The BIGGEST Lesson I Learned from Zig Ziglar

A few days ago, the world lost one of its greatest motivators when Zig Ziglar died at the age of 86.

To me, I lost a mentor who played a GIGANTIC role in my development and success.

Zig taught me many life lessons, and if you want to know the BIGGEST thing he taught me, you can scroll all the way down to the last two sections on this post.

Otherwise, keep reading, and I will share how I encountered him, as well as a few of the lessons I learned that contributed to my success.

I Was a Pathetic Failure.

I was a struggling entrepreneur when I started my network marketing business ten years ago. Struggling is actually the wrong word; a pathetic failure is more appropriate.

I did not make even one penny in the first two months of my business.

The reason was not that the company’s products were bad or that network marketing doesn’t work. The products were superb, and the industry was–and still is–great.

I was the problem.

I had zero skills in sales and communication.

And worse yet…

I had no discipline or focus.

In other words, I did not have 3 of the 5 Fundamental Skills (Mindset, Marketing and No Hype Selling) that it takes to be successful in network marketing.

Like I said… I was a pathetic failure.

How I Came Across Zig.

The one thing that saved me was that I knew that anyone could learn how to do anything. The knowledge was out there, and I just needed to give myself time to find it and learn it. I figured network marketing (as easy or as hard as it is) was just like anything else in life. Go find someone to learn from, and then invest the time to learn and practice.

So the first step was to find a book or training that would help me.

At the time, one of the biggest challenges was knowing how to communicate properly so that others could be interested to buy my products or join my business. Some people call it communicating or selling… I just call it No Hype Selling because there are two ways to sell something: a very annoying way, and the natural way. The natural way is open and friendly; people don’t even know you are “selling” to them. No Hype Selling is like communicating to your friends; it’s very natural.

I don’t know how I came across it, but I knew I needed help with selling so I went to Amazon. “Selling 101” by Zig Ziglarwas the least expensive book I found. I never heard of Zig before, but I purchased the book because it was the cheapest one available. (This should tell you how bad my mindset was back then… nowadays, I NEVER buy the cheapest.) The title also said “101,” and that was what I needed. I wanted the basic “101” course since I was a 100% dummy when it came to sales.

What I Learned.

That book turned out to be such a blessing!

I still remember two specific lessons in sales that I applied immediately, and they helped me to earn my first sales and sponsorships!

Lesson 1: Have Genuine Desire to Help Others

The number one lesson that I learned in No Hype Selling is that you MUST sincerely believe that you are on a mission to HELP OTHERS.

Not to sell products…

Not to make some money…

Potential customers hate salespeople because they feel that the salesperson only wants to make a quick sale and take their money. There is no caring involved.

But potential customers LOVE TO BUY when they feel you really care, and you believe that your products truly help them.

Contrary to what many people may think, successful selling is NOT about making money.

It is about being on a mission to serve and help others.

When you really believe that and live that “mission to serve,” people will sense it, and they will be interested in what you have to offer.

So stop thinking about yourself, and start helping others!

Lesson 2: Guide Them to the Sale.

The second lesson I learned can be used by EVERYONE.

Regardless of whether you do “sales” or not, you can use this lesson the next time you have to convince your spouse or friend to do anything. (By the way, isn’t that sales too? We are always selling whether we notice it or not!)

Zig Ziglar taught me that people don’t like to be told what to do. Instead, they like to be guided to the solution.

The best way to “close” a sale is by asking questions that guide your prospects to a solution that benefits them.

Zig revealed to me three great closing questions that, if you ask in sequence, will properly guide your prospects to take action.

They are:

1) Are you interested to make more money?

2) Do you see how ________ (Fill in the blank with your network marketing company or product.) can help you make more money?

3) When is the best time for you to make more money?

In each question, make sure you do NOT answer for the prospect. Just ask in a caring tone, and allow your prospect to answer.

You Can Apply This to Anything!

The best part is that you can you can apply these questions to anything.

For example if you want to persuade (sell) your kid to study for his math exam tonight, you can ask:

1) Are you interested to get a better grade in math?

2) Do you see how studying will help you get a better grade?

3) When is the best time for you to start working toward a better grade?

The BIG LESSON I Learned from Zig Ziglar

Zig attributed his success to accepting Jesus Christ as his Savior at the age of 45, and he is a big spiritual mentor to me as well.

When Zig spoke in public, he would bring up Christianity often, which offended many of his listeners. Many would complain… but to Zig’s credit he never “sold out.” He stuck to what he believed in.

And THAT was the BIGGEST LESSON I learned from Zig.

As a born again Christian, Zig Ziglar became my role model.

Zig taught me that you never “sell out” on the main, core values that matter the most to you.

If you really believe strongly about something, then you live it and talk about it.

Be the person you really are, and NOT the person you think others want you to be.

You can never please everyone and even if you please others, you can still be unhappy because pleasing others can make you become a person that you are not.

In trying to please others, you can end up displeasing the most important person, yourself.

So be real.

That was the most important lesson that Zig taught me.

What About You?

Another one of Zig’s books that taught me many of the No Hype Selling skills is Secrets of Closing the Sale. I highly recommend this book and it is one of the Top 12 books I recommend for all new distributors in Network Marketing.

What about you?

Tell me if Zig Ziglar has taught you anything in the past.

Zig taught me dozens of lessons that helped me in my journey to success, and I could write an entire book about them.

But today I shared with you my first two lessons and the BIGGEST lesson I learned.

If you take anything from this post, just remember:

Be real, and stand up for what you believe in.

Please comment below and let me know what you think.

Sincerely,

Simon Chan

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