What Zig Ziglar Can Teach You About Making Sales

Summary:

• Showing genuine excitement about your product or service significantly influences your success in sales. Enthusiasm is contagious and persuades prospects to believe in what you're offering.
• Motivation needs regular replenishment, just like personal hygiene. Reminding yourself of your goals and why you started can keep you pushing forward, even when obstacles arise.
• Success in sales requires courage to make difficult calls and persistence to follow up on leads, even after initial rejections. Boldness separates the successful salespeople from those who struggle.
• Ziglar believed that focusing on solving problems for your clients naturally leads to sales. This approach builds trust and positions you as an advisor rather than just another salesperson.
• Instead of viewing rejection as a failure, see it as a chance to learn and improve. Every setback is a step forward if you gain insights that can lead to better strategies and approaches.

Zig Ziglar was an American author, salesman, and motivational speaker. You’ve probably either seen one of his quotes or heard one of his speeches.

The bottom line? He knew how to sell better than just about everyone - and he put that skill into action to the tune of many millions of dollars.

You can learn a lot about sales and life from his success.

Here’s are some great Zig Ziglar quotes, and what they teach you about being successful in sales.

Enthusiasm is Key

"For every sale you miss because you’re too enthusiastic, you will miss a hundred because you’re not enthusiastic enough."

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Enthusiasm in your product or service shows that you’re passionate about it and you believe in it. This confidence and passion reflects very positively on what you’re trying to sell.

Allow yourself to get excited about what you sell, and let that excitement seep its way into your sales calls.

Motivation is a Daily Ritual

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.”

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We’ve talked a lot about motivation. It’s important, and as Ziglar says, it’s a daily ritual. You must remind yourself of your deeper motivations on a daily basis. In doing so, you’ll keep your "big picture" goals at the front of your mind. This will drive you through the tough days, and make the good days even sweeter.

Boldness is Key

“Timid salesman have skinny kids.”

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You can’t shy away from making the tough calls. Even on the tough days, you need to be bold and make the moves that matter. Take the time to refine your opening pitch, your questions, and your value propositions. Take pride in your process.

And while other salespeople give up on leads after they hear "no", you keep at them. Follow up and know that even if now isn't the right time, tomorrow is another day.

Focus on “Helping” Over “Selling”

“Stop selling. Start helping.”

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People don’t like being sold.

But they do love to solve problems.

So, aim to discover their pain points, and consider how you can help them overcome these challenges.

Not only will this mindset have you come across as more genuine and likable, it also generates sale more effectively than any canned pitch can.

Here's another way to look at it...

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"You will get all you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want."

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That's another gem from Zig Ziglar.

Reframe Rejection

“If you learn from defeat, you haven’t really lost.”

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Your perception of rejection is a big determinant of your success. If you see rejection as defeat, you not only miss the point, you miss a big opportunity.

Success is a process. Defeat is a part of it. When you evaluate mistakes, adjust, and learn, you pave a road to bigger wins, and loftier goals. So reframe rejection and stay confident.

What are your favorite Zig Ziglar sales quotes? Let us know in the comments below!