Zig Ziglar on Sales

By: jwilder, 5/4/2026

The best advice Zig Ziglar teaches about selling, plus one quote to live by.

Zig Ziglar (1926 - 2012) was a sales expert and renowned motivational speaker. Ziglar dropped out of college in 1947 and got a job as a salesman. One of his most essential teachings is that salespeople who take the time to get to know their customers and understand their needs and concerns are much more likely to succeed.

Here are some other valuable pieces of advice from Zig Ziglar on selling:

"You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great." In other words, don't wait until you feel like you're ready to start selling. Just get out there and start taking action, and you'll improve over time.

"Selling is not about persuading or manipulating people. It's about helping them solve their problems." Ziglar believed that successful salespeople focus on providing solutions to their customers' problems rather than trying to push a product on them.

"People buy from people they like and trust." Building rapport and establishing trust with your customers is key to making sales. This means being honest, authentic, and genuinely interested in helping your customers.

And finally, the one quote to live by.

"You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want." Ziglar believed that successful salespeople are driven by a desire to help others rather than just making a profit. By focusing on providing value to your customers, you'll ultimately achieve greater success in your sales career.

Stop and let this last quote sink in. "You can have everything in life you want..." If this is the door you want to open, then here is the key: "just help other people get what they want."

If all you have in life is this one idea then how could you not succeed?

Zig Ziglar's advice on selling emphasizes the importance of building relationships, solving problems, and focusing on customer's needs first and foremost.

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