The Ziglar Stimulus Package

As you can imagine, we have spent a great deal of time as a company brainstorming how we can help and serve our customer base in these current tough economic times. Plus, it has been a little hard on us as well. Hard in two ways, actually. First, people need and want what we offer more than ever as we are hearing more pain than usual, which is hard to hear from your friends. And second, many of the companies we do business with have cut back, and training is one of the things that often gets cut first. I’m certain you can understand how this impacts us. The silver lining in this is that they are not saying no to our training, rather they are saying no to taking their people off the job and no to travel expenses.

We have come up with an idea, and I would love your feedback.

The Ziglar Stimulus Package

We are not offering this yet; it is still in the development phase, so your input will really help us out. The Ziglar Stimulus Package will include two live webinars each month plus access online to over 100 hours of Ziglar’s best video and audio programs through the Ziglar Vault.

One webinar will focus on personal development and staying motivated in this tough economy

One webinar will focus on selling effectively in this tough economy

The Ziglar Vault contains easy access 24/7 to everything we have developed to help companies and individuals be more successful

The compelling thing about the webinars is that they are live, real-time, and relevant. Participants are able to ask questions through our chat feature and even send in email requests prior to the events that we can cover during the training. When the webinar is over, we will send each participant an MP3 download and a transcript of the event – this way, even if they miss the event they have not really missed it.

At the end of each webinar we will also cover a five-minute self-study program where participants are given direction on where to find additional training in the Ziglar Vault.

As you can see, the Ziglar Stimulus Package concept answers the objection of travel expense and taking people out of the field. We also believe it answers the objection of relevant information in regards to the current business climate. Of course, the last main potential objection is price. Here is our current thinking on price, and once again your feedback will be very helpful.

If purchased separately you can get the webinars with the downloads for $17.00 each

The Ziglar Vault will be a subscription at $17.00/month

The Ziglar Stimulus Package will include both the webinars and the Ziglar Vault for a monthly membership of $17.00. Yes, we are thinking about including all three for the $17.

Our hope is that individuals and companies will see this as a perfect solution to sharpening their skills and getting a “check up from the neck up” twice each month via the webinars, and anytime they want via the Ziglar Vault. Plus, we will encourage companies to schedule their sales meetings around the live webinar so they can go through the information as a team.

I look forward to your feedback. Please leave a comment in the comment section. We really want this to work, and to make a difference in the lives of so many people and companies who are struggling right now. Thanks in advance for your input.

UPDATE JUNE 6, 2009  .  This Ziglar Stimulus Package is now here and is called Success 2.o. Check it out!

Stimulitus

I asked Dad what he thought about the stimulus package.  He had a faraway look in his eye.  You could tell he was searching his 82 years of collective memories and wisdom.  “Son,” he said, “there ain’t no free lunch.”

I don’t know about you, but I am suffering from a severe case of Stimulitus.  Stimulitus is a condition brought on by borrowing money to be spent by people who produce nothing,for things we don’t need, to help people who either caused the problem or don’t believe in paying taxes.  Stimulitus is what you get when you realize that the people you have elected value self-interest first and foremost, and believe that common sense is a dreadful disease that can only be cured by printing money.

Stimulitus creates some very interesting math problems.  My daughter is in 8th grade and occasionally I help her with the dreaded math word problem.  Here is a word problem for you.  The current $750 billion Stimulitus plan (give or take $200 billion or more) says we will either save or create 2.5 million jobs. How much does it cost to save or create one job?  Dude, that is like $300,000 per job!  I want one of those jobs!

Here is an idea for you.  We elected a bunch of “smart” people.  Let’s tell them to cut $500 billion in government overhead and reduce our taxes by $250 billion this year.  That’s a $750 billion adjustment just like the current Stimulitus plan.  See, I can work with big numbers, too; the only difference is the reality that we are going to have to do with less for a time.  Of course, 90% of us have already figured that out, and for those of you without common sense, 90% is like, a lot.

The Economy – Yours, The Country’s, or God’s

I received an email today from a lady asking us Ziglar’s thoughts on the economy and when we thought it might improve. I thought you might like to see the answer.

