Here’s the up close and personal look at my encounter with Zig Ziglar last week. It was awesome! A friend of mine asked me on Tuesday if I still had my “Zig–On”… My answer was a quick yes – and I am committed to keeping it that way.
September 27th, 2010
I met Zig Ziglar in person this morning. It was an incredible experience. I have been a student, admirer, fan, and follower of Mr. Ziglar for more than 25 years. We moved to Dallas 20 years ago and I knew he taught Sunday school in Dallas. Many times I thought what a great opportunity it would be to attend his class.
Zig Ziglar has had a profound impact on my life. I’m a successful sales person and attribute much of that success to the learning that I gained from Zig Ziglar. Fast forward – I never went to Sunday school in Dallas. I have seen Zig Ziglar speak in person more than once but there were 1000’s of other people in the audience. It doesn’t seem possible to run up and shake his hand in the midst of that kind of crowd.
I started my own sales training company in 2005 and thought “I might not be Zig Ziglar – but maybe, just maybe, I can be a little like him”!
This summer was a bit bumpy with our company. Lots of good stuff associated with growth but after 5 ½ years of running at warp speed I think I just got a little tired. I begin to obsess about whether or not Zig Ziglar ever got tired or hit a bump. I talked with the chair of my CEO group, Nancy Starr, and we worked on the possibility of me having a face–to–face meeting with Zig Ziglar. Finally, a dear friend, mentor, and my bowling coach, Susie Minshew and I were having our monthly lunch together; and I emotionally shared with her how much it would mean to me to meet Zig Ziglar. She looked at me and very candidly said, “What are you waiting for?” I didn’t really have a good answer other than I didn’t know if I could meet with him and not be all emotional. That did not seem to be a good enough reason to not follow through.
When I returned home from that lunch, I jumped on the Ziglar website, www.zigziglar.com, and found the “contact us” button. I sent in a note that basically said that I’m a huge fan and was interested in what it would take to have a face–to–face meeting. To my delight, I received a note back that explained that Mr. Ziglar did not deal with star struck fans on a one–to–one basis – (She did not say that)…but that they have a Monday morning devotional at 8:00 a.m. each week and the public is welcome. The next available date that would include Mr. Ziglar was September 27th, 2010. That’s today.
I’m just home from that incredible meeting. The devotional message was significant. The way we spend our time is a true measure of what we believe is important. Truthfully, my warp speed activity over the last few years has probably included only a few minutes spent with God. That was a good message for me.
Mr. Ziglar was present for this devotional, although he did not give it. He did speak afterwards and offered his gratitude to Craig, the gentleman that presented the devotional, and noted how sincere he was in his delivery. His key points were that we must keep learning. Learning adds to our own creativity. We have to keep the “home” court advantage by continuing to court our spouses. It is undeniable that this man is wildly in love with “the redhead” – even after 63 years of marriage. He started his comments with a quote that I have used many times in my life and know that it is part of my make–up because I heard the great Zig Ziglar say it 25 years ago, “When you help enough other people get what they want then you’ll have all that you want.” It’s not the other way around.
It was so significant to me to sit in the same room with this wonderful man. When everything was over I had the privilege of visiting with him more. He had one final thought for the group and that was, “when are you going to start your book?” By now I’m sitting right with him. I’ve shaken his hand and I’m hanging on every word. I ask him what book he was reading now – and of course the Bible was there on the table. He also told me that he trusts two particular authors and reads them a lot. Ebby Holliday and Dr. Frank Minthers. I ask him how to spell the Dr’s. name and he said, “F R A N K”…I giggled (I was nervous)…and said, “I got that – what about the last name?” I sat with, and laughed with, Zig Ziglar. Can there be a better Monday!
His parting words to me were, “When are you going to start that book?” I said, “Today”. He asked me again, and I repeated, “Today.” So here I sit, potentially with the introduction to “The Book”.
I’m relieved to report that I didn’t burst into to tears, overcome with emotion, when he walked into the room. That doesn’t mean that I didn’t cry lots of tears of joy when I got in the car and headed back home to North Richland Hills. I was excited, honored, blessed, and grateful to simply have the opportunity to thank him for his motivation and inspiration. think he’s been thanked a lot, but it seemed to me that he appreciated my enthusiastic gratitude. What a very cool day!
I didn’t ask any questions about business. It was enough to simply thank him and listen to what he had to say. I got to visit with Tom Ziglar, who is the CEO of their company. Tom invited me to come any Monday morning that I’m in town and to bring friends! So if you are in the Dallas / Fort Worth area and want to go with me, then just let me know and we’ll go.
Remember – sign up for our next webinar, October 14, 2010, Make the Most of Your Holiday Season.
