I’ve had this book on my shelf for years and hadn’t gotten around to reading it – I thought it was just for people in sales. I was wrong! The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino is for everyone who wants to succeed not only in business but also in life.
I’m a huge fan of Og Mandino and have read and reviewed several of his books and yet, his most famous book stayed unopened on my bookshelf. Published in 1968 this small book has become a classic “must read” for success-oriented people around the globe. This quick read 128 page book is for everyone, not just people in sales.
The Greatest Salesman in the World tells the story of Hafid, a poor camel boy who is given a box containing ten scrolls. As he follows the messages on these scrolls, he becomes the greatest salesman in the world. The ten scrolls each contain a powerful principle of success. Each scroll must be read for 30 days, three times a day.
Basically, Og Mandino has given his readers ten powerful “affirmations” for success. Research has found that it takes approximately 30 days to change a habit. Repeating an affirmation to yourself once in the morning, once in the afternoon and out loud just before bed helps to reinforce the affirmation and plant the new habit firmly in the conscious and unconscious mind.
Here are some of my favorite quotations from this book:
“Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.”
“What they will teach me is more to prevent failure than to gain success, for what is success other than a state of mind.”
“Good habits are the key to all success. Bad habits are the unlocked door to failure.”
“Weak is he who permits his thoughts to control his actions; strong is he who forces his actions to control his thoughts.”
“In setting my goals I will consider my best performance of the past and multiply it hundredfold.”
This will give you an idea of the basic success lessons taught in this book. I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Greatest Salesman in the World – it is reinforcement of the basic success lessons we should be applying to lives and our businesses. Our mindset of business success needs to be nurtured daily by our commitment to our own positive beliefs, thoughts and actions.
The only thing I would add about this book is that it has Christian undertones. It discusses the birth of Jesus, praying for guidance and referring to Paul as the greatest salesman in the world.
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Sharon Recommends:
I highly recommend Og Mandino’s The Greatest Salesman in the World to everyone who is interested in enhancing their personal and professional development – not just people in sales careers.
Here is an offsite link to Amazon.com if you’d like to read more about this book or to purchase it: The Greatest Salesman in the World: Gift Edition
Disclosure: I purchased this book to read and review. All reviews are solely mine. As an affiliate of Amazon.com I will get paid on any purchase of this product from the links within this article.