Dear Deborah,

 Dad and I talk every day and I ask him about the economy from time to time. His answer is almost always the same (and I bet you know what I am going to say) in that the economy that really matters is the one between your ears! It is true that the country is going through an extremely difficult time and that times are tough and many are suffering. In an economy like this, the important thing is to remember that the right attitude, character, and work ethic are more important than ever, and the long-term rewards of these will be greater than ever, even though in the short term you may not see the financial results like you have in the past.

 There is a greater opportunity right now than ever before to make a difference in people’s lives. You may be blessed to be doing financially well and you are able to reach down and give others a hand up. Or you may be struggling financially and through your encouragement and example can give people in the same situation a boost up. In either case, this is what God’s economy is all about. Personally, we believe that it is going to remain tough for a while longer, but we are hopeful just long enough to get everyone focused on the things that matter and away from the things that don’t matter. The good news for you is that if you are in the top percentage of salespeople and you continue to do what you have been doing, you will continue to be successful (the top percentage of salespeople are there because they know how to innovate and meet people’s needs, no matter what company they work for). I hope this answer helps. I wish we could tell you exactly when it is going to get better.

So here is a tip to success in this economy. Make sure your economy lines up with God’s economy. If it does, the country’s economy doesn’t matter!

The Hot-Dog Solution

A few weeks ago I wrote about Anita Foss and her recommendation that we spend time in prayer about our economy (The Economy – What Would Zig Do?).  One of our readers, Deepak from Florida, took that idea one step further.  For him the answer, and the people’s need, was a hot dog.

Question – What need do you see right outside your window right now that you can fulfill?  The real economy you have to control is the one between your ears.  Take action and help a fellow man, and see how their personal economy improves, as well as THE ECONOMY BETWEEN YOUR EARS!

Here is what Deepak said:

TOM

very good idea . i read your article on ZIGZIGLAR newsletter .

i have a small convenience store in very poor neighborhood in florida . every lastfriday of the month a church group comes and gives away groceries and food to all the people around and prey in my parking lot . i let them use my parking lot to do all this activity whenever they want , as i have lot of space .
after reading your and ANITO FOS ,s advice to do something for the economy or for the other people . i have decided to give free hotdogs to all the poor people who come to attend the church meeting . although i am not very rich but blessed enough that i can afford to do this little thing for people .
so thank you very much for planting seed in my mind to do something for others .
iam great fan of your dad ZIG and my son reads all your bogs .
deepak
florida

If You Were Me

 

If you were the CEO of Ziglar, what would you do?  Pick between these two choices:

 

1)     Would you offer a two-day live seminar on “How to Sell with Certainty in an Uncertain Economy?” for $1000 per person with a goal of getting 10 people?

 

Or

 

2)     Would you offer a 90 minute webinar on “How to Sell with Certainty in an Uncertain Economy?” for $10 per person with a goal of getting 1000 people?

 

Please, just click on comments and let me know which one and why. 

The Economy – What Would Zig Do?

This article is inspired by Anita Foss, one of our subscribers.  She sent me an email yesterday with a great idea.  Here it is:

 

“Dear Tom –

 

 I don’t know about you, but I am getting tired of hearing about the

 wretched state of our economy which is predicted to remain “in the

 tank” for the next 24 months. We cannot turn off the mike on Bernanke

 and the Doomsday Brigade, but we can have faith and pray. Rather than

 continuing to just pray in general for our economy, I have compiled a

 list of the companies that each family member works for. I have asked

 each person in our family to take this list and commit to pray for

 each company every day until Thanksgiving.

 

 Now, I realize if you were to do this with your family, it might be a

 very short list; 🙂 but I wonder if you might encourage other families

 and small groups to do something of this nature.

 

 Let’s pray for our companies to have discipline, wisdom and hope; to

 find opportunities and create solutions.”

 

 Faith, love and prayers for Ziglar –

 Anita Fos

 

This reminds me of what Dad says about times like this.  These are some great quotes and the wisdom contained in them is very deep.

 

Zig Says:

 

“It’s not the economy out there that is the problem, it’s the economy between your ears that is the problem.”

