Harvey Mackay: Legend Zig Ziglar remembered
BY HARVEY MACKAY United Feature Syndicate
Sunday, December 09, 2012
12/09/12 at 3:17 AM
When I was cutting my teeth in the sales game right after college, I made sure to read or listen to everything I could get my hands on from several sales and motivational legends - Napoleon Hill, Earl Nightingale, Dale Carnegie, Norman Vincent Peale, Jim Rohn and Zig Ziglar.
I, like many people around the world, was saddened to hear about the recent death of my friend Zig.
His inimitable style was contagious. As he was fond of saying, "People often say motivation doesn't last. Neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily."
Zig was simply one of the greatest motivators and sales trainers of all time. Who can forget his classic line, "I'm so optimistic, I'd go after Moby Dick in a rowboat and take the tartar sauce with me"?
He espoused the theory that everyone can develop an enthusiasm for life. He told a story about a woman who was the top salesperson in her company of 1,200 salespeople. She broke every record in the industry. Zig asked her, "How did you do it?" She said, "God didn't make me with an off-switch."
Another big subject for Zig was balancing work and family. One of his pearls of wisdom on this subject: "Many marriages would be better if the husband and wife clearly understood that they are on the same side."
We shared a similar speaking philosophy. Both of us realized that in order to educate, you need to entertain. Make your audience laugh every five to 10 minutes. Introduce a new lesson, concept or idea to your audience every few minutes as well, to keep their attention.
Zig started out in sales, just as I did. He hawked everything from lawn-mowing services to cookware and insurance. He said, "Every sale has five basic obstacles: no need, no money, no hurry, no desire, no trust."
After many years in sales, he realized that his real gift was his positive attitude and energy. He became a full-time motivational speaker and author. He wrote more than two dozen best-selling books, chock-full of take-home value. Gems like these, short and sweet and definitely to the point, will live on and on:
"Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude."
"If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time."
"Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have 24-hour days."
"You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great."
Mackay's Moral (from Zig): "You are what you are and you are where you are because of what has gone into your mind. You change what you are and you change where you are by changing what goes into your mind."
Original Print Headline: Legend Zig Ziglar remembered
Harvey Mackay is the author of the New York Times best-seller "Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive." To send him a question or comment, go to tulsaworld.com/mackayfeedback.
Associated Images:
|
