5 Crucial Zig Ziglar Quotes Business Owners Should Memorize

Zig Ziglar passed away November 28th, 2012, but his legacy will live on in many books and countless recordings.

I wanted to share 5 of the "cream-of-the-crop" quotes from Zig Ziglar, which all business owners and professionals should have memorized (or tattooed somewhere memorable, if you're in to that). They have helped me shape how I view myself and my own business.

Here they are, and why they're so boss.

1) "If you learn from defeat, you haven't really lost."

It's so easy to get frustrated and give up. Some statistics say that 90% of start-ups fail in their first years. Some of these are due to business factors, but many of them are from succumbing to small defeats. It's become a maxim to learn from your failures, and Zig Ziglar points this out beautifully: anytime you gain experience, you gain. Period.

Of course, sometimes we don't ever get to the point of losing...

2) "If you wait until all the lights are green before you leave home, you'll never get started on your trip to the top."

We like to make sure all of our ducks are in a row, but sometimes that kills us. A "Ready, Fire, Aim" approach may be better than spending so long aiming that you never get to shoot...

3) "Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become successful."

And here, of course, is the reason why it's better to take aim quickly, but then fire and worry after about hitting closer to the mark. We learn though failure because we learn through experiences. Again, so long as you're learning, you win.

4) "The greatest good we can do for others is not just to share our riches with them, but to reveal theirs."

Another way to win is to help others. Like rocks in a tumbler that polish each other, we can help polish others who will in turn polish us, leaving both parties better off than when they met. And that's important, because...

5) "You can have everything in life that you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want."

All that matters in life is helping people. I'm in sales, and at the end of the day, my main goal is just to help my customers do business better. And if I can help them do what they want to do, in the end, I'll get what I want. Again Win/Win.

Summarizing Zig Ziglar's Philosophy In One Sentence...

If I had to summarize Zig Ziglar's philosophy in one sentence, it would be: Always aim for a win/win scenario. That's the thread of all of these quotes, and if you're aiming in a way that means you can't fail, then the sky is the limit!

You Can Turn Your Mistakes, Magically, Into Opportunities

If you are like me, then you are human, and you make mistakes. Mistakes, however, are an opportunity if you seize that opportunity; and by doing just that you can become a master at overcoming your mistakes:

- Take the time to evaluate the mistake and then learn from it. A great way to evaluate is to look at what went right and what didn't.
- Take ownership of what you did that was incorrect or wrong.
- By taking ownership of your responsibility you are able to accept that you made the mistake.
- And finally, you can use your evaluation and learning to better yourself.

When you truly acknowledge and accept your responsibility and role in mistakes can you access the magic or treasure of the mistake.

As an entrepreneur, I am sure, you are more than familiar with mistakes. You probably have made both small mistakes and BIG mistakes along the way. Mistakes may, for some, put them right out of business or scare them out of business.

When you are in business, it is like walking through the jungle. You have to be prepared to be in the jungle and survive. You have to have thick skin, courage, perseverance and more. I bet you have had some customers that were close to totally impossible. Or a competitor that always seemed to be 3 steps ahead of you. If you do any marketing well, then you have made many mistakes. Because marketing success is all about learning from what didn't work.

This is the joy of an entrepreneur: the excitement of learning, the control to make mistakes and the willingness to be courageous and take risks. You persevere and you learn, continuously. Your positive attitude is essential in building a thriving businesses and enduring the lessons that you have to learn along the way.

Mistakes can be spun, magically into new income, new revenue

One way to do this "spinning into money", is to share your experience with others. Other people can benefit from your learning and their tension eases as they realize that they are not alone. You can also create your own coaching program to provide coaching, based on your experience to other businesses. An entrepreneur that is courageous can share their own personal mistakes, pointing out the challenges that they faced and how they overcame them, creates a synergy with other business owners. Suddenly, you are a speaker and coach, and people are following you, because you have risen to the level of expert.

Connect, connect, connect!

As an entrepreneur, you have to connect with other people. Your contacts and connections are vital when you see your sales slowing or if you decide to start a new business venture. Networking is just part of business. It gives you additional venues for sharing your expertise and sharing your advice.

WOW, the customer:

It is critical throughout your business to WOW your customers. "WOW" is all about service delivery, quality and customer service. Maybe you have had a challenging staff person that wasn't especially good at customer service. You know that that is essential for your long-term success. You have to take action with the employee to improve their performance, or change their responsibilities.

It becomes an opportunity to update your customer service policy and to re-train staff. You can also evaluate what can be automated: answering services, Q & A page on your website, automated messages.

Mistakes and challenges make it impossible for you to not look at your business. By taking on the opportunity you are able find the magic of the mistakes. What can you improve? Systems? Process? Policy? Operating a business with a constant process for improving your services, your products and your business, creates a thriving business. Use each mistake to review the process or policy and make the changes you need to, to improve it.

Your magical mistakes can set you apart from the competition. Customers will appreciate that you are constantly making your business work better. Using excuses instead of making magic will stall your business. You won't stand out as a mover and shaker. Of course, we would all like that perfect business model and business operation but the real way to get there is just what we have discussed here. Take mistakes, evaluate them, take out the lessons and improve yourself, your business, your operations, and a s result you will thrive!