 

“Life is tough, but the tougher you are on yourself (self-discipline) the easier life will be on you.”

 

“How many of you today believe there is something you could do in the next few days that would make your personal life, your family life, or your business life…..worse?  Could I see your hands?  Doesn’t it makes sense that if you could make your life worse, you could also choose to do something that would make your life better?  You are in control and have the ability to make your life either better or worse, the choice is yours.”

 

“You are who you are and what you are because of what has gone into your mind.  You can change who you are and what you are by changing what goes into your mind.”

 

In a follow-up email with me Anita said this:

 

“Have you read “48 days to the Work you Love” by Dan Miller? www.48days.com  I love his ideas about work being an extension of our worship and the direction he provides for people to find the work God created them to do. His podcast, (available on iTunes/career) is full of ideas, inspiration and hope.

On one of his podcasts, he asked the question, “What is most commanded in the Bible?” I guessed it would be to obey or to love, but it was: 

“Do not be afraid.” What a great thing to remember at this time!”

 

This truth is something I have watched first hand with Dad.  His joy, his happiness, is not dependent on his circumstances!  The past year as he has had to Embrace The Struggle with his head injury, I can honestly say I have not seen him discouraged or unhappy about the situation at all.  Instead, he constantly reminds me of everything he has to be grateful for and he focuses on what he can do next to improve his situation and make a difference in someone else’s life. 

 

Dad is the happiest man alive not because of his circumstances here, but because of his faith and hope in our Lord.  The power in this is that circumstances are always changing, but God and His love for us never change. 

 

So how do you get out of the pit if your circumstances have knocked you down?  Another Zig quote for you (I think he quoted someone else on this one!):

 

“Logic will not change an emotion, but action will.”

 

So get busy!  You can start right now.

 

1)         Join Anita – pray for your family and their current work situation.

2)         Do what Dad does – write out a gratitude list and carry it with you.  I bet in a day you can think of 50 things you are grateful for.

3)         Change the economy between your ears – listen to Dad, Dan Miller, Dave Ramsey just to name a few.

4)         Develop an action list of things that will improve your life – and JUST START!

 

The Eight Things Everyone Wants – How Do You Get Them in a Tough Economy?

 

After years of study and working with thousands of people, Dad says that everyone wants to be or have these eight things:

 

Happy

Healthy

Reasonably Prosperous

Secure

Friends

Peace of Mind

Good Family Relationships

Hope

 

So how is it that in any economy you have “rich” people who believe they don’t have any of these things, and you have “poor” people who believe they have more than enough of every one of these things?

 

Did you know you have a choice and you can make every one of these areas better in your life today?  What are you waiting for?

Seven Success Keys

 Right now with the economic meltdown going on, or not going on, depending on if it’s Monday or Friday, I think we all want our individual success to depend on us, not on the economy, not our employer, and certainly not the government!  So here are a few keys to consider:

 

1. “You have to be before you can do, and you have to do before you can have,” Zig Ziglar, www.ziglar.com.   Dad lays it out pretty clearly right here.  Success starts with being the right kind of person first.  Build the proper character foundation in your life, then apply it with great work ethic, and only then can you have the things in life you want. 
2. “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want,” Zig Ziglar.  This is the philosophy that guides your be, do, and have mindset.
3. “All great failures are moral failures,” Fred Smith www.breakfastwithfred.com.   Dad’s mentor Fred Smith points out that anytime you see a great failure, it is not because of their intellect, but because of some great moral failure.  The current economic crisis is a perfect example of this.  Greed and instant gratification are the two primary reasons we have a crisis right now.  Isn’t it morally wrong to knowingly encourage someone to take a huge risk?  Isn’t it morally wrong to take a huge risk for no other reason than instant gratification?
4. “The five predictors of success for someone starting and running their own business are passion, talent, determination, self-discipline, and faith,” Dan Miller, No More Mondays, www.48days.com.  Do you have what it takes to be your own boss?  Dan is the go-to guy for advice on this.  How cool would it be to wake up every day doing what you are passionate about? (Trust me, it’s COOL!)
5. “Debt is dumb, cash is king,” Dave Ramsey, www.daveramsey.com. Imagine having no debt in your life.  Would you sleep better?  How much freedom would you have?  Being debt free is a choice and Dave gives you a specific plan of action on how to become debt free.  I must warn you though; the plan is very simple, although not necessarily easy because there are no gimmicks or shortcuts.  It only requires common sense and uncommon discipline!
6. “Eat pure,” Tom Ziglar,  The Purity Diet. The most important asset you have is your health.  The best thing you can do to benefit your health is to eat right.  If you “eat pure” every day you will be amazed at the results.
7. “I’ve heard it, too: Motivation is temporary, and I agree. But then, so is bathing and eating, but if you do both of them on a daily basis you will live longer and smell better in the process,” Zig Ziglar.  What kind of fuel are you running your brain on?  Put the good, the clean, the pure, the powerful and the positive into your brain on a daily basis and the amount of good stuff that comes out will astonish you!

