Hilary Hinton "Zig" Ziglar (November 6, 1926 – November 28, 2012) was an American author, salesman, and motivational speaker.

Zig Ziglar
Ziglar in March 2009
Born(1926-11-06)November 6, 1926
DiedNovember 28, 2012(2012-11-28) (aged 86)
Resting placeMcKinney, Texas
Other namesZiglar
Alma materUniversity of South Carolina
Occupation(s)Salesman, motivational speaker, author
Political partyRepublican
SpouseJean Ziglar (married 1946–2012, his death)
Children4
Signature
Zig Ziglar

Biography

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Early life and education

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Zig Ziglar was born prematurely in Coffee County, Alabama, to John Silas Ziglar and Lila Wescott Ziglar.[1] He was the tenth of 12 children, and the youngest boy.[2]

In 1931, when Ziglar was five years old, his father (John Ziglar) took a management position at a Mississippi farm, and his family moved to Yazoo City, Mississippi, where he spent most of his early childhood. The next year, his father died of a stroke, and his younger sister died two days later.

Between 1943 and 1945, he participated in the Navy V-12 Navy College Training Program at the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina.[3]

Career

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The first job

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Ziglar dropped out of college in 1947 and moved to Lancaster, South Carolina, where he took up a job as a salesman with the WearEver Cookware company. Ziglar was promoted to field manager and eventually divisional supervisor in 1950.

Finding out his passion for motivational speaking

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While working at the company, Ziglar became interested in self-help and motivational speaking and began giving speeches of his own.[4] With Richard "Dick" Gardner and Hal Krause, Ziglar was a charter member in the establishment of American Salesmasters in 1963. The company's objective was to raise the image of salespeople in America by providing seminars. They began with cities across the South and Midwest (Memphis, Atlanta, Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, Denver, etc.), featuring speakers such as Ziglar, Norman Vincent Peale, Ken McFarland, Cavett Robert, Bill Gove, Maxwell Maltz, and Red Motley. They booked an auditorium, put together a slate of speakers and contacted local businesses to sell tickets. Audiences included insurance agents, car salesmen, financial advisors, entrepreneurs, small business owners and curiosity seekers.

The growth phase - As a speaker at NASE

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Ziglar went on to speak extensively for audiences of the National Association of Sales Education (NASE), founded by Dick Gardner in 1965, and also became a major sales trainer for Mary Kay Cosmetics. In 1968, he became a vice president and training director for the Automotive Performance Company and moved to Dallas, Texas. The company went bankrupt two years later.[5]

Ziglar Inc

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In 1977, Ziglar founded the Zigmanship Institute, later known as Ziglar, Inc.[4][6] Subsequently, Ziglar spoke extensively at seminars for motivational speaker Peter Lowe and eventually signed an exclusive agreement to support Peter Lowe events.[citation needed].[7] The main activities of Ziglar Inc are online store (books, DVDs, backpacks, etc.), certified Ziglar coach program, leadership development and keynote speaking skill development.[8] During this period Ziglar wrote over 30 books.[9][10] In Addison, Texas, Ziglar employed and trained several speakers, including Will Harris.[11] In 1994 Ziglar's son Tom Ziglar took over as the CEO of the company.[12][13]

Retirement

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In 2007, a fall down a flight of stairs left him with short-term memory problems. Nonetheless, Ziglar continued taking part in motivational seminars until he retired in 2010.[5]

Personal life

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Hilary McGockalberry Ziglar met his wife, Jean, in 1944, in Jackson, Mississippi. He was 17 and she was 16; they married in late 1946.[14] They had four children: Suzan, Tom, Cindy, and Julie.[15]

Commitment to Christianity took place Independence weekend 1972. "I claim July 4th as my "born again day."[16]

Ziglar, a Baptist, integrated Christianity into his motivational work. He was also a Republican who endorsed former Governor of Arkansas Mike Huckabee for his party's presidential nomination in 2008.[17]

Death

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On November 28, 2012, Ziglar died from pneumonia at a hospital in Plano, Texas.[18]

