One of my mentors in sales was the late Zig Ziglar.

I attended conferences where he spoke. I read his books and listened to tapes of his presentations (this was before CDs). I had never met Zig in person until my first National Speakers Association Convention in Phoenix.

At coffee break I found myself standing next to my hero Zig Ziglar. To me Zig was like a TV, movie or rock star. I said, “Hi Zig.” He gave me a friendly, “Good morning.” We talked like I would to any of the other NSA member. He was a regular guy.

I learned a lot about sales from Zig. He said, sales isn’t about being a slick talker or high pressure. It is about relationships, listening to people and understanding their needs. Sales is about being honest and building trust. Sales is about helping people. Zig always said, “You can have anything you want if you first help enough other people get what they want.”

This means putting the customer’s needs ahead of our needs. Thanks to following Zig’s teaching, I had a lot of sales success and sometimes heated internal disputes during my corporate life with people in my own organization who thought they had to remind me who paid my salary. I had to remind them, the money to pay all of our salaries came from customers. If we took care of our customers, our customers would take care of us.

As a professional speaker, I learned from my mentors, the #1 Rule for a Professional speaker is; It is all about the audience not us. We can focus on the audience by making sure the presentation contains information the audience needs and is entertaining. The audience needs to be able to hear us and read our slides even from the back of the room. We can have success but only if we help our audiences first.

What Zig taught in sales, I learned, is also important in relationships. We hear, Happy Wife- Happy Life. That is absolutely true. Just like in sales if I understand Lynnda’s needs and wants and do my best to make her happy first, I found my needs and wants get met. When the kids were growing up we planned vacations as a family. From deciding where to go to what rides they wanted to do if we were going to Disney World. We will be heading to Disney World soon with our youngest son and his 4 children. We planned this vacation together. They decided on the theme park and we all agreed on restaurants. We saw our two granddaughters at St. Vincent College last weekend. They are excited and can’t wait until they get to go to Florida. They want to go on vacation with their parents and us, the grandparents. Maybe because the vacations consider everyone’s needs. It is important for everyone to have a good time.

When Lynnda and I do our backyard evening fire pit, it is all about spending one on one time together without TV and phone distractions. It is about communication. Listening and understanding each other’s needs and wants. For me to be happy, Lynnda must first be happy.

Helping, not selling is the basis for the work Shale Crescent USA does. Following is what we tell companies who are coming to SelectUSA this year. Through numerous meetings with foreign companies, they told us what their needs were and why they want to come to the USA. Our focus is to show foreign companies how our region is the best place in the USA to meet their needs.

Discover the competitive advantage of

Shale Crescent USA

Are you seeking a strategic location to expand your business, reduce costs, and boost profitability? The Shale Crescent USA region–encompassing Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia–offers unparalleled opportunities for manufacturing companies.

Why choose

Shale Crescent USA?

∫ Unmatched Energy & Raw Material Access: Locate your operations on top of some of the most economical and dependable energy and raw material sources in the world.

∫ Proximity to Customers: Be at the heart of one of the largest expanding economies globally, with access to 50% of the U.S. population within a day’s drive.

∫ Sustainable Growth: Unlike temporary economic development incentives, our region’s unique advantages–such as its location and resources–are permanent.

Who we are

Shale Crescent USA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping companies like yours increase profitability while creating jobs in our region. We provide insights, resources, and connections to help you make informed decisions about expanding into this thriving area.

Let’s discuss how locating in Shale Crescent USA can transform your business. We look forward to meeting with you and exploring how we can support your success.

Contact us today to learn more about this game-changing opportunity!

If companies come to the Shale Crescent USA they will meet their needs. They will also create good jobs and raise the standard of living for people in the region meeting our needs. Another way we help prospect companies meet their needs is to introduce them to companies in our region who can help them find sites, understand U.S. engineering standards, understand state regulations, who can be a customer for their product or be a company who can supply them with a product or service. Last week we met with a European company visiting the SCUSA. We met at SelectUSA in Washington, DC last May. They were introduced to 5 companies who can help them.

Zig Ziglar’s message — “You can have anything you want if you first help enough other people get what they want.” — isn’t just for business. If you aren’t happy with your relationships, are you focused on your happiness or the happiness of others? Your happiness comes as function of the happiness you create for others. What we get starts with what we willingly give to others, in time, talent, expertise and even finances. For a happy marriage, make your partner happy.

Greg Kozera, gkozera@shalecrescentusa.com, is the director of marketing and sales for Shale Crescent USA, www.shalecrescentusa.com. He is a professional engineer with a master’s in environmental engineering and over 40 years’ experience in the energy industry. He is a professional speaker and author of four books and numerous published articles.