The Great Shift

   

Several major things in the market place are changing right before our eyes.  This has been going on for some time, but the cost of oil, the sub-prime housing crisis, inflation, and the growing national and personal debt are accelerating this change.  Add in a media frenzy that lives on bad news amplified by an election year, and suddenly the landscape looks remarkably different, and scary.

 

Three questions:

 

What is the “real” great shift?

Where are the opportunities?

Why should I remain positive?

 

The “real” great shift.  One of the benefits of what I do is the ability to communicate with thousands of individuals from thousands of different companies and industries.  Ninety-eight percent of these people are fixated on their particular problem.  On the surface these challenges seem unique, but when pulled together they explain the great shift. 

 

Summed up, employees, the self-employed and corporate leadership are saying the same thing: 

 

Technology + Globalization + Changing Workplace Values = The Great Shift

 

Technology (the Internet and the ability to do business differently), globalization (new competition made possible by technology), and changing workplace values (older workers retiring being replaced by under 30 workers) are creating a great shift in the market place.

 

The opportunity.  The old guard (those that are 60 plus and are the current leadership in business today) have lived though many economic cycles and technological advances in the past and for the most part they are under the false assumption that they can live through this one as well without having to change the way they operate. 

 

The problem is technology is taking away their ace in the hole – their exclusive access to essential knowledge to get a deal done.  This fact, combined with the reality of hundreds of very knowledgeable competitors from all over the world instead of just a few they used to know by name, is making their contribution to the organization much more uncertain.  Add to the equation that the younger workers in their organization have different value priorities and at the same time see the shortfalls in their leadership, and it makes it very difficult for the old guard to be effective.

 

The opportunity is pretty straightforward and complex.  Organizations and people that are winning in the great shift are focusing on leveraging the wisdom of the old guard with technology and building a bridge based on common values to the younger workforce.  It’s complex because the foundation of success is based on relationship building around values that make the organization successful, and something the old guard has never really had to deal with before. 

 

The old guard entered the workforce and did what their boss told them to do just because they were told to do it.  Their number one priority was their work, and they pretty much worked as much as they had to in order to climb the company ladder.  Now the old guard is leading younger workers whose number one priority is not to work, and who want to know why they have to do something!  “Because I said so” just doesn’t cut it anymore.

 

It is ironic to me that the old guard have wisdom and great values like honesty, work ethic, and discipline, but have misplaced their priorities and don’t understand how to build relationships.  It’s ironic to me that younger workers understand technology and globalization, have more balance in their lives and their priorities make sense, but their values are too often driven by entitlement and selfishness, and their lack of experience shows up in their short-sighted decision making process.

 

Summed up, the opportunity is to build the bridge between the old guard and the younger workers.

 

Why should you be positive?  You have an awesome opportunity!  You can either be that bridge or help build that bridge!  In fact, why not do both?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“How do I sell ___________ in this economy?”

 

We sent a survey out to our Zig Ziglar Newsletter list asking our readers what challenges they are facing right now in the current economy.  A large number of people have asked the same basic question:

 

“How do I sell ___________ in this economy?” 

 

I polled our team of experts on some ideas.  I am hopeful a few of these nuggets will help you!

