Girard’s Law of 250

Joe Girard - “The world’s greatest salesman”.

Joe knows sales. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Joe sold over 13,000 cars during his 15 year career including 1,425 cars in 1973. Note these were all retail automobile sales, not fleet sales. He held the title for 12 years.

Here’s one of the secrets to Joe’s success.

During the course of his life he had attended numerous weddings and funerals and he determined by asking priests and morticians, “How many people usually show up”. The answer always averaged around 250.

He quickly realized that every person knows around 250 people. Maybe not well enough to be called best friends, but certainly well enough to be invited to that person’s wedding or funeral. He used this fact to build a huge referral business and propel him to “World’s Greatest” status.

He coined the term, “Girard’s Law of 250″ and it applies to you as well.

Make sure everyone knows what you do. Don’t be a stealth marketer. Here’s how to start applying this law towards your success:

1) Open your email program’s address book. Most people have hundreds of names in there.

2) Open your address book or rolodex and go through it.

3) What about people you work with?

4) Still need more?… Here’s a list of occupations to help.

Who do you know who does the following?…

OFFICIALS AND MANAGERS
Administrators and officials, public administration
Administrators, education and related fields
Administrators, protective services
Business and promotion agents
Buyers, wholesale and retail trade, except farm products
Captains and other officers, fishing vessels
Chief executives and general administrators, public administration
Construction inspectors
Farmers
Financial managers
Funeral directors
Inspectors and compliance officers
Legislators
Management related occupations
Managers and administrators
Managers, farms
Managers, food serving and lodging establishments
Managers, marketing, advertising, and public relations
Managers, medicine and health
Managers, properties and real estate
Managers, service organizations
Personnel and labor relations managers
Postmasters and mail superintendents
Purchasing agents and buyers, farm products
Purchasing agents and buyers
Purchasing managers
Railroad conductors and yardmasters
Ship captains and mates, except fishing boats
Supervisors and proprietors, sales occupations
Supervisors, construction
Supervisors, forestry, and logging workers

PROFESSIONAL
Accounts and auditors
Actors and directors
Actuaries
Aerospace engineers
Agricultural and food scientists
Agricultural engineers
Agricultural and forestry teachers
Airplane pilots and navigators
Announcers
Architects
Archivists and curators
Art, drama, and music teachers
Artists, performers, and related workers
Athletes
Atmospheric and space scientists
Authors
Biological and life scientists
Biological science teachers
Business, commerce, and marketing teachers
Chemical engineers
Chemistry teachers
Civil engineers
Clergy
Computer science teachers
Computer systems analysts and scientists
Counselors, educational and vocational
Dancers
Dentists
Designers
Dietitians
Earth, environmental, and marine science teachers
Economics teachers
Economists
Editors and reporters
Education teachers
Electrical and electronic engineers
Engineering teachers
Engineers
English teachers
Foreign language teachers
Forestry and conservation scientists
Geologists and geodesists
Health diagnosing practitioners
Health specialties teachers
History teachers
Home economics teachers
Industrial engineers
Judges
Law teachers
Lawyers
Librarians
Management analysts
Marine and naval architects
Mathematical science teachers
Mathematical scientists
Mechanical engineers
Medical science teachers
Medical scientists
Metallurgical and materials engineers
Mining engineers
Musicians and composers
Natural science teachers
Nuclear engineers
Occupational therapists
Operations and systems researchers and analysts
Optometrists
Other financial officers
Painters, sculptors, craft-artists, and artist printmakers
Personnel, training, and labor relations specialists
Petroleum engineers
Pharmacists
Photographers
Physical education teachers
Physical scientists
Physical therapists
Physicians
Physicians’ assistants
Physicists and astronomers
Physics teachers
Podiatrists
Political science teachers
Postsecondary teachers, subject not specified
Psychologists
Psychology teachers
Public relations specialists
Recreation workers
Registered nurses
Religious workers
Respiratory therapists
Sales engineers
Social science teachers
Social scientists
Social work teachers
Social workers
Sociologists
Sociology teachers
Speech therapists
Statisticians
Surveyors and mapping scientists
Teachers, elementary school
Teachers
Teachers, postsecondary
Teachers, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten
Teachers, secondary school
Teachers, special education
Technical writers
Theology teachers
Therapists
Trade and industrial teachers
Underwriters
Urban planners
Veterinarians

TECHNICIANS
Air traffic controllers
Biological technicians
Broadcast equipment operators
Chemical technicians
Clinical laboratory technologists and technicians
Computer programmers
Dental hygienists
Drafting occupations
Electrical and electronic technicians
Engineering technicians
Health record technologists and technicians
Health technologists and technicians
Industrial engineering technicians
Licensed practical nurses
Mechanical engineering technicians
Radio logic technicians
Science technicians
Surveying and mapping technicians
Technicians
Tool programmers, numerical control

