He only says hello in the morning and goodbye in the evening. He will never waste time talking to people who can’t buy a car from him.
He understood the power of referrals and made sure everyone knew he sold cars. While many might not agree with his approach – he ended up selling 13,001 cars in 15 years.
That is an average of 6 cars a day. His best year he sold 1425 cars and his commission was over $300,000 in 1973. He never sold fleets or used cars – only single cars and trucks for one very lucky Chevrolet dealer in Michigan.
His name is Joe Girard and according to the Guinness Book of World Records he is the World’s Greatest Salesman. I recently had the honor of interviewing him on my radio show The Profit Express on 88.7 FM WRHU.
As a young boy he was physically and emotionally beaten by a horrible father who told him he would never amount to anything. He didn’t know it as a boy – but that horrible experience would change his life for the better.
Joe Girard was an admitted loser until the age of 35. At that point in his life his small contracting business went bankrupt. He was forced to park his car blocks away to avoid the repo man. The bank was after his home and the defining moment was when his wife asked – “Joe what are the kids going to eat?”
He knew he had to get a job so he went to a friend who sold cars. But even his friend turned him down because Joe had no sales experience.
Then he went to a sales manager of a car dealership he knew. In order to convince the manager to give him a try Joe offered not to take away any of the “walk in leads” from the other sales people. He said he would find every lead on his own.
He says that he can’t even remember exactly how – but on his 1st day he sold a car. He had to – his kids had to eat.
Now it would make sense that he was a selling machine working his tail off when he was worried about his house being foreclosed, his car being repossessed or his kids going hungry.
But you have to ask yourself – once the “bills were taken care of” – what was the motivation for him to keep working so incredibly hard. During my interview with him it was clear; he had a well defined and powerful Compelling Reason Why. Joe wanted to prove his miserable, hateful father wrong.
His Compelling Reason Why was so strong a motivator for him that he worked harder and smarter than anyone else. The tougher things got the more creative and ambitious he became. He kept selling an average of 6 cars a day for 15 years even during recessions.
If you want one great way to increase your sales starting today – start by defining your own Compelling Reason Why. What could motivate you to explode your business?
How do you find your Compelling Reason Why? For some of us it may be obvious. For others it might take some searching. If it isn’t obvious for you – start by asking yourself some good questions. Then you have to have the courage to answer those questions honestly.
For example: What is that one thing that you have held back on – that you have denied yourself – that you have convinced yourself you really can’t do, can’t afford, can’t have or can’t become?
Selling is the best vehicle to help you guarantee personal, professional and financial success. It could be a bigger home, a better car, children’s education, more savings, or a great vacation. You see it is up to you. The choice is yours. It all starts by identifying your Reason Why.
Create a clear visual – write it down, describe it in detail – what level of success will you need to attain in order to achieve it? Chose wisely – because your reason WHY needs to be a powerful motivator to help you do what ever is necessary to succeed.
Personally I believe that there is a Compelling Reason Why in each of us. The power of Joe’s Compelling Reason Why took him to heights of success he never thought possible. His success is so legendary that the auto industry has yet to produce a sales pro who has come close to meeting or beating Joe’s record in over 30 years!
Let’s face it, we didn’t get into sales so we could just hit quota. Remember – if you find a strong enough WHY – you will always figure out the HOW!!!
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Tim Healy is the President and Owner of Healy Success Solutions Inc. He has helped the Long Island business community create selling success for over a decade with his Sales Team Training and Sales Performance Coaching. You can reach Tim at 631-244-6090 or at www.healysolutions.com
