are in the people business. This is where honesty comes in. You see, when you talk about integrity, there are some people who will say that everything is relative. I have never met the owner of a business who said he or she would hire an accountant or a treasurer who was only relatively honest. It just doesn’t happen. When I go out of town and come back, my wife has never yet asked me if I have been relatively faithful while I was gone. There are some things that are right and there are some things that are wrong. You see, with integrity, you do the right thing and since you do the right thing then there is no guilt involved. With integrity, you have nothing to fear because you have nothing to hide. You can talk to your customers who you sold to yesterday and you can talk to them tomorrow, next week, or next year, because you know that in your heart that they are the big winners and that’s where the integrity comes in. With integrity, you have no fear because you have nothing to hide. And since you have nothing to hide, you have no guilt. Get those two burdens, fear and guilt, off your shoulders and you will sell far more and you will sell it more freely.
Let me also point out that this has been validated by the Forum Corporation out of Boston, Massachusetts. They did a study on 341 sales people. One hundred and seventy-three of them were really super successful, and the other one hundred and sixty-eight were also good. They analyzed what makes the difference between the super successful and those who are good, and what they discovered was two major factors. Number one: those who had absolute integrity and believed that their word was their bond were much more likely to get the sale. My mama used to say to me, “If your word is no good, eventually you’re no good either.” Our words do determine so many things.
The second thing these super successful salespeople had was an understanding that the sale was not complete until the order had been signed, the merchandise, goods, or services had been delivered, and the customer was happy with the transaction. Only then can you truly say you have made the sale.
These are the customers that will send you to their friends and relatives in order to buy. These are the ones that give you the recommendations. Otherwise, you’ll always have to be prospecting. And that’s okay, but it’s so much easier if you don’t have to do that all the time because your happy customers have filled your pipeline with referrals.
Let me put it this way. We need to be so excited and so enthusiastic and so motivated about what we sell and what it will do for the prospect that everything else is completely out of focus. Instead, our focus needs to be on satisfying and meeting the customer’s needs so that they will benefit as a result of it.
Why am I so excited about the profession of selling? Not only do we have so much control over the economy, but let me tell you something. I’ve seen people experience such incredible growth as they became successful in the world of selling. You have what it takes. You were created by God to be a winner.
I’m not talking about building a super inflated ego. You know, conceit is a weird disease that makes everyone sick except the one who has it. That is not what I am talking about. I am talking about building a healthy self-image. It was Muhammad Ali who said, “Just remember, that if man can take moldy bread and can make penicillin out of it, just consider what a loving God can make out of you.” My friend, you were designed for accomplishment. You were engineered for success. You are endowed with the seeds of greatness.
What God has put inside of you is waiting to come out. Many times, all you have to do is wake up your potential inside. What I am saying is that we have to keep on growing. I’m a huge advocate of Automobile University. I just believe that it’s the most important university in America. Listening to audio programs in your car can do so very much for you. Now, when you think about it, we spend hundreds of dollars every year dressing the outside of our bodies, such as the clothes, the haircuts, the shaves, and the goop we put on our hair. We spend thousands of dollars on our cars in order to get to our sales calls. But, how much do you invest on what goes into your head?
The question we have to ask ourselves is this: if we are willing to spend all this money to dress up the outside of ourselves before we make a sales call, doesn’t it make sense to also know what to say when we get there? You see, that’s where Automobile University comes in. I can’t tell you over the years how many thousands of salespeople have said to me, “Zig, between calls I listened to those audio programs. I either listened to a new closing technique or a new motivational technique because if I just missed a sale, I want to be certain that I’m up for the next one.” Bury that missed sell and go to the next one. I really do believe that the motivational teaching you receive in Automobile University does make a huge difference.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you need to keep listening and listening and listening to the same programs over and over again. When you’ve listened to it enough times so that you can finish the sentence before it is said, then it becomes self-talk. The most important conversation that you’ll ever have is the conversation that you have with yourself. The most important opinion you have is the opinion that you have of yourself. Salespeople must keep growing. I love what Jim Rohn said. He said, “Formal education will earn you a living. Self-education will earn you a fortune.” You see, you determine how much of a fortune you will earn by how much self-education you decide to get.
Why do I talk about listening over and over again? Why is repetition so important? A Stanford University study said this; oh, and by the way, I learned this in Automobile University. Stanford said that 95 percent of the people who hear, understand, and agree with a principle do not have the ability to apply it to their lives because they do not have the necessary resources. We are talking about three kinds of resources. Number one is the seminars that you attend. And we are delighted to have you with us here today. Number two is what you learn in Automobile University. And, number three is what you learn by reading. The investment of time and money you make in yourself will pay more dividends into your life than you could ever imagine.
Another thing we have to be aware of is that we need lots of energy to compete in the world of selling. We need an energy reserve. We need a physical reserve so we must eat right and exercise to take care of our bodies. We need to build that mental reserve, and that’s the reason I keep talking about Automobile University. And then, we need to look into building that spiritual reserve. Now, I know in some areas, people say, “Wait a minute, Ziglar. We don’t talk about that spiritual stuff around here.” Well, that’s too bad. You see, you’re going to be dead a lot longer then you’re going to be alive. So, we need some long-range goals. Let me just say this. I happen to believe that there’s a lot of scientific evidence that supports my position. For example, the Dallas Morning News published an article back on February 12, 1996. It was an article about a study that was done by the Heritage Foundation. They discovered that regular worship service by the family reduces suicide, drug and alcohol abuse, crime, out of wedlock births, and divorce. People who go to church are far happier and healthier, they have a lower rate of depression, a higher self-esteem, longer and happier marriages, and can you believe what they put in the Dallas Morning News? They also have better sex. All I’m telling you is that it ain’t a bad deal. Not only that, but these families earn an average of $11,000 more than those who do not go to church.
Incidentally, you won’t be by yourself when you go to church because on any given Sunday, more people attend worship services than go to all the major league games all year long, plus all the NFL football games all year long, plus all the NBA basketball games all year long. And on Easter, it is not even close.
The last thing we are going to talk about, which we especially need in the world of selling, is the love and care for our prospect. I’ve often said that our values as sales professionals should be higher than anybody because we are trying to persuade people. You see, the con artist can persuade people to take action that is not in their best interest. If you have the best interest of your prospect in mind and you know what you have to offer in the form of your products and services is for their betterment, then you can sell with honest enthusiasm, close with conviction, and ask for the order with confidence. When you want them to buy because of what they