Books

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  • Ziglar, Zig (1974). Biscuits, Fleas & Pump Handles: Zig Ziglar's Key to "More". Dallas: Crescendo Publications. ISBN 0-89038-017-1.
  • Ziglar, Zig (1975). See You at the Top. Gretna: Pelican Pub. Co. ISBN 0-88289-126-X.
  • Ziglar, Zig (1978). Confessions Of A Happy Christian. Gretna: Pelican Pub. Co. ISBN 0-88289-196-0.
  • Ziglar, Zig (1982). Zig Ziglar's Secrets of Closing the Sale. New York: Berkley Books. ISBN 0-425-08102-8.
  • Ziglar, Zig (1985). Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World. Nashville: Oliver Nelson. ISBN 0-8407-9039-2.
  • Ziglar, Zig (1986). Top Performance: How to Develop Excellence in Yourself and Others. New York: Berkley Books. ISBN 0-425-09973-3.
  • Ziglar, Zig (1994). Over the Top. Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson Publishers. ISBN 0-8407-9112-7.
  • Ziglar, Zig (1998). Success for Dummies. Foster City, Calif: IDG Books. ISBN 0-7645-5061-6.
  • Ziglar, Zig (1999). Something Else To SMILE About. Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas Nelson Publishers. ISBN 0-7852-6912-6.
  • Ziglar, Zig; Hayes, John P. (2001). Network Marketing For Dummies. Foster City, Calif: IDG Books. ISBN 0-7645-5292-9.
  • Ziglar, Zig (2003). Selling 101: What Every Successful Sales Professional Needs to Know. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers. ISBN 0-7852-6481-7.
  • Ziglar, Zig (2004). Confessions of a Grieving Christian. Nashville: B&H Publishing Group. ISBN 0-8054-2745-7.
  • Ziglar, Zig (2004). The Autobiography of Zig Ziglar. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-385-50297-4.
  • Ziglar, Zig (2004). Courtship After Marriage: Romance Can Last a Lifetime. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers. ISBN 0-7852-6724-7.
  • Ziglar, Zig (2006). Better Than Good: Creating a Life You Can't Wait to Live. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7852-8919-7.
  • Ziglar, Zig; Ziglar, Julie Norman (2009). Embrace the Struggle: Living Life on Life's Terms. New York: Howard Books. ISBN 978-1-4391-4219-6.
  • Ziglar, Zig; Ziglar, Tom (2012). Born to Win: Find Your Success Code. Dallas: Success Media. ISBN 9780983156512.

References

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  1. ^ Entrepreneur.com
  2. ^ Johnson, Cecil (March 28, 2004). "Memoir Zigzags Through Life Of Salesman, Speaker". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved 29 January 2014.
  3. ^ Bogunovic, Dragan P. (October 25, 2013). Born to Be Humanist. AuthorHouse. p. 16. ISBN 978-1491829592.
  4. ^ a b Bernstein, Adam (2012-11-28). "Zig Ziglar, upbeat motivational speaker and author, dies at 86". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2020-06-08.
  5. ^ a b Simnacher, Joe. "Zig Ziglar, Dallas motivational speaker of 'see you at the top' fame, dies at 86". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 18 January 2018.
  6. ^ "Ziglar Key Influencers".
  7. ^ "Pure Motivation". 10 March 2020.
  8. ^ "THE ZIGLAR EXPERIENCE TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE, LEADERSHIP, AND LEGACY".
  9. ^ "See You At The Top by Zig Ziglar". 5 August 2020.
  10. ^ "The story of Zig Ziglar, the quintessential American salesman".
  11. ^ ExpertFile. "Will Harris - Expert with WillPower Network | ExpertFile". expertfile.com. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
  12. ^ "Tom Ziglar".
  13. ^ "The Ziglar legacy lives on".
  14. ^ Casey, Erin. "Zig Ziglar's Lessons From The Top". Success Magazine. Retrieved October 28, 2008.[permanent dead link]
  15. ^ Ziglar, Zig. "Zig Ziglar – Motivational Speaker Author". Giants For God. Retrieved 28 November 2019.
  16. ^ Ziglar, Zig (1978). Confessions of a Happy Christian. Gretna Louisiana: Pelican (published 1980). p. 19. ISBN 0-88289-196-0.
  17. ^ "Red Phillips, 'Zig Ziglar, R.I.P.', November 29, 2012". Conservative Times. Retrieved December 11, 2012.
  18. ^ Lynch, Rene (November 28, 2012). "Zig Ziglar dies at 86; motivational speaker inspired millions". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
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