Zig Ziglar, A Great Inspiration to Business Leaders, Dies at 86


Call him a motivational speaker, a thought leader, or an early self-help guru, Zig Ziglar was an inspiration to many, including entrepreneurs. As those in the business community said goodbye to Ziglar, who died at age 86 on Wednesday, we look at how attitude, outlook, and personal brand still affect business and success today, just as Ziglar has told us for 40 years.

The Man and the Message

Determine your altitude. As Ziglar said, “Attitude, not aptitude, determines altitude.” His philosophies on business and personal success put together might be described as Ziglar’s “personal brand”, developed way back in the 1950’s before this term was in common use. At that time, Ziglar, a salesman, discovered that selling himself was the key to success and a 40 year career as a speaker and author. Your personal brand is a part of your business too. Think about the brand you project to customers. The New York Times

Words to live by. Before entrepreneurs ever talked about producing content and information products, Ziglar built a global business in which his words and message were his only real products. Those products were repackaged in the form of books, cassettes, and eventually podcasts. Here online marketer Nicole Dean shares some of chunks of Ziglar’s wisdom in quotes and video clips of his successful presentations. Think about the information you provide to your customers and what that information is worth. Nicole on the Net

Tips for Achievement

Build your brand. Personal brand is widely recognized today as an important asset for any entrepreneur or business leader. No matter what your product or service, this brand communicates to customers about what you stand for and who you are. Your brand may help others decide whether or not they want to be in business with you. But building that brand may not be as easy as it seems. Here Elaine Rogers examines seven mistakes that can hurt your person brand. Don’t let these mistakes happen to you. Tweak Your Biz

Have a plan. Ziglar often talked about the importance of setting goals. Part of the process was to determine what it would take to meet that goal and then establishing the steps necessary to achieve it. All entrepreneurs must have a plan to move their venture forward and understand the steps needed to carry out that plan, leading their companies to success. Yet some of the greatest pitfalls are not unexpected problems, but totally avoidable mistakes made early on in the process, says startup expert Martin Zwilling. Here are some of the worst, so plan ahead! Startup Professionals Musings

Start with a purpose. Taken together, Ziglar’s philosophies point to the importance of a purposeful life. To avoid being what he called a “wondering generality,” he advocated defining that purpose and steps needed to fulfill it. Entrepreneur Allen Lau advocates the same philosophy when starting any business and gives this same advice to others interested in founding companies of their own. When he started his business, Lau was focused on solving a problem of his own, access to his collection of books on his mobile device, but ended up creating Wattpad, a service that brings readers and writers together, benefiting a much larger community. Sprouter Blog

The Final Analysis

Keep things simple. Ziglar had a few simple rules for his incredibly popular presentations. He focused on easy to remember sound bites of wisdom, injected humor and optimism into his message, and always made his audience’s success at applying his principals a priority. Keeping things simple in your business will pay great dividends too, explains business consultant Susan Oakes. For example, take steps to simplify your marketing message, making it easier to communicate your value to customers and to grow your business. M4B Marketing

Know when to quit. Tom Ewer would add persistence to the principles of optimism and goal setting as imperative in realizing your business ambitions. But don’t forget a dose of realism to help you determine when things aren’t working. Never give up on your overall vision when trying to create your business, advises Ewer. Instead, use reality checks to determine whether your approach is the right one or whether you will need to modify your plan to reach your objectives. MyWifeQuitHerJob.com

3 Comments ▼
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  1. Eli "Small" Hochstetler

    I am 68 years old and I believe Zig was the MOST POSITIVE,easly understood,truest man I have met in my lifetime. I thank God for the opportunity.

  2. Thank you Zig! You were a GiANT to millions of us everyday businessmen. RIP