Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33698 in Books
• Published on: 1995-11-01
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 128 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
It is a tiny book and it is a treasure. First published in 1968, Og Mandