Joe Girard

Joe Girard ( born November 1, 1928 in Detroit ) is an American seller and author. He is, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, the best car salesman in the world. In twelve consecutive years Girard sold more cars than any other car salesman, an average of six every day. No other car salesman was ever more than a year of successful car salesman.

Life

Girard is the son of a poor immigrant from Sicily. At the age of nine years, Girard began to work as a shoeshine boy. In his youth he worked as a paperboy, dishwasher, dockers and bellhop. With 16 years Girard obtained a permanent position as a mechanic at the Michigan Stove Company. The age of eighteen he joined the U.S. Army, was injured but after a few months and was discharged. He then worked in construction, was, however, deeply in debt. Finally, he got a job at a Chevrolet dealership, where he very successfully sold cars in the coming years. In 15 years, he sold 13,001 new cars. In 1978, he went into retirement. His experience is processed in several best sellers and as a motivational speaker. Among other things, he sent every month thousands of greeting cards to its customers. He was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2001.

Specifically, Girard has established the following records:

• Most new car sales in one day (18 )
• Most new car sales in one month ( 174)
• Most new car sales in one year ( 1,425 )
• Most new car sales in a 15 -year career ( 13,001 )

• How To Sell Anything To Anybody. Simon & Schuster, 1977. ISBN 0-671-22651-7.
• How To Sell Yourself. Simon & Schuster, 1980. ISBN 0-671-25038-8.
• How To Close Every Sale. Piatkus Books, 1990. ISBN 0-7499-1006-2.
• Mastering Your Way to the Top. Random House, 1996. ISBN 0-517-17284-4.