Joe Girard: Take a Lesson From the World's Number 1 Salesman
Joe Girard: Take a Lesson From the World's Number 1 Salesman
For over 12 consecutive years (1963-1977), John Girard [complete bio] was the Number 1 retail salesman in the world, and established sales records that have yet to be beat. And these records are in the toughest business in the world - automotive sales. So let take a look at some of those records that are in the Guinness Book of World Records:
Most new retail sales in one day (18 automobiles)
Most new retail sales in one month (174 automobiles)
Most new retail sales in one year (1425 automobiles)
Most new retail sales in 15 year career (13,001 automobiles)
All of those automobiles were new retail purchases. No wholesale, no fleet, and he was never in management. He AVERAGED a staggering 6 sales per day on a sales floor that had 41 other salesmen who only averaged 5 cars per month. Funny thing was that he was actually fired from his first automotive sales position for being 'too aggressive' - apparently the other salesmen didn't like having to actually work. And in 2001, he was inducted into the "Automotive Hall of Fame".
So what was Joe Girard's secret? He didn't have one. Joe said,
"If there is one word I detest, it is the word secret. There is no secret. If there was a secret nobody would be sharing it with you. There are no secrets."
But Joe did have an attitude that no one else seemed to have.
"Life is a game and you gotta know what you are playing. Whatever you do and whatever you are selling you are not selling. You must never stop learning more about this game... what makes people tick, what makes people buy, what makes people do what they do".
But there was something that Joe did,
"I will burn my name in your brain."
And how did he do that? Joe Girard's main tool was greeting cards. Every year he commissioned an artist to draw up 12 cards, and then send them out. That's all he did. He would send out one card every month. And the very first card he would send to any new prospect, whether they purchased a car or not, simply said one thing "I like you". That card was followed up by cards for all the major holidays, but he also sent birthday and anniversary cards. Joe went out of his way to get the contact information of every person he met, and everyone he knew received a card each month. What an amazing example of follow up. It is said that Joe's cards coming every month, that his contacts almost considered him a part of the family. Here is his simple, but highly focused checklist.
Keep in touch with people regularly. Send them "Thank you" notes. Send them season's greetings. Send them news and information that will be beneficial to them. Send them free goodies. Wouldn't you like to have your customers think that way of you? When people thought of a 'new card', they immediately thought of Joe Girard. To Joe, it was always about RELATIONSHIPS, and the nurturing of those relationships. And what was true for Joe, I think, is even more true today. People WANT AND DESIRE a personal touch. They want to be made to feel special, and in today's high tech society, it seems 'personal' has gone right out with yesterday's trash. Well, time to make it personal again. And I can show you how to send a card to whomever you'd like, no strings attached, for FREE and see how powerful Joe's method can be. Send just a few cards each year, and imagine what the odds will be that YOUR name is the first to come to mind when they need that product or service.
NOTE: We are building relationships, and relationships are not built by sending nothing but ads at every contact. Send something that is beneficial to the needs and wants of your clients and prospects. For example, if you are a realtor, send tips on how to best get the highest value for the potential clients home, or make that customer work for you by offering a 'referral reward' for anyone they refer to your office who sells or purchases a home.
Think of it this way. Do you want your 'flyer' thrown in the trash, or your 'greeting card' put onto the refrigerator, or bulletin board? Show your appreciation by giving them something - a heartfelt greeting card. Simply put, appreciation is greater than self promotion.
If you'd like to send your own card for free, click here. Darrin Miller maintains a blog at The Profit Syndicate which discusses the business aspects of SEO and its realtionship with social media marketing, network marketing, and marketing best practices.
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