Joe Girard’s Net Worth & Personal Info

Joseph Samuel Girardi, better known as Joe Girard, was an American salesman, motivational speaker, and author. Between 1963 and 1978, Girard sold 13,001 automobiles at a Chevrolet dealership and was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records for selling the most automobiles in a year (1,425 in 1973). Girard became a successful motivational speaker and gave regular presentations to corporate customers such as General Motors, Hewlett-Packard, and Kmart. His final residence was in Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan.

Content of This Article

1. Joe Girard’s Appearance
2. Facts About Joe Girard
3. Joe Girard’s Net Worth
4. Early Life
   1. Education
5. Joe Girard’s Wife and Family
6. Joe Girard’s Career

Joe Girard’s Appearance (Height, Hair, Eyes & More)

Facts About Joe Girard

Joe Girard’s Net Worth

Girard’s net worth was $1.3 million. Girard was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s finest salesman, having sold 13,001 automobiles at a Chevrolet dealership between 1963 and 1978. Girard, one of the most in-demand presenters in America, has delivered speeches for General Motors, Hewlett-Packard, and Kmart.

Early Life

Joe Girard was born on November 1, 1928, in Detroit, Michigan, U.S. Girard is the son of Antonino Girardi, “an extremely impoverished Sicilian,” and his housewife. Girard has labored since childhood. Dropping out of high school, he began his career as a shoeshine boy before working as a newsboy for the Detroit Free Press, dishwasher, delivery boy, stove fabricator, and home builder.

After school and a hasty dinner at the age of nine, Joe patrolled the neighborhood taverns for shoeshine customers. He would not have conceived of it this way, but after analyzing the market, he determined that the most significant source of business was a place where people were relaxed and generous. In inclement weather, bars had an additional benefit: they are toasty. Joe’s two most prized possessions are his original shoe shine box, which sits triumphantly atop his office’s single file cabinet, and a photograph of Joe shining shoes in a saloon. The experience taught him another important lesson: alcohol phobia. Joe is willing to consume alcohol on occasion, but he will never forget what he witnessed in those establishments.

This achievement inspired him to pursue a new career. He began his second employment as a newspaper carrier for the Detroit Free Press at 11. Because it was and is a morning paper, he was required to rise at 5:30 a.m. to complete his route before school. He soon learned that the Free Press also offered bonuses to newsboys willing to solicit and acquire new business. The reward for each new customer was a case of Pepsi-Cola. As a result of Joe’s endeavors, the old barn behind the Girardi residence was soon piled high with his accomplishments.

Although it provided the four Girardi children with an ample supply of soda pop, which their parents could not possibly afford, Joe soon realized he had a valuable inventory and began his third business venture as a soda pop supplier to the neighborhood children at a price that no other vendor could match. His proudest moments occurred when he brought his earnings to his mother; this was no childish gesture, as his pennies helped place food on the Girardi table when needed.

Joe’s adolescence was brutal and cruel, particularly at home. His natural spirit and pride repeatedly brought him into direct conflict with a spiteful and vindictive father. He frequently ordered Joe from the Girardi residence. At age 14, Joe frequently slept in boxcars at the Grand Trunk Railroad yards directly across the street from his residence. In stormy conditions, he stayed in flop houses for 25 cents per night. At this age, he was able to pursue more rewarding employment opportunities after school, including dishwasher, dock loader at the produce terminal, delivery boy, and pageboy at the Book–Cadillac Hotel. He also spent some evenings at the local billiard hall, attempting to earn extra money. He lived in constant dread that he would have to confront his father’s wrath if he did not bring home enough money.

Education

Joe’s formal education concluded in the eleventh grade. The school principal addressed him, but not by name, during a study period when he was speaking. Joe advised the man that he would not respond until he was called by his proper name, despite being aware of the existence of bigotry but refusing to bow to it. The principal stated, “You people don’t seem to comprehend how society will be governed,” and then insulted Joe’s Sicilian ancestry by calling him a derogatory name. Joe was permanently expelled from school as a consequence of his angry response.

Joe Girard’s Wife and Family

Joe was married to his wife, Kitty. They have run joegirard.com, a website labeled “World’s Greatest Salesman.” Girard fell at home on February 26, suffering a traumatic brain injury, according to the death certificate issued by Wayne County. It lists the death as an accident.

First responders arrived at the home “within seconds” of a 911 call and transported Girard to Ascension St. John Hospital on Moross, said Lt. Scott Rohr of the Grosse Pointe Shores Public Safety Department. Girard died at the hospital two days later, on February 28, 2019, from medical complications after a fall.

Joe Girard’s Career

As an internationally renowned motivational speaker known as “The World’s Greatest Salesman,” Joe Girard inspired thousands of men and women, ranging from individuals to Fortune 500 companies. As the author of five best–selling self-help books that have sold millions of copies worldwide, Joe has assisted millions of people in achieving success not only in the sales industry but also in life.

Girard entered a car dealership in Detroit and begged a skeptical sales manager for a position as a salesman. On his first day, he sold a car, and by the second month, he was so excellent that other salesmen complained and had him fired. His subsequent employment was with Merollis Chevrolet in Eastpointe, Michigan. Over fifteen years, he set successive sales records at that location. He then became an author and public speaker, sharing his sales techniques through books and in-person presentations.

As described in “How to Sell Anything to Anyone,” Girard decided early in his sales career to assume the name “Girard” for business purposes to avoid confrontations over his ethnicity and the loss of customers who may be prejudiced against Sicilians and Italians. Later, the businessman appeared in “What’s My Line?” and “To Tell the Truth” in 1974 and 1973, respectively. He also established practices that are now standard in the sales industry. He retired from Merollis Chevrolet after Christmas 1977 at age 49 to become a motivational speaker and author of five books.

He and his wife, Kitty, have run joegirard.com, a website labeled “World’s Greatest Salesman.” It offers books, CD, and DVD collections ranging in price from $13.99 to $295. There’s a No. 1 gold lapel pin for $24.95. “Get the jump on your competition. Order the ‘Joe Girard Supreme Collection’ RIGHT NOW!”

The website offers advice for selling houses, boats, motor homes, insurance, and automobiles. He lists testimonials from Harvard Business School, Chevrolet, Sea Ray, John Deere, Honda, Oral Roberts University, the Federal Reserve Bank, Allstate Insurance, and Mary Kay Cosmetics. A quote from CBS says, “His presentation was by far the most exciting and dynamic talk that we have experienced in years.”