The Greatest Salesman in the World, by OG Mandino

By: Sydney Grierson

“Failure will never overtake you if your determination to succeed is strong enough (Mandino, 49). This is my favorite quote from the book The Greatest Salesman in the World. It sheds light on one of the most important lessons to the reader: one must put in effort in order to succeed. Things do not come to those who wait, and effort must be put into all aspects of one’s mental, emotional, and physical self. Mandino highlights 10 mindsets and objectives that can help lead a person to a more successful and fulfilling life. Examples include “I will persist until I succeed”, “I will live this day as if it is my last”, and “I will laugh at the world”. 

One aspect of this book that I enjoy the most is that the author presents insightful and inspiring information through a simple and entertaining story. It follows the journey of Hafid, a poor boy who acquired 10 scrolls that gave him the secrets to being a successful salesman and person. This isn’t a book that takes a lot of knowledge of psychology to understand, and I think that’s what makes it so great. The principles are simple but powerful.

I also appreciate that The Greatest Salesman in the World can be applied to one’s professional and personal life. Take, for example, the scroll that reads, “I will persist until I succeed.” Recruiting is not a profession where you can submit one or two candidates to a client and expect success. You must take candidate feedback, client needs, and changing job specifications into consideration and keep submitting new candidates until the right match is made. Having a competitive nature or a determination to succeed, especially with personal end goals in mind, is essential to being a recruiter. You have to consistently have that desire to be successful. Persistence in one’s personal life can also be advantageous. An example of this would be a man who wants to work on his golf swings in order to straighten his shot. By being committed to efficiently practicing every weekend, the golfer will eventually reach his goal. Lack of action is likely to ultimately result in a lack of confidence, improvement, and achievement.

The main reason the team at Germer reads this book is to learn practical and effective principles and viewpoints that will allow us to flourish into confident and successful salespeople. As a new recruiter, I strongly believe that this book has helped open my eyes to areas I need to focus on and build up in order to accomplish my professional goals.

I would recommend this book to any candidate who feels that their job search is becoming too stressful or frustrating. Utilization of this book will allow them to look at their situation in a new way and help them to stay driven. And overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking to build on their confidence and belief in his- or herself. The author does a great job of laying out the principles in a positive light. When you read them, you start to believe them and can then make them your own.