Selling 101: What Every Successful Sales Professional Needs to Know

by Zig Ziglar

Here in a short, compact and concise format is the basics of how to persuade more people more effectively, more ethically, and more often. Ziglar draws from his fundamental selling experiences and shows that while the fundamentals of selling may remain constant, sales people must continue learning, living, and learning from the past without living there; living in the present by seizing each vital moment of every single day; and looking to the future with hope, optimism, and education. His tips will not only keep your clients happy and add to your income, but will also teach you ideas and principles that will, most importantly, add to the quality of your life. Content drawn from Ziglar on Selling .

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Self Help, Psychology, Personal Development, Leadership

112 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2003

About the author

Zig Ziglar was a motivational teacher and trainer who traveled the world over, delivering his messages of humor, hope, and encouragement. As a talented author and speaker, he had international appeal that transcended every color, culture, and career. Recognized by his peers as the quintessential motivational genius of our times, Zig Ziglar had a unique delivery style and powerful messages that earned him many honors. Today he is considered one of the most versatile authorities on the science of human potential. Ten of his twenty-eight books have been on bestseller lists, and his titles have been translated into more than thirty-eight languages and dialects. He was a committed family man, a dedicated patriot, and an active church member. Zig lived in Plano, Texas, with his wife, Jean.

Reviews

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually feel that selling 101 what every successful sales professional needs to know was better than zig ziglar's the secrets of closing the sale. It was very direct it dealt a lot with how to deal with irate belligerent and profane customers how to disarm them. It was a very informative overall book on being persistent when closing the sale and what to do in various situational instances. Great read

[loafingcactus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gets the job done of being a good practical overview without getting bogged down.

[Olia Braguța · Rating 5 out of 5]

Except building a personal experience, in theory- this book is the bible of a newbie sales person.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I already made a list of books I planned to start off this year reading, but somehow this made its way to the top of the list. I am at a point in my business were I'm trying to hone certain aspects and one of our weaknesses has been sales. For the first few years of our business, we really didn't need to have any sales skills. We offered a good product, our price was quite inexpensive and we booked 100% of the people we met with.

We are now in the point of our business where the competition locally has grown, and I feel those competitors are working harder to book clients when they meet them. Our prices have also grown to reflect our experience, overhead, and considerable investment in gear and training. This means we are now targeting a different market than we were originally, and it's time to refine our sales process. We've always had a hands off, no pressure, "go think about it" way of doing things. But I think I owe it to our business to be a little more proactive about securing our leads quicker. I really hate the idea of sales, but I also feel very confident in what we offer clients and that our services are valuable, and they may not get the best product going elsewhere.

Anyway, on to the book review. Selling 101 is definitely geared towards product-based selling instead of service based selling, so for those of you in the service industry, you will have to spend some time thinking about how Ziglar's processes and questions translate into strategies applicable for your business. The first third of the book was geared towards traditional sales issues like figuring out if sales is the right career for you or finding prospects and dealing with cold calling reluctance. This portion of the book really wasn't that relevant to me, because I'm a business owner that deals with sales, not a salesman. And the nature of my business doesn't require cold calling (thank god!) or finding prospects through the means he suggested.

The consultation strategy that makes up the bulk of the rest of the book was the most useful to me. Going through his processes, I discovered that my partner and I had naturally been doing some of these things when we started our business, but with less of a formal agenda. I also realized that a lot of the strategies were things we used to do when we were less experienced and a bit "hungrier". This book was a great source for us as we refine how we want to hold client consultations in the future. I started taking notes about half way through and basically had an agenda written out that I can use in my business starting today.

The idea of selling has such a negative connotation for most people, and I always considered it kind of sleazy before I started a business. I am always very conscious of being sold to - I am an advertiser's worst nightmare because I shut down at any attempts to be sold to. The premise of this book - and most thoughtful books on selling - is that when used appropriately, selling is all about discovering a clients problem and seeing if you can help them. We have always felt this way when it comes to serving our clients; and when put that way, the idea of learning about sales becomes much more palatable to small business owners who don't consider themselves salespeople.

