Joe Girard is listed in the Guinness World Records as “The World’s Greatest Salesman.”
How did that happen? Was he some high-flying executive with lots of underlings?
Nope. He sold ordinary cars to ordinary people.
Joe’s Amazing Sales Stats
Between 1963 and 1978, he sold over 13,000 cars at a Chevrolet dealership.
That’s an average of six cars per day
On his best day, he sold 18 vehicles
On his best month, he sold 174
In his best year, he sold 1,425
Joe Girard sold more cars by himself than 95% of all North America dealerships.
Let that sink in.
To make his feat even more incredible, he sold them at retail—one vehicle at a time. No bulk fleet deals.
The secret to his success? He kept in touch with his customers.
The Law of 250
He created what he called the “Law of 250.” What is it?
The basic principle: everyone has about 250 people in their lives who will show up to their wedding or funeral.
In other words, an untapped resource for referrals and leads.
“Joe Girard realized if he did a bad job of selling someone a car, he could potentially lose 250 other customers. But with a fantastic job, he could gain possibly 250 more customers.”
Constant Contact
Joe sent a personalized greeting card every month to his entire customer list. Each was hand-addressed and stamped.
He did this month after month, year after year, knowing they would eventually need a new car.
And when they did, who did they think of first? Joe, the world’s greatest salesman.
And who did they tell their circle of 250 about? Joe, the world’s greatest salesman.
By the end of his career, Joe Girard was sending out 13,000 cards per month and hired an assistant to help him.
The lesson for us? One great sale can generate many more.
Nurture your leads.
And maybe send hand-addressed cards regularly, too.
Thanks to Allan Dib, The 1-Page Marketing Plan.
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About Me
Hey, I’m Brian, co-founder of Genie Jar Digital. Born a Tar Heel but now a Virginian, I’m the father of five teenagers and the husband of one amazing lady. My family has a thing for Golden Retrievers. Given the right circumstances, I can do a mean moonwalk on a slick kitchen floor.
