By Leslie Gonzalez
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Alan Cimberg's smiles with contagious enthusiasm.
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Alan Cimberg gets all wrapped up in his presentation to better motivate a group of corporate sales managers.
Malverne man offers lessons in living
At 90, Malverne resident Alan Cimberg leads the kind of life that most folks half, even a fourth of his age, cannot even imagine let alone live.
Mr. Cimberg is a slender, inquisitive and energetic man. He begins his days in seemingly ordinary fashion. He leaves his house at 5 A.M. for a three-mile walk and a cup of hot chocolate. In his spare time, he meditates and practices Tai Chi.
Then there are all those other recent activities he's tried - parasailing, motorcycling and even firewalking. Yes, firewalking! The bare skin over hot coals type.
A professional motivational speaker and sales trainer, Mr. Cimberg is most passionate about teaching others how to
persuade, influence, sell and most importantly, live.
But one would never know it as he is first introduced for one of his talks. Described as a high-ranking company official or authoritative expert, he slowly begins a monotonous lecture. Audience members roll their eyes. Mr. Cimberg throws technical terms about, then double-talk. At first, listeners doubt their hearing abilities, but as the moments pass, realize they are being taken. Suddenly, he explodes into action, leaving people delightfully surprised.
Mr. Cimberg, who once stuttered, speaks with authority as he punches the air. He drops to his knees. He wraps himself in paper. He entertains, educates and inspires, and listeners respond to his wisdom, humor, sarcasm and wit.
"I am focused. I'm living to 105," he sings, recounting Frank Sinatra's famous melody about longevity. "You get what you focus on."
Perhaps his self-control began with his birth at the stroke of midnight, December 31, 1910/January 1, 1911. Born and raised on the Lower East Side known as Tribeca today, he was the youngest of seven children. He attended Seward Park High School, but he was not into schoolwork. Instead, he wanted to be salesman like his father, and upon completion of his sophomore year, he approached his parents and told them he wanted to quit school and start working. Since it was summertime, they gave him 10 weeks to prove himself. He never turned back. In reflection, though, Mr. Cimberg said he is not proud of dropping out of school.
His first job was as a door-to-door salesman. He sold encyclopedias, for which he earned $14 a set. With experience, he soon developed a sales pitch and later sold photographic supplies and sunglasses. He became known for closing difficult deals, and later worked as a field sales manager for Borg-Warner, a Chicago-based accessory company, where he led its work force to heightened profits.
In 1948, he designed a five-day sales teaching program and enlisted in a Dale Carnegie public-speaking course taught in Manhattan, after which he returned to the institute to teach at the request of Mr. Carnegie himself. He developed a series of salesmanship lectures, outlining his four-point strategy for effective selling: sell yourself; be confident in your company; believe in your products or services; and trust your fees.
Alan Cimberg regards selling as a science and as an art. "Stop selling and start helping, and you'll trip on your sales," he advises, describing two important factors that Dale Carnegie personally taught him about connecting with other people: sincere praise and use of a person's name.
By 1969, Mr. Cimberg was an established public speaker and began to teach selling widely. In 1975, he co-founded the National Speakers Association, which has since grown to more than 4,000 members.
"There is nothing that I enjoy more than addressing an audience," he stresses. In addition to foreign assignments, his impressive list of satisfied clients includes: American Express, Apple Computers, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Ernst & Young, Ford Motor Company, Hanes, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, McGraw-Hill, Prudential Insurance, Shell, TV Guide, Westinghouse and the U.S. military.
"Your enthusiasm and ability to motivate was unprecedented," described Ross Stern of Arthur Anderson & Company's Center for Professional Education in a thank you letter.
"Yours was a message that had to be told," said Chad Niles, Assistant Vice President of Marketing at a Blue Cross, Blue Shield affiliate.
Alan Cimberg is also a survivor, having suffered a heart attack and the loss of his son, Robert, to diabetes complications nine years ago. "How we succeed in life is how we handle upsets. You expect them and accept them," he said, admitting that he thinks of his son every day. He cherishes his wife, Freda, daughter, Janice, two grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. "Focus, not on what you haven't got, but what you have," he advises.
The resilience of his marriage has drawn praise from former President Ronald Reagan. "I adore her," Mr. Cimberg said, describing his wife of 63 years. She is also his meditative and Tai Chi partner. "We all get the one thing in life that we want. I focused on a happy marriage. The only time it goes off is when she gets ornery..." Mr. Cimberg laughs.
"Marriage is a partnership. Everyone must give 55 percent." wife Freda Cimberg advises. "But you can't expect your partner to keep you happy. You have to have interests, too." Mrs. Cimberg works as a real-estate/travel agent, and the couple's daughter Janice is in real-estate sales. Freda Cimberg further described her husband as a very disciplined man. "He knows what he wants, and goes after it." she said.
His advice to young people going into business? "Do only what you love doing. Work can be difficult, and there are no short cuts."
Also, retirement is not an option. "You must keep busy," he advises older adults. For him, that included overcoming his apprehension with computers. "When I'm failing at something, I don't blame it on things. I take responsibility for what is happening to me," he said. He is thrilled with the recent construction of his Web site, www.muchmoresales.com, which he constantly works to expand.
He also searches for new assignments. In addition to paid presentations for executives, sales and corporate conventions, Mr. Cimberg performs community service through pro bono appearances, speaking to service clubs, churches, temples and other groups. His lectures, "How to Avoid Stress" and "How to Put More Life In Your Living," are popular with senior centers, hospital groups and organizations such as the Lynbrook Lions Club.
People ask him how he keeps going and going and going. "Stand up, and hold your hand out like this," he explains, holding his hand in an oath position. "Now, place it on your backside, and...." He leaps forward. "You have to push yourself, then you are in control of your life."
To arrange a talk with Alan Cimberg, call David Singer at (516) 596-0711.