The book finishes up with a brief but worthwhile section on addressing angry clients and some closing thoughts on working efficiently and effectively.

Overall, a worthy read if you are small business owner or anyone new to the sales industry.

[Hanson Nnadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been in sales longer than I realized

This is an awesome book. I learned earlier on that even though your career may not be in sales, we are all selling something at one point in our lives. This could be a product or service (side hustle), ourselves (job interview) etc. This book gives insight into the challenges and benefits of selling, strategies to close more leads and making more sales. While reading I always had questions in my head about something said and literally every time I got an answer either on the next page or next chapter. I am looking forward to reading more books from the great Ziglar!

[Michael Lauro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hey, what can I say? I'm trying to promote my book. I need all the help I can get.

[Kyle Vanderheide · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zig zigkar says “leave sales, if you can…”

Author suggests to say the following statement every day. “Today I will be a success salesperson and I will learn something today that will make me even more professional tomorrow.”

You must build the following skills to be successful in sales:
Learning
Listening
Communicating
Dependability
Credible

A prospect is an individual who is capable of making purchasing decisions.

You spend time with suspect’s. You invest time with prospects.

ABP: Always be prospecting

When asking for referrals, ask for multiple then go back and get info on each one.

Selling is transferring of feeling


4 steps of selling
Need Analysis
Need awareness: Prospect must acknowledge their need .
Need solution: Present product
Need satisfaction


WIIFM

Use open door questions to allow the prospects the freedom to take the answer where they want it to go.


Ways to speak with suspects :

P.O.G.O.
Person: personal questions
Organization: the suspects company
Goals: suspects goals
Obstacles:

What are you truly selling?
Ie. blood flow, rest, comfort = waterbed

When hit with a hard objection use the following question.
“ Suppose that didn’t exist, would you still buy from me?”

Time management: plan your day outside of selling hours and be conscious of the activities your doing.

[Ian Minielly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this thinking Ziglar was someone from the recent past but who would have some ideas that would translate into the modern system and circumstances. Count me surprised to discover he died only a decade ago so his sales experience and world also had some cross translation with the internet focused world.

Most of what Ziglar provides in Selling 101 is valuable and obvious. Be structured and work when you should work and rest when you should rest and focus on spending time with clients and not an assortment of wasted time. This is certainly good advice today, yesterday, and tomorrow. One thing I found interesting was Ziglar saying successful students spent time studying while less successful and unsuccessful students spent a lot of time preparing to study.

I plan on buying his book on closing after it was referenced a number of times in this book and I know other people in sales who have read it and drawn value from it. I would give the book five stars if it was more recent and had greater details in how to operate in a world with the internet and the current population dynamics, which I understand is not this books fault.

[Mike Cheng · Rating 2 out of 5]

Super short read teaching the basics of selling and sales calls by the prominent Zig Ziglar. A few worthwhile takeaways: asking questions is more persuasive than making declaratory statements; in asking questions don’t seek to just lead the prospect but rather genuinely listen and learn what the prospect needs whilst building rapport and trust; view the sales process as a transference exercise (i.e., of knowledge and feeling); proper voice inflection is often underutilized and extremely powerful; and use anxiety / nervousness to your advantage - as your servant it can be a wellspring of energy (via adrenaline) and focus. Preparation is key, and working even for just an extra hour a day will outdistance you from the competition. Whatever your industry, you are selling a solution - structure your pitch by Feature, Function, and Benefit (i.e., the advantage your product or service provides better or more efficiently than others).

