The Secret of the Greatest Business Saleman in the World

MODEL THE BEST
   
Joe Girard knows how to sell cars.  In fact, he’s listed in the Guinness Book of World Records: as “the world’s greatest salesman.”  Over his 14-year (1963 to 1977) car-selling career he sold more than 13,000 vehicles - that’s an average of six cars/day.
- His best day - he sold 18 vehicles
- His best month - he sold 174
- His best year - he sold 1,425.
 
By himself, Joe Girard has sold more cars than 95 percent of all dealers in North America.  To make his feat even more incredible, he sold them at retail, one vehicle at a time.
 
His secret - he learned it at a funeral! - Read On -

The Funeral That Changed Joe Girard Approach to Sales
So how did Girard go from his lowly start to become the world’s greatest salesperson?  He used what is perhaps the most underused lead-generation technique in the world. Yet it’s probably the most effective way of getting new business that there is. It gives a salesperson instant credibility with a prospective customer - making the prospect more likely to buy.  Interestingly, the idea came to Girard while he was attending a funeral.
 
It was around this time that he attended that funeral. It was a Catholic funeral. Mass cards were given out to all those in attendance. Girard asked the funeral director how he knew how many Mass cards to have printed up for each funeral.  The funeral director told Girard that the number of people attending a funeral always seems to average out to 250. So that’s how many he prints up each time.
 
Soon after that, Girard sold a car to a Protestant funeral director. When he asked how many people typically attend a Protestant funeral, he got the same reply: “About 250.”
 
When he attended a wedding, he asked the minister the same question. The answer was about 250 on the bride’s side and 250 on the groom’s side.
 
Joe Girard’s “Law of 250″
It was after these 2 funerals and a wedding (sounds like a movie title) that Girard came up with what he called the “Law of 250.”  The basic principle is that most people have about 250 people in their lives who would show up at their funeral or wedding. There are exceptions, of course. Some have more, some have less. But the average seems to be 250.
 
So how did he use this information?  First off, he realized that if he did a poor job of selling a car to somebody, he could potentially lose 250 more customers.  But, more important - if he did a great job, he could gain 250 more customers.  So Girard reasoned that if he consistently built strong relationships with his customers and treated them fairly, it would make his job a lot easier in the long run.  So he set his sights on getting referrals. How did he go about it?  Here are the three main ways:

First, within a few weeks of selling a car to someone, he would call them up and ask how the car was running. If things were going well, he’d ask for a referral. If they weren’t, he’d fix the problem - then ask for a referral.
 
He kept a file listing personal information about each customer - such as the names of their children, what they did for a living, their birthdays, their kids’ birthdays, etc. He’d use that information to personalize his conversations with them. He sincerely cared about people, and made them feel so special they couldn’t wait to recommend him to a friend or relative.
 
Every month, year after year, Girard would send a greeting card to every customer on his list. Inside would be a simple message. He knew they’d need a new car one day, and he wanted to keep himself top of mind. He was careful not to include anything that might sound like a sales pitch. Just an anecdote, a new idea, a news story, a book review, a birthday greeting, or a tip he knew they’d be interested in. (Eventually this task became so big, he had to hire someone to do it for him.)
 
Here are a few referral-related tactics you can start using tomorrow:
 
1. Go the extra mile for your customers and prospects.  Do things that will make you stand out from the pack. If you see an article that you feel may interest one of them, mail it (or e-mail it, but sending something in the mail tends to have a greater impact). 

2. Make sure your customers know about every service you provide.  If you sell Product A to someone, make sure they also know you carry Products B, C, and D. The more solutions your customers know you provide, the more likely they can refer more people to you.
 
3. Establish relationships with people who sell complementary products or services. For example, if you sell boats, contact the local marina and introduce yourself. Offer to exchange referrals to help each other’s business grow.
 
4. Ask for a referral.  If you don’t ask, chances are you’ll never get a referral.
 
5. Always thank your customers for their referrals.  Obviously, say “Thank you.” But then take it one step further. Send a thank you note or a small gift. It could lead to another referral.
 
6. Keep your customers informed.  Let your customers know what happened when you called the person they referred you to. 

DAILY PRAYER  
Father, help us to always be open to inspiration and revelation - even in the most unlikely of places.  Also, may we always be inspired to go the extra mile for our customers and anyone that they refer to us.  In Jesus name, Amen.
 
Test the rule of 250 - take out a piece of paper, and for the next 3 days add names to it of everyone you know.  Remember to think of family, friends, co-workers, co-students, teachers, retailers, service providers, church, associations, clubs, sports leagues, etc.  Bet you get at least 250 on your list.  Now think of how many of those people would benefit from the product or service that your favorite business, store, or vendor provides.   You are now walking down the path of Joe Girard!
 
Grace and peace multiplied to you.