The Greatest Salesman in the World
by Og Mandino
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Book Reviews of The Greatest Salesman in the World
Book Review: One of the classic business parables
Summary: 5 Stars
For those who enjoy classic business parables like the "The Richest Man in Babylon" by George Clayson, "The Baron Son" by Vicky Therese Davis, and "The Alchemist" by Paolo Coelo, they will certainly find interest in "The Greatest Salesman in World."
Like the other works, it has been translated around the world and brought joy to the hearts of many. "The Greatest Salesman in the World" is the first, and by far the best, in Og Mandino's trilogy including "The Greatest Secret in the World" and "The Greatest Miracle in the World."
As the title would imply, it is the ancient story of the world's greatest salesperson whose passes on his secrets of success by bequeathing ten scrolls to his protégé.
The Scroll Marked I, Today I begin a new life - Form good habits and become their slaves
The Scroll Marked II, I will greet this day with love in my heart - Show love and compassion to the world and you shall find it returned
The Scroll Marked III, I will persist until I succeed - Persistence will bring you success
The Scroll Marked IV, I am nature's greatest miracle - Love yourself
The Scroll Marked V, I will live this day as if it is my last - Seize the day
The Scroll Marked VI, I will be the master of my emotions - Live courageously and do not fall victim to fear and disappointment
The Scroll Marked VII, I will laugh at the world - Appreciate each situation and do not take life too seriously
The Scroll Marked VIII, Today I will multiply my value hundred fold - Find ways to create value for others in your exchanges
The Scroll Marked IX, I will act now - Act decisively to achieve success
The Scroll Marked X, I will pray for guidance - Renew yourself through a connection with God
In summary, it is an inspirational story that is wonderfully told in a spiritual and principled tone that you will be sure to enjoy.
Book Review: Sappy Tripe
Summary: 2 Stars
This easy-to-read book offers a fictional account of the "greatest salesman in the world." The purpose of telling the story is to get to the key to this salesman's success -- a set of ten ancient scrolls on which are written the secret to great sales (and a great life). Their basic message is vacuous positive thinking: Believe that you are the greatest person in the world (and by that he means that you have money, power, status, and charisma), even if that's really a lie, and you will be.
Please, please don't believe this book. I realize that hope is a good thing, but if you base your hope on groundless positive thinking then you're just setting yourself up for a fall. If you're basing your positive thinking on your own positive thinking, instead of on something trustworthy, you're just going to hit the ground even harder when you drop.
The worst part of the book is definitely its final chapter (spoilers follow). As a young salesman the book's hero gave a fine cloak to take care of the baby Jesus (I am not making this up), and at the end of the book the Apostle Paul comes to our hero to learn the secrets of positive thinking so that he can 'sell' the message of Jesus to the world. (Again, I'm not making this up.) Surely this ending will show you what happens when you listen to Mandino: You're believing something that is totally, utterly ridiculous.
It's not worth throwing your life away to have a nice feeling, I promise. Look for hope elsewhere. Learn to live in the real world, even if it doesn't seem as sexy as the world of positive thinking.
Book Review: With a Name Like "Og" IT HAS TO BE GOOD!
Summary: 5 Stars
Don't let the title fool you -- this is a success book for everyone!!!! Obviously Og is Christian, as am I, and he brings out the best in us. If you're Christian, you'll love this creative Christmas story in the first 50 pages of his book. I, personally, found it filled with wisdom and very tastefully and pointedly short, which is a nice change for a person as detailed as me. The banquet of The Gr8est Salesman in the World contains 10 Scrolls -- Affirmations and the instructions on how to repeat them to up your beliefs, persistence, happiness, faith, sales, and overall success! Superbly written and -- IF WE READ & REPEAT THEM AS PRESCRIBED -- these scrolls cannot help but increase our ability to overcome our former limitations!!! Og Mandino did a phenomenal job here! Certainly NOT a one time read. Following the instructions, I've only made it through Scrolls 1 & 2 AS PRESCRIBED, but I have READ all 10 of the Scrolls.
I bought the book a 2nd time (misplaced the 1st one) and, upon finding the 1st one, which the kids had thrashed, I tore out and laminated the 10 Scrolls in order to review them more! If you struggle with being negative with yourself or want greater success, I'd suggest you get this book and FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS!!! Habits do take at least 21, if not 30, days (depends on who you ask) to create -- 30 according to Og Mandino. Don't procrastinate using each scroll 3 times daily. I still have Scroll 1 memorized. Obviously he's a success just in the number of sales of this book!!!
Book Review: How to read this book
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't know if I misread the instructions or if I'm the only one who actually followed them. If you follow scroll I, it should take you the better part of a year to finish the rest of the book. Following that, I'm only 2/3rds of the way through scroll II (I got the book a couple of months ago, but didn't consistently follow scroll II daily and at the 16-day mark, decided to start again at day 1). I can definitely say it has changed my life, and even the lives of those around me (most of all a person I work with who is hard to get along with and hence gets along with no one--except, now, me, and it really has seemed to make his attitude at work more positive overall). Though difficult at first, it quickly became easy to apply the first principle, and finally find myself easily "making people your greatest resource" as so many *other* authors suggest you do for success in life, although it is not specifically suggested in this book. I have gotten a half dozen new and better job offers in the couple of months since I started the book, accepted one of the first ones and am currently in the process of exploring the others.
I see all these "couldn't put the book down till I finished" and I think, wow, you went a year with a book in your hand? Personally I'm still in considerable suspense waiting to see what scroll III says, let alone the entire rest of the book!
Book Review: Inspirational
Summary: 4 Stars
This charming story is set two thousand years ago with a religious theme. The character Hafid, when in his youth, desires to become a salesman in order to get rich and win the girl of his dreams. When he learns how difficult selling is, he laments: "Why will the people not listen to my story? ... Why do they close their door before I have said five words? Why do they lose interest in my talk and walk away? ... What is this fear that seizes me when I approach a closed door and how can I overcome it?" Then Hafid obtains the valuable scrolls and through studying them, becomes the greatest salesman in the world. A few paraphrases will give the reader an idea of what's on the scrolls: Be nice to people; Try, try, again; Seize the day; Have a sense of humor; Just do it. The main message is: Don't give up.Realize that the book is not a training manual; the scrolls are not a list of techniques to overcome buyer's resistance. Beginner salesmen, though, will appreciate the book for its inspirational value. Veteran salesmen, who perhaps understand much of what's on the scrolls, are still apt to enjoy the story. In fact anyone looking to sell what they have to say to a challenging public will find the book useful. Og Mandino's The Greatest Salesman in the World does for selling what A Message to Garcia does for management and The Richest Man in Babylon does for personal finance.