SALES WORKERS
Advertising and related sales occupations
Auctioneers
Cashiers
Demonstrators, promoters and models, sales
Insurance sales occupations
News vendors
Real estate sales occupations
Sales counter clerks
Sales occupations, other business services
Sales representatives, mining, manufacturing, and wholesale
Sales support occupations
Sales workers, apparel
Sales workers, furniture and home furnishings
Sales workers, hardware and building supplies
Sales workers, motor vehicles and boats
Sales workers, other commodities
Sales workers, parts
Sales workers, shoes
Sales workers, radio, TV, hi-fi, and appliances
Securities and financial services sales occupations
Street and door-to-door sales workers
Supervisors and proprietors, sales occupations

OFFICE AND CLERICAL
Administrative support occupations
Bank tellers
Bill and account collectors
Billing clerks
Billing, posting, and calculating machine operators
Bookkeepers, accounting, and auditing clerks
Chief communications operators
Classified ad clerks
Communications equipment operators
Computer operators
Correspondence clerks
Cost and rate clerks
Data entry keyers
Dispatchers
Duplicating machine operators
Eligibility clerks, social welfare
Expediters
File clerks
General office clerk
Hotel clerks
Information clerks
Insurance adjusters, examiners, and investigators
Interviewers
Investigators and adjusters, except insurance
Legal assistants
Library clerks
Mail carriers, postal service
Mail clerks, ext. postal service
Mail preparing and paper handling machine operators
Material recording, scheduling, and distributing clerks
Messengers
Meter readers
Office machine operators
Order clerks
Payroll and timekeeping clerks
Peripheral equipment operators
Personnel clerks, except payroll and timekeeping
Postal clerks, exc. mail carriers
Production coordinators
Proofreaders
Receptionists
Records clerks
Secretaries
Statistical clerks
Stenographers
Stock and inventory clerks
Supervisors, computer equipment operators
Supervisors, financial records processing
Supervisors, general office
Supervisors; distribution, scheduling, and adjusting clerks
Teachers’ aides
Telephone operators
Traffic, shipping, and receiving clerks
Transportation ticket and reservation agents
Typists
Weighers, measurers, checkers and samplers

CRAFT WORKERS - SKILLED
Aircraft engine mechanics
Aircraft mechanics, ext. engine
Automobile body and related repairers
Automobile mechanics
Bakers
Boilermakers
Bookbinders
Brick masons and stonemasons, except apprentices
Bus, truck, and stationary engine mechanics
Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters
Camera, watch, and musical instrument repairers
Carpenters
Carpet installers
Concrete and terrazzo finishers
Construction trades
Crane and tower operators
Data processing equipment repairers
Dental laboratory and medical appliance technicians
Drywall installers
Electrical power installers and repairers
Electricians
Electronic repairers, communications and industrial equipment
Elevator installers and repairers
Engravers, metal
Excavating and loading machine operators
Farm equipment mechanics
Furniture and wood finishers
Glaziers
Grader, dozer, and scraper operators
Hand molders and shapers, except jewelers
Hand painting, coating, and decorating occupations
Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics
Hoist and winch operators
Household appliance and power tool repairers
Industrial machinery repairers
Insulation workers
Lay-out workers
Locksmiths and safe repairers
Machinists
Mechanical controls and valve repairers
Millwrights
Miscellaneous electrical and electronic equipment repairers
Miscellaneous precision apparel and fabric workers
Miscellaneous precision metal workers
Miscellaneous precision woodworkers
Motion picture projectionists
Not specified mechanics and repairers
Office machine repairers
Optical goods workers
Painters, construction and maintenance
Paperhangers
Patternmakers and model makers, metal
Patternmakers and model makers, wood
Patternmakers, layout workers, and cutters
Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators
Photoengravers and lithographers
Plasterers
Plumbers, pipe fitters, and steamfitters
Power plant operators
Precious stones and metals workers - Jewelers
Roofers
Sheet metal workers
Sheet metal duct installers
Shoe repairers
Small engine repairers
Specified mechanics and repairers
Stationary engineers
Structural metal workers
Supervisors, carpenters and related workers
Supervisors, electricians and power transmission installers
Supervisors, electricians and power transmission installers
Supervisors, extractive occupations
Supervisors, handlers, equipment cleaners, and laborers
Supervisors, material moving equipment operators
Supervisors, mechanics and repairers
Supervisors, motor vehicle operators
Supervisors, production occupations
Supervisors, brick masons, stonemasons, and tile setters
Supervisors, plumbers, pipe fitters, and steamfitters
Tailors
Telephone installers and repairers
Telephone line installers and repairers
Tile setters, hard and soft
Tool and die makers
Typesetters and compositors
Upholsterers
Water and sewage treatment plant operators