[Alyssa J Cori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned principles from Zig Ziglar in my sales courses at school and he teaches some great fundamentals. His four step process (Need Analysis, Need Awareness, Need Solution, and Need Satisfaction) provides a useful outline to think about how you can lead prospects through the buying cycle. I appreciate that this book is concise and to the point. It was not quite the best fit for me because the examples were outdated and simplistic, so it did not give me new ideas for the complex sales environment I find myself in today.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the books that I read every now and then to refresh, remind and the re-educate myself about selling. One of the classic sales books that you can always gain new insights whenever you read them. If you are into selling, this book is good to refresh and motivate you. This book is written as if Zig Ziglar is beside you, having a conversation and helping you to be a better sales professional.

[Patrick Torres · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great intro to basic sales ideas and methods. This is a quick read (about an afternoon) from one of the masters of sales and motivation. Zigler breaks down his process for building habits and treating your prospects with respect and dignity. However, It leaves a lot to be desired and sometimes feels like a sales pitch itself for some of his other materials.

[Rushi Shah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zig ziglar very aptly and precisely articulates how and what to do for getting lead and convert that. Ziglar also gives frameworks to frame your interaction with clients and share some of his experience and with that gives tips and tricks to know before you go for sale.

A good read book! Only 100 pages!

I would recommend it to all sales personnels

[Yanal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Provides you with the fundamentals of selling, but nothing mind-blowing. It's more of a refresher if you read sales/business books before. If you are completely new to sales then it will be helpful.

[Rebecca Dudley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this informative book.

All sales professionals should have this information as day one of training no matter what they are selling, it is a great introduction to bring a saleman

[Mike Ncube · Rating 5 out of 5]

A small book packed with many great ideas on how to be a great salesman. Ziglar is one of the best of all time and reading his books and watching his motivational and sales videos has brought great results for my business. This one is going in the library.

[Can · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a new starter at sales, I found this book very useful. It gives the foundation of what it takes to be a succesful sales person, some techniques and very useful tactics and tips. On the other hand, it does not deep dive into each topic - so that’s a good starter book. Recommended!

[Carlos Peña · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro simple sobre ventas

Un libro que tiene unas cuantas ideas interesantes pero nada wow, este no debe ser su mejor libro, pero para el que no sabe nada de ventas puede ser un inicio

[Rachel C Sweeney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very basic book on selling. If you are needing in depth sales techniques, buy his bigger books on sales. I just needed some ideas for gaining leads for my job. I don't close the deal, I just basically plant the seed. It's good for that. Not a waste of time, but not enough if sales is your income.

[Youssef Tigga · Rating 4 out of 5]

I mean this is a good book if that's all you want but if you want to have the knowledge of being a salesperson you have to read more then that book . It's a good start to digging in deep into a successful salesperson career

[Sadiq Salihoddin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The words that the author formulated were very precise and straight forward. Full of points, clear and perfect eloboration. I just knew that, pursuasion happen by asking, not by telling. Interesting point right there!

[Arian Muharremi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished the book. It is a great book with a lot of helpful tips. I like that it focuses on adding value to the customer/prospect.Will read it multiple times for sure.

I like it that it is small and compact.

[taner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great fundamentals on selling for beginners

Great book, very simple and informative. It outlines the rules and process for becoming a better salesperson.I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested in sales.

[Barbara Humphrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading this book. It is as great today as it was before. I live how simplistic it is. Timeless.

This book have always been a good read. I will continue to read and refresh my thoughts throughout my sales career.

[Tara Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

I appreciated the straightforward, simple way Ziglar writes this book. Figuring out how to apply the principles is largely left up to the reader, but it is still a helpful read if you're in any kind of retail position.

[wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great and well written book. It is straight to the point and does not include unnecessary details. It opened my mind to what selling is really about and helped me understand sales. All in all, it contains great information on selling.

[Michael Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best step by step beginners sales book I've ever come across, Zig is simply the master salesman.

[John Yafi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book for sales. Not enough information, it is good for new in selling.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short enough to read in a sitting - but take some notes!
see you at the top : ]

[Wiet Vande Velde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice small book , a gentle reminder for things obvious for someone in sales. And aren't we all in sales? I believe we do.

One to have on the shelf (and to have read!)