The Salesman Who Sold 13,001 Cars — One Handshake at a Time
“We don’t need you.”
Those were the first words Joe Girard heard when he walked into a Chevrolet dealership in Detroit, desperate for a job. He had just been fired. Again. He had no college degree. No connections. Not even a good suit.
All he had was hunger — and a hunch that maybe, just maybe, he could sell cars.
“Just give me half a day,” Joe pleaded. “That’s all I’m asking.”
The manager sighed. “Fine. One day. That’s it.”
By 3:00 p.m., Joe had sold his first car.
By 5:00 p.m., he’d sold another.
He never left.
Joe Didn’t Sell Cars. He Sold Trust.
Joe Girard wasn’t smooth. He wasn’t flashy or a glib talker. He didn’t use closing tricks.
Instead, he quietly studied something no one else did: why people came back.
And over time, he discovered a truth so simple, it sounded like a joke.
“People don’t buy from the best salesman,” Joe said.
“They buy from the one they like the most.”
So Joe built a system. Not for hard-selling. But for making people feel seen.
The Card That Made Millions
Joe created a customer file before the term “CRM” was even coined. Every client-every single one—got a handwritten card from him every month.
Birthday? You got a card.
Fourth of July? You got a card.
Random Tuesday in April? You still got a card.
Inside each card, just one line:
“I like you.”
That’s it.
No offers. No sales pitch. No coupons.
Just Joe, reminding you that you weren’t forgotten.
He sent over 13,000 cards every month. Personally signed.
“I’ll Wait for Joe.”
Soon, a funny thing started happening at the dealership.
People would walk in and ask for a car.
“Which model?” the receptionist would ask.
“Doesn’t matter,” they’d say. “I’m waiting for Joe.”
Even when Joe was booked out for hours or days, people would still wait.
They didn’t want a car.
They wanted Joe.
Record-Shattering Sales
Here’s what happened next:
- Joe sold six cars a day on average, when most salesmen sold six a month.
- He once sold 18 cars in a single day, solo.
- Over 15 years, he sold 13,001 cars, all one-on-one.
- Guinness World Records named him The World’s Greatest Retail Salesman.
He earned over $250,000 a year in commissions in the 1970s — more than most CEOs.
He turned a handshake and a smile into a million-dollar empire.
What Was His Secret?
It wasn’t price.
It wasn’t pressure.
It wasn’t charisma.
It was this:
“People will forget what you said. They’ll forget what you did. But they’ll never forget how you made them feel.”
Joe made people feel remembered. Respected. Appreciated.
That’s why they kept coming back.
That’s why they brought friends.
That’s why Joe never had to “close” — people opened up to him.
Lessons from the Greatest Salesman
Here’s what Joe Girard taught the world:
- Be unforgettable. A simple “I like you” can be more powerful than a perfect pitch.
- Follow up forever. Most salespeople stop after one or two tries. Joe never did.
- Relationships > Commissions. Treat people like gold, and they’ll bring you gold.
- Outwork everyone. He wasn’t the smartest, but he was the most consistent.
Final Word: The Power of “I Like You”
Joe Girard didn’t grow up privileged. He wasn’t born to win.
He was a poor kid from Detroit who got rejected, fired, and overlooked — until he built his own way in.
And that way wasn’t built on pitches.
It was built on postcards.
Every time someone thought of buying a car, they thought of Joe.
Because he was the only one who never stopped thinking of them.
You don’t have to be a genius to succeed in sales.
But you do have to be real.
And consistent.
And just human enough to say: “I like you.”
