Coming soon · Book Profile
Zig Ziglars Secrets of Closing the
A comprehensive guide to professional selling that teaches the psychology, principles, and specific techniques necessary to build trust, handle objections, and close sales by focusing on integrity and helping customers get what they want.
A profile of this book is on the way.
What it’s about
In 'Secrets of Closing the Sale,' legendary speaker and master salesman Zig Ziglar reveals that the art of persuasion is not about high-pressure tactics but about building a foundation of integrity, enthusiasm, and genuine concern for the customer. This classic guide provides a complete blueprint for sales success, packed with over 100 specific closes, 700 questions, and countless real-world anecdotes that bring sales theory to life. You'll learn the crucial psychology behind why people buy, how to turn objections into sales opportunities, and why your personal character is the most important tool in your arsenal. Whether you're a seasoned professional or new to the field, this book will transform your approach, helping you to not only close more sales but to build a rewarding, long-term career by making the customer the true winner.
The through-line
- Who it’s for
- The reader is a salesperson (or anyone in a persuasive role) who wants to increase their sales, income, and professional success. They desire to become more effective, confident, and respected in their field, moving from just 'making sales' to building a rewarding, long-term career.
- The problem
- Struggling to close sales consistently, facing frequent objections, experiencing rejection, and not achieving their full income potential. Feeling frustrated, insecure, and dejected by missed sales. They may feel like they are pressuring people, lack confidence, or believe they're not a 'natural born' salesperson.
- The plan
- Adopt the Right Psychology: Understand that selling is about helping others, building trust, and transferring your belief.
- Develop Your Personal Character: Build a positive attitude, a healthy self-image, and a foundation of unshakable integrity.
- Master Professional Techniques: Learn to use questions, voice inflection, imagination, and word pictures to persuade effectively.
- Handle Objections and Close: Learn hundreds of specific closes and strategies to turn objections into sales and ask for the order with confidence.
- The payoff
- The reader becomes a confident, respected sales professional with a dramatically higher closing ratio. · They build a thriving, long-term career with loyal customers who provide repeat business and referrals. · They achieve financial success and personal fulfillment, knowing they are helping people and practicing their profession with integrity.
See our guide
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Additional reading
- Attitudinal Variables and Behavior: Three Empirical Studies and a Theoretical Reanalysis · M. Fishbein & I. Ajzen
The book cites this work to support its research philosophy, which emphasizes observing actual behaviors over measuring attitudes, as attitudes are often poor predictors of performance.
- SPIN Selling · Neil Rackham
The book positions the Challenger model as the next major breakthrough after the 'consultative selling' era, which was largely defined by Rackham's research and the SPIN methodology. Rackham wrote the foreword, framing this book as a potential 'fourth breakthrough' in sales history.
- The Psychology of Selling · E. K. Strong
Referenced in the foreword as a foundational breakthrough in sales that introduced the idea of learnable sales techniques like questioning and objection handling. This provides historical context for the evolution of sales methodologies.
- From Impossible To Inevitable · Aaron Ross & Jason Lemkin
The sequel to Predictable Revenue, it expands on growth strategies for scaling a business, co-authored with the founder of SaaStr.
- First, Break All The Rules: What The World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently · Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman
Referenced for its 12 key questions to measure employee satisfaction, which is crucial for retaining the star talent needed to run a sales machine.
- The Seven Day Weekend · Ricardo Semler
Recommended as a resource for CEOs looking to move away from command-and-control management and toward more democratic, employee-empowering organizational structures.
- Barking Up A Dead Horse · Tom Batchelder
Recommended for its focus on the importance of disqualifying poor-fit sales opportunities quickly, a key principle for sales efficiency.
- CEOFlow: Turn Your Employees Into MiniCEOs · Aaron Ross
The author's other work, recommended for deeper insights into creating self-managing teams and empowering employees.
- Inbound Marketing · Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah
Written by the co-founders of HubSpot, this book provides a deeper dive into the demand generation philosophy that is a cornerstone of the author's sales formula.
- The Long Tail · Christopher Anderson
The book's central concept is cited as a key strategic principle for inbound marketing content, advising companies to target niche, 'long-tail' keywords rather than highly competitive head terms.