How Did The Legends Of Sales Start Out?

There are so many inspirational sales people out there, legends of the sales world that provide so much motivation to the industry. These sales professionals have proven not just an excessive ability to sell but the ability to inspire.

They weren't born into that position though. They didn't wake up one day and become successful. Their status came from years of grueling hard work and a relentless determination to succeed.

We sometimes don't think about their humble roots and that in reality, any one of us could become equally successful if we work hard enough.

Here are some of the greatest and most influential sales people and how they started their careers:

Zig Ziglar

In 1947 Zig Ziglar dropped out of college and moved to Lancaster where he worked full-time as a cookware salesman for the WearEver Aluminum Company. 2 years later his supervisor fires tells him that he could be a great salesman and gave him advice for how to succeed.  3 years into his sales career, Ziglar moved up to the larger sales territory of Florence where he dominated and was soon promoted to field manager and then to divisional supervisor.

Jordan Belfort

After graduating, Belfort became a door-to-door meat and seafood salesman. He claims in interviews that the business was an initial success, however the business ultimately failed. In 1987, Belfort put his sales skills to use in a different arena. He started working for a brokerage firm, learning in the ins and outs of being a stock broker. Two years later, Belfort was operating his own trading company, Stratton Oakmont.

Mary Kay Ash

Mary Kay Ash was a pioneer for women in business, building a substantial cosmetics empire. In 1939, Ash became as a salesperson for Stanley Home Products, hosting parties to encourage people to buy household items. She was so good at making the sale that she was hired away by another company, World Gifts, in 1952. Ash spent a little more than a decade at the company, but she quit in protest after watching yet another man that she had trained get promoted above her and earn a much higher salary than hers.

Larry Ellison

The king of aggressive corporate technology sales, Ellison seems to be one of those people who would rather be feared than loved. Oracle Corporation, the database company he founded, has for years been criticized for offering over-the-top discounts to win new business, followed by unexpected fees larded on to cover the costs of additional services. Ellison himself is known for creating a culture of winning new business at any cost. He is famous for calling sales managers late at night and on weekends to ask pointed questions about stalled deals or lost accounts.

Grant Cardone

In 1981, at the age of 22, Cardone graduated from college with an accounting degree. Despite wanting to immediately acquire properties, he delayed doing so for a few years. This allowed him to grow the money that he would later use to make investments. Additionally, the delay gave Cardone the ability to soak up as much as he could on the subject of real estate. In 1987, Grant Cardone got a position working for a sales-training company. Fast forward to today and he is now one of the most recognized sales trainers in the world with a hugely successful property portfolio.

Joe Girard

Joe Girard made a name for himself as the greatest car salesman of the postwar era. As a young boy, he sold subscriptions to the Detroit Free Press door to door and learned that sales operated according to a law of averages all its own. The more doorbells he rang, the more money he made. He carried that philosophy forward when he graduated to selling big-ticket items. During a 15-year period that began in 1963, he sold more than 13,000 Chevrolets at a local dealership at one point selling 18 cars in a single workday.

There are so many different paths to success...

There are many more sales legends out there with equally different yet inspiring stories. What is very clear is that there is no one single set path for success in sales. Some work in sales from the start, others go through academic education or work in other industries before finding sales.

There are some common themes though:

• Relentless hard work. They don't stop at anything to succeed, they literally give 150% all the time.
• They are focused, they know what they want to achieve and focus on that.
• The believe in what they do, inspiring others to believe in them.
• They've all failed. Everyone has had failures in life, what successful people do is move onwards and upwards.
• They find a cause, something that drives them.
• They are passionate about what they do.
• They don't give up, no matter what they always get back up.

Could you become a sales legend?

I genuinely believe that anyone could become a sales legend. If you are passionate about sales and are willing to put in the work required, there is every opportunity for you to succeed at the same level as the people mentioned in this post.

There is no right or wrong path to sales success, or a right or wrong time in your life. It could be now or it could be at another stage in your life. All you can do is find what you love, find what you are passionate about and then find ways to create success in that.

Who is the most inspiring or influential sales professional to you?   

I'd love to know who you look up to in the sales world. Please write in the comments box who inspires you and why you find them inspiring.

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