Table Of ContentI BELIEVE
You can get everything in life
you want if you help enough
other people get what they want.
SEEVOU
AT
THE TOP
Formerly entitled
BISCUITS, FLEAS AND PUMP HANDLES
By ZIG ZIGLAR
Illustrated by AI Mayton
PELICAN PUBLISHING COMPANY
GRETNA 1986
To Sugar Baby
The redhead who has been
my wife and my life for
thirty-six wonderful
years-and the best is yet
to come.
I BELIEVE
Man was designed for accom
plishment, engineered for suc
cess, and endowed with the
seeds of greatness.
7
ACKNOwLEDGMENTS
I t would be impossible to more than scratch the surface in the
form of acknowledgments to the many individuals who have
helped me through the years. However, some have contributed so
much that their names literally jump off the pages of my life and
demand recognition. Heading the list is my "Sugar Baby" who
gives my life meaning while making it fun and worthwhile. Her
love has been the steadying and motivating factor that is and
always has been present regardless of circumstances.
My mother, through her living examples of faith, courage,
common sense, and love gave me the foundation for life and much
material for this book.
Mr. and Mrs. John R. Anderson played a prominent role in my
life. Mr. Anderson served as a "substitute father" and treated me
like a son as he blended genuine interest with love and/or
discipline as the situation demanded.
Mr. Walton Haining taught me a lot about "horse sense" and
selling myself to the public. Ditto for Bill Cranford, my first sales
manager, whose patience and personal interest transcended the
normal sales manager-salesman relationship.
For sheer drama the short time I spent with P. C. Merrell is
unmatched. He "turned me on, turned me around, and boosted
me up" with the gift of believing in myself.
Hal Krause gave me national and international exposure
through his company and made the road I traveled as a speaker
and author considerably easier. My colleagues on the platform -
Cavett Robert, Bob Richards, Bill Gove, Dick Gardner, Ken
McFarland, and the late Charlie Cullen - all played an
important part in the areas of encouragement, instruction, and
inspiration.
Bernie Lofchick, "Brother Bern," whose advice, help,
encouragement, and belief in me and the "Zigmanship"
philosophy was vitally important in furthering my career and my
personal life as well.
My friend, former associate, and fellow speaker, Dan Bellus,
whose experience was invaluable in the publication of the
original edition. Carroll Phillips, whose attentiveness to detail
8
and specifics of instruction contributed greatly to the clarity and
effectiveness of this edition.
Patti Bond, who typed page after page for both editions at an
incredible speed and Jorita Symington, my secretary, who "held
things together" through it all. Both rate reams of praise and a
heartfelt thank you for their contributions.
Ann Anderson of Nashville, Tennessee gets a "special" bit of
gratitude for helping to reopen my eyes to the joy of living a
fuller, richer life on earth while making certain that I spend
eternity with Jesus Christ.
I would be remiss and even ungrateful if I did not
acknowledge the help given me by my brothers and sisters. There
has always been a deep love and strong sense of encouragement
among us. I hope this effort on my part will be meaningful to each
of them.
Finally, there are my children. Each one is unique, different,
and deeply loved in a special way. Suzan, my first born, provides
me with much stimulating conversation and encouragement.
Cindy, the middle child, quietly comes and goes as she makes her
presence felt everywhere. Julie, the little one, is everywhere
doing everything. Tom, the son whose belated but welcome
appearance keeps me young and hopping. Each has given me
much pleasure and occasionally a little pain. Each has con
tributed immeasurably to family enjoyment and solidarity. Each
was a gift from God for which I thank Him every day.
To all of you whom I have named, please accept my deepest
thanks. To you whom I have not named, please know that even
though you are unnamed in this work, you are not unknown to me
and you are appreciated more than you know.
To all of you, good luck, God bless you, have a good forever, and
I'll see you at the top.
IT'S TRUE
What lies behind us and what lies before us
are tiny matters compared to what lies
within us. Ralph Waldo Emerson
-AND-
You are the only one who can use your
ability. It is an awesome responsibility.
10
FOREWORD
The word "different" will probably come into your mind every
time you open the pages of See You At The Top. The dust jacket is
different, and to start with "The End" is certainly different. The
book is different in "feel," "subject matter," and "technique." For
example, I will often "shift gears" on you and insert an analogy,
example, one-liner, or power phrase to force you to pause and
hopefully lead you to re-read the material to make certain you got
the message. I will also emphasize a "different" theme in today's
market place as I stress that you can get everything in life you
want only if you help enough other people get what they want.
As the author, I believe that the entire book is different and
effective, but my objective was not to write a book that was
"different." The difference evolved because I wrote the book as I
speak. [I'm like the crosseyed discus thrower. I don't set any
records, but I do keep the crowd alert.] During the past 19 years, I
have given the speech, "Biscuits, Fleas and Pump Handles," the
original title of this book, over 3,000 times. Initially, the material
only covered a forty-five minute presentation. Through the years
that forty-five-minute talk has expanded into this full length
book and the "I CAN" course which is being taught in schools and
churches, and the Richer Life Course which is being taught in
businesses all over America.
I cover a lot of subjects in See You At The Top, but my major
objective is to communicate my feelings on faith, love, optimism,
a~d enthusiasm. This is important because in today's world many
people are confused about what real love and real faith is and are
too "sophisticated" to show their true feelings and display real
enthusiasm for anything.
On love - I plead guilty to loving the Lord, my wife, my
family, my fellowman, and America.
On faith - I don't know what tomorrow holds but I know Who
holds tomorrow so I approach it with confidence and thanksgiv
ing. My Bible assures me that my past is forgiven and forgotten.
That takes care of my past. Jesus Christ said, "I have come that
you might have life and have it more abundantly." That takes
care of the present. John 3:16 assures me I will have everlasting
11
life. That takes care of my future. With my past forgiven, my
present secure, and my future irrevocably guaranteed, why
shouldn't I be enthusiastically optimistic?
See You At The Top is a philosophy, but there is little theory
involved. The ideas, procedures, and techniques come from a
lifetime of living. It incorporates thirty years of sales and people
development experience, as well as personal involvement with
many of the world's top professionals from virtually every field of
endeavor. The utilization of the ideas and techniques in this book
will mean that you're learning from other people's experiences
not other people's theories. This is the only practical way to grow
because it's too frustrating, too time consuming, and far too
expensive to learn everything from personal experience.
I say with candor and complete conviction that had this
particular book been available when I started competing in the
game of life, my progress would have been faster and my results
better. Obviously, I believe you'll be richer in many ways if you
utilize this philosophy which I spent over 2,000 hours refining
and committing to paper.
Within the body of See You At The Top, I use over 800
analogies, examples, "one liners," power phrases, human interest
stories, and humorous incidents. The purpose is to hold your
interest and keep you involved in the total message. Hopefully
you will be like many readers of the first nine printings who
enthusiastically stress that this is a book you never finish. That
you can pick it up - open it to any page for a mental snack, read a
chapter for a full mental meal, or read it from cover to cover as a
way of life. Then you start over. God bless you and if you utilize
the ideas in this book, I will "see you at the top."
