Ziglar on Selling

The Original Sales Call

Every salesperson has a first sales call. Zig Ziglar’s debut call came in 1947, when he knocked on a door and a grandmotherly lady answered. That’s when it happened. Zig Ziglar froze. Words failed to come out of his mouth, so much so that his concerned prospect asked if he wouldn’t like to come in and have a glass of water for his parched throat. Ziglar nodded gratefully and soon retreated to his car without having sold a thing. It was quite some time before he began to experience success as a sales professional. It took even longer to appreciate that selling is hard work and takes real commitment.

Gone is the plaid-jacketed, white-belted snake-oil salesman. Today’s sales professional may well sport the appearance of a Harvard MBA, and is educated in whatever it takes to make it in today’s business world. Sales professionals find that they must adapt to changing technology in order to effectively compete. One thing has not changed, however - the main reason people choose not to buy from you. That reason is trust. Trust is the one quality in a salesperson that consumers have always rated highest. The sales professional must follow through on ...