 

1.  Copy the Banking Model:

 

Within the banking industry, the key driver to limit customer attrition is 3.5 services per customer.  Therefore, if you can have a checking account, savings account, IRA and home equity line of credit, the desire of the customer to quickly change banks through a “loss leader” or high CD yield is dramatically reduced due to the overwhelming existing relationship with the bank.

 

For those of us not in the banking industry, we can still have this same approach.  Do not lead with product but be a proactive problem solver looking to really impact the customer in a number of areas.  By constantly striving to provide multiple value chains, you will prevent customer attrition.

 

2.  Look at the Big Picture:

 

The biggest pitfall during a down economy is to focus solely on keeping the current customer base intact.  Keep in mind that each of your competitors feels the same issue and this is the most important time to aggressively look for new clients.  During these times, identify and run three concurrent marketing/sales strategies to look for unhappy customers.

 

Email advertising, dinner speaker programs, and cold calling are three touches to potential prospects that can offer some assistance.  However, these are not the only options you have.  As competitive landscapes increase, consider getting out of the box and putting together a unique, low-cost event.

 

A local art dealer in a major city will feel the same slowing and will be willing to work with you as would a local catering company.  Network with both and put on an upscale social networking event, using the catering company for heavy hors d’ouvres and the art gallery for ambiance.  This will be something that your customers will remember and set you apart from the competition.  The more creative the concept, the better the customer memory.

 

3.  The Benefit of a Community:

 

During a slow economic time, look to your faithful for growth strategies.  For your most satisfied customers, simply ask for referrals.

 

“Tom, it has been a pleasure to work with you over the years.  One of my business strategies for this year is to focus on referrals from my top customers.  Would you be willing to facilitate an introduction to some of your colleagues that could benefit from the level of service that I have provided you over the last four years?”

 

This is a simple strategy to quickly grow from your existing list.  If you don’t ask for the referral, it is unlikely you will receive it.

 

Additionally, dig into your database and ask them for areas of unmet needs in their lives.  By providing your clients with the level of service they desire, you will cement them as lifelong customers and loyal referral sources.

 

4. Encourage Through Constant Contact:

 

Send little postcards, recipes, “I Like …” notes, a joke, a golf tip or other appropriate content, an email, etc.  Nothing obnoxious, just little reminders weekly that you are there for them.

 

5. Offer to Help in Areas That Are Not Tied to Your Business:

 

Ask about all the challenges they have and then see if there is someone in your network that can help.  Basically, help connect the dots.

 

6. Be Available:

 

Half the battle is showing up every day.  Make sure  the customers know how to reach you and that they can reach you when they need to.  Then make sure your cell phone is on, and check your email often.  Move to a Blackberry or other smart phone if you haven’t already done so.  Be available!

 

7. Announce and/or Promote a “Growing Into Business Sale”:

 

“This week our agency is announcing that we are not participating in the rumors that our economy is a problem.  We are focusing on sales, service and support of our clients and meeting their needs in the days ahead.”

 

8. “We Believe Campaign”:

 

This is what our company believes:

a.      The economy is neither good nor bad.  We believe our services are great, our clients are better, and our solutions are exceptional.

b.      Our clients still need protection.  We believe that our protection, premiums, and products are still the best on the market.

c.      We deliver.  We believe that no matter what the economists are saying, our policyholders still need attention and we believe we are the best at providing that attention.

 

9. “We’re Serious About Your Campaign”:

 

In the past few months, the newscasters have told us in very grave ways about these serious financial times we are experiencing here in California.  We can top that.  We’ve been taking our clients seriously for the past eight years!  We don’t wait for a serious economic situation to cause us to take you, our policyholder, seriously.  We’ll give you the same attention we have for the past 96 months (8 years x 12 months).

 

10. Sell Your Support Team:

 

Come to the realization that you really are not only selling, but you must sell those that sell for you and you must motivate them to be loyal to you, which is not easy today.  This is why it is so imperative you give more service than people expect, especially to your support team.

 

11. Creative Marketing:

 

Send a tea bag in the mail and ask for a half hour to have a cup of tea and talk about their offering.  Make the time you spend with your customer about them!