OPERATIVES - SEMISKILLED
Adjusters and calibrators
Assemblers
Automobile mechanic apprentices
Brick-mason and stonemason apprentices
Bridge, lock, and lighthouse tenders
Bus drivers
Butchers and meat cutters
Carpenter apprentices
Cementing and gluing machine operators
Compressing and compacting machine operators
Crushing and grinding machine operators
Dressmakers
Drillers, earth
Drillers, oil well
Drilling and boring machine operators
Driver-sales workers
Electrical and electronic equipment assemblers
Electrician apprentices
Explosives workers
Extruding and forming machine operators
Fabricating machine operators
Folding machine operators
Food batch-makers
Forging machine operators
Furnace, kiln, and oven operators
Graders and sorters agricultural products
Graders and sorters, exc. agricultural
Grinding/abrading/buffing/Polishing machine operators
Hand cutting and trimming occupations
Hand engraving and printing occupations
Hand molding, casting, and forming occupations
Hand packers and packagers
Heat-treating equipment operators
Industrial truck and tractor equipment operators
Inspectors, agricultural products
Inspectors, testers, and graders
Knitting. Looping, taping, and weaving machine operators
Lathe and turning machine operators
Lathe and turning machine set-up operators
Laundering and dry-cleaning machine operators
Locomotive operating occupations
Longshore equipment operators
Machine operators, not specified
Machinery maintenance occupations
Machinist apprentices
Marine engineers
Metal plating machine operators
Milling and planning machine operators
Mining machine operators
Mining occupations
Mist metal and plastic processing machine operators
Mist metal, plastic, stone,, and glass working machine operators
Miscellaneous hand working occupations
Miscellaneous machine operators
Miscellaneous material moving equipment operators
Miscellaneous plant and system operators
Miscellaneous precision workers
Miscellaneous textile machine operators
Miscellaneous woodworking machine operators
Mixing and blending machine operators
Molding and casting machine operators
Motor transportation occupations
Nailing and tacking machine operators
Numerical control machine operators
Operating engineers
Packaging and tilling machine operators
Painting and paint spraying machine operators
Parking lot attendants
Photographic process machine operators
Plumber, pipefitter, and steamfitter apprentices
Precision assemblers. metal
Precision grinders, filers, and tool sharpeners
Pressing machine operators
Printing press operators
Production inspectors, checkers, and examiners
Production samplers and weighers
Production testers
Punching and stamping press machine operators
Rail vehicle operators
Railroad brake, signal, and switch operators
Roasting and baking machine operators, food
Rolling machine operators
Sailors and deckhands
Sawing machine operators
Separating, filtering, and clarify machine operators
Shaping and joining machine operators
Sheet metal worker apprentices
Shoe machine operators
Slicing and cutting machine operators
Solderers and brazers
Taxicab drivers and chauffeurs
Textile cutting machine operators
Textile sewing machine operators
Tool and die maker apprentices
Truck drivers
Washing, cleaning, and pickling machine operators
Welders and cutters
Winding and twisting machine operators
Wood lathe, routing, and planning machine operators

SERVICE WORKERS
Attendants, amusement and recreation facilities
Baggage porters and bellhops
Barbers
Bartenders
Child care workers
Cooks
Correctional institution officers
Crossing guards
Dental assistants
Early childhood teacher’s assistants
Elevator operators
Family child care providers
Fire inspection and fire prevention occupations
Firefighting occupations
Food counter, fountain and related occupations
Guards and police, exc. public service
Guides
Hairdressers and cosmetologists
Health aides, except nursing
Housekeepers and butlers
Janitors and cleaners
Kitchen workers, food preparation
Launderers and ironers
Maids and housemen
Miscellaneous food preparation occupations
Nursing aides: orderlies, and attendants
Personal service occupations
Pest control occupations
Police and detectives, public service
Private household cleaners and servants
Protective service occupations
Public transportation attendants
Sheriffs, bailiffs, and other law enforcement officers
Supervisors, cleaning and building service workers
Supervisors, firefighting and fire prevention occupations
Supervisors, food preparation and service occupations
Supervisors, guards
Supervisors, personal service occupations
Supervisors, police and detectives
Ushers
Waiters and waitresses
Waiters’/waitresses’ assistants
Welfare service aides

NOTE: If you don’t want to bother anybody you personally know, most of the trades and occupations listed here have specialty publications produced specifically for them. Tracking these down and placing ads there can generate highly-targeted prospects for your business, as well.

Tags: guinness book of world records, joe girard, law of 250, office and clerical, officials and managers, professionals, sales workers, semiskilled operatives, service workers, skilled craft workers, technicians

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