The name Girard Joe is included in the Guinness Book of Records as the name of the most successful merchant of all time and around the world. Why was he so honored? What moments of his biography, what personal qualities, beliefs led this person to such an overwhelming success?
The name Girard Joe is known to everyone who is somehow connected with the world of sales or seeks to improve their well-being, reads many books and publications on this topic. This man is a role model, the idol of many millions, the most talked about salesman among economic analysts. His books are sold in millions of copies, in almost all countries of the world, his name is even mentioned by teachers of sales courses.
Biography of Girard Joe
Girard comes from an American family of immigrants of Sicilian descent, was born in November 1928. His parents, in his own words, were "poor as church rats," and this state of affairs did not suit the boy at all. Childhood was not cloudless and happy - the father regularly took out his anger and irritation on the household, he loved to repeat to his son that nothing would come of him, that he would remain a nonentity, “nothing”.
Until the age of 35, Girard Joe's life lived up to his father's prophecies. But the mother supported the young man, tried to help him in everything, no matter what he did - and Girard tried himself in various professional fields.
In 1962, Girard Joe literally begged for a dealer position in one of the car companies - from that moment his success began. It was in this year that he received the first impressive commission for those times - $ 10, which he spent up to a cent on food for the family.
Girard Joe's career
Selling cars seemed like a gold mine to Girard, and he was not wrong. His first place of work was a dealership of the Chevrolet concern. Unlike his colleagues, Joe sold 15-18 cars a month, and his success and high earnings haunted them. Girard was slandered and fired. But this "fall" did not become a reason for despondency, and almost immediately he got a job at once in several similar centers of such well-known companies as
- General Motors,
- Ford,
- Chrysler.
The level of its sales was amazing - they were higher than those of competitors, not even several times, but an order of magnitude. And Girard attracted the attention of not only representatives of industrial companies of various directions, but also analysts, economists, managers who tried to find out his secret, adopt the "technology" of communication with potential clients.
Girard Joe's Rules of Success
This thread to additional income did not go unnoticed by Girard. He decided to sell his secrets of high sales as well - he began to write books. According to him, the most important thing is to find an activity that you enjoy, which does not become a job. But this rule was not new, other arguments and proofs were required, the public was waiting for revelations and recipes for obtaining high incomes.
In 1977, Girard Doge's first book, How to Sell Anything to Anyone, was published. In it, he revealed a kind of technology for communicating with a client, gave recommendations on the principle of building a dialogue.
From that moment on, Girard Joe sold not only cars, he also began to sell himself, or rather, his books and experience. He was invited to universities and lectures in small groups. He became a regular participant in seminars and friendly meetings, and all this brought money, because it could not be otherwise. “Sell not a product, sell yourself” is the basic rule of the world's best seller, Girard Joe.
Girard Joe's personal life
Very little is known about the personal life of this unique person. He sells himself, but says little about his family and children - “they are part of my world, I love them, I cannot breathe and exist without them, but they have nothing to do with the world of sales, because they are not a game”. Maybe this is also part of the secret of his success - to be famous, to be in sight, but to be able not to let extra ears and eyes into the personal. And this is also art!
The press wrote and writes a lot about Girard Joe's quivering love for his mother. When he failed, when he worked either as a newspaper peddler or as a shoe shiner, only his mother believed in his future success, never tired of convincing him that sooner or later he would pull the family out of poverty.
Analysts and Critics' Opinion on Girard Joe's Books
At a later age, the main income of Girard Joe began to bring his lectures and books. Both critics and analysts in the field of economics and management believe that their success lies in the following aspects:
- the author writes about himself, practically and simply telling his biography,
- the rules for success are simple and clear, based on psychology,
- the books contain many examples of how to build a dialogue, what to talk about with a customer.
But there are also negative reviews of Girard Joe's books. Some of them indicate that such a sales path is humiliating, devoid of any respect for the merchant both for himself and for the potential client, unnecessarily intrusive and even disgusting. Opponents answer that it is generally impossible to sell something without pressure, although some of them agree that a sense of proportion should be present in the dialogue.
There are still more enthusiastic reviews about Girard Joe's books than negative ones. Those who were fortunate enough to attend his lectures personally, leave them spellbound by his talent to win over, convince, his openness, sincerity and simplicity. It is also worth noting that many have achieved success by following the rules of Girard Doge, which is a strong argument in favor of his approach to sales.
