“If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time. Expect the best, prepare for worst, capitalize on what comes. There are no traffic jams on the extra mile. Believe and be graceful.”
Zig Ziglar said so.
Last night a true pioneer of personal, motivational and exceptional sales inspiration passed at the age of 86. Zig was a lot of things to a lot people. For more than 40 years Mr. Ziglar wrote over two dozen books and toured the globe delivering powerful speeches to corporate groups, entrepreneurs, sales executives and everyone in between. His message? Reach as high as you possibly can, then reach a little further. Set lofty goals that deliver accomplishments and results. Always live life with a profound set of values, both personally and professionally. But his message that always resonated with me above and beyond any other was that of Attitude and Leadership.
As a sales professional for most of my adult career, I connected with the theme of professional coaching early on. Easy to do when you come from a sports background I realize. But stop to think about it; if every professional athlete is required to start their new year and season off with intense training and practice throughout, why would anyone attempting to be the best they can possibly be at their professional business craft go about it any different?
I firmly believe we never stop growing. Zig believed it as well. It’s in part the exact message that allowed him to book over 150 speeches a year in his prime. Well into his 70′s he was still speaking over 60 times a year. His going rate? $50,000 a speech, plus expenses. And he filled the room every time.
I am quite thankful I got to hear Zig in person very late in his career. He had a formula that captivated his audience, as every great speaker does. He would keep his listeners laughing early and often, every seven to nine minutes to be exact. When quoted about his speech preparation he once said, “I make certain that every five minutes I’m giving them a concept, an idea, a process, a hope builder”.
Zig is survived by his wife Jean of 66 years; two daughters, Julie Norman and Cindy Oates; a son, Tom; seven grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; and one great-great-grandson.
Thank you Zig, I toast to you.
