I could say much about what Zig taught me, but I’m going to focus on the most powerful “Zig-ism” he ever stated: a phrase that passes through my mind constantly:

“You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want.”

So true, so true.

Yet so ignored by so many people.

It all comes down to how you think of things. For example, when I ask people one of my favorite questions “what’s the objective of this ___________?” (campaign, website, brochure, product launch) what I usually hear in response are things like “build my list,” “boost sales by 15%,” “to go viral,” or “to get 10,000 more likes on Facebook.”

What I almost never hear is “to help my consumer learn the key mistake that’s causing them to not make money with social media,” “to help my consumer develop a richer relationship with their teenagers,” or “to help my customer choose which of our products best fills their needs.”

For most of us, most of the time, it’s all about “me, me, me” when it ought to be all about “you, you, you.”

People want to do business with you because you help them get what they want. They don’t do business with you to help you get what you want.

So why aren’t we focusing every program and process on discovering and giving our customers what they want?

Here’s a suggestion that may help:

Every time you begin working on a new marketing or operations process in your business, write down two objectives:

1. Your objective
BY
2. Your consumer’s objective.

The BY in this statement shows the direct connection between your objective and your customers’. It focuses you and your team on the concept that in the long-term (and usually the short-term) you only achieve your objective by helping your customer to achieve their’s.

Here’s an example:

“1. Add 15,000 people to my list

BY
2. Creating an optin incentive that teaches my target customer the top 5 keys to converting Facebook likes into paying customers.”

Being purposely redundant: by writing these two objectives in this way, you clearly connect your objective to helping your target customer achieve their objective. This will then pervade everything you and your team do to create, promote and fulfill the promise of that offer.

Train yourself and your team to constantly focus on helping your customers achieve what they want, and you’ll get what you want as a result!

Thanks Zig!

I’ve got a special gift for you: a free copy of my Initiative Planning Worksheet, which is a very cool tool that takes this concept much further and will help you plan and implement marketing and business projects. Click here to get your free Initiative Planning Worksheet.

Finally, here are a few of my favorite Zig Ziglar quotations you may enjoy:

“If you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.”

“Remember that failure is an event, not a person.”

“You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want.”

“People often say motivation doesn’t last. Neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.”

“There has never been a statue erected to honor a critic.”

“People don’t buy for logical reasons. They buy for emotional reasons.”

“Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.”

“If you go looking for a friend, you’re going to find they’re scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you’ll find them everywhere.”

“A goal properly set is halfway reached.”

“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.”

“If you can dream it, you can achieve it.”

“See you at the top!”

What do you think of the process of focusing on giving your customers what they want? Do you have examples in your life and business? How do you feel about the Initiative Planning Worksheet? Let me know by leaving a comment below and don’t forget to Like, Share, Pin and Tweet this post!

Image Credit: Randy Miramontez / Shutterstock.com