect the fact) that Christ was a powerful persuader. I encourage you to go to a good bookstore, buy a red-letter edition of the Bible (because the words of Christ are printed in red), and read. You will make an amazing discovery, namely, that when people asked Christ a question He either responded with a question or a parableboth of which are tools for persuasion.

My best friend (hes really more a brother) for the last thirty-seven years is of the Jewish faith and is from Winnipeg, Canada. I noticed this questioning characteristic in him, and I asked him one time why he always answered a question with a question. He smilingly said, Well, why not? Asking the right question and listening to the answer is a great relationship builder, which is important to the persuasion process.

The second underlying and overlying message in Selling 101 is the importance of integrity in building a sales career. With integrity you do the right thingthat eliminates any guilt. With integrity you have nothing to fear because you have nothing to hide. Now, with fear and guilt removed, you have the freedom to be the person God created you to be. I say this because we are trained to persuade. A salesperson without integrity is inclined to overstate the benefits and persuade people to buy overpriced products they neither need nor really want. Selling with integrity is the only way you can build a long-term career with the same company selling the same product to the same peoplewhich brings sales stability and financial security.

Laurel Cutter, Vice Chairman of FCB Leber Katz Partners, says: Values determine behavior; behavior determines reputation; reputation determines advantages. Start building your reputation of integrity today and I will See You Over The Top!

I
YOU MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE

Attitude is always a player on your team.

W elcome to Selling 101! I would like to begin in a somewhat unusual manner. Let me encourage you to leave the sales profession if you can. Yes, you read it properly. Zig Ziglar is encouraging you to quit sellingif you can. Those last three words are the most important words you can face at this point in your sales career: if you can. Those who get into sales because they might make a little more money or might even help other people are short-termers. You need to get into selling because your heart and your head wont allow you to do anything else!

In sales, you will be treated rudely. People will, on occasion, even slam doors in your face. They will hang up on you for no obvious reason. Some will avoid you at social gatherings. Your family (and even you) will question your sanity. As humorist and speaker Dr. Charles Jarvis says, Just because youre paranoid doesnt mean theyre not out to get you! Yes, paranoia can be a side effect of the sales profession.

ARE YOU IN?

My good friend Walter Hailey is one of the most successful men in the world. Walter is a salesman par excellence (that means hes gooood!) and a winner who has spent his life helping others win.

Despite Walters success, he had a rocky start in the world of selling. He faced frustration, anxiety, closed doors, low sales, nervous stomach, and virtually every other symptom associated with an individual who is uncertain of how he is going to survive in the sales world. As a matter of fact, his discouragement was so bad, Walter went to his manager and told him he was quitting, getting out of the business. To this his manager responded, You cant.

Walter dogmatically stated again that he was quitting. His manager replied, Walter, you cant get out of the insurance business because you have never really gotten into the insurance business.

Walter said the words hit him like the proverbial ton of bricks. As he reflected on the truth of what his manager said, he realized for possibly the first time in his life that you cannot get out of something you have never been in. There are many people who join a sales organization but never get in the business of selling. Please understand that you may have been presenting your product or service for years and still not have been in the profession of selling.

Lack of commitment is a primary reason that the sales profession has earned the reputation for having a high turnover rate. Fortunately, this is changing, and the public is rapidly gaining respect for the true sales professional.

MY JOURNEY TO SALES SUCCESS

I have a deep love for the sales profession and the selling professional, a sincere belief in the value of our profession, and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge about becoming even more professional.

My sales career didnt begin in 1947 with my first official sales call. It actually started in childhood when I sold vegetables on the streets of Yazoo City, Mississippi. I also had a paper route, and early in my sales career it was my good fortune to work in a grocery store for several years.

At the University of South Carolina I sold sandwiches at the dormitory in the evenings to finance my marriage and education. I later moved into direct sales that have included stints in the securities business, life insurance, and home care products. I entered the world of personal growth and corporate development in 1964 and have been selling training and motivation since then.

THE BENEFITS ARE FOR YOU!

Let me encourage you to begin each day with this statement: Today I will be a successful sales professional, and I will learn something today that will make me even more professional tomorrow. If you remind yourself of this commitment daily, then many benefits await you as a successful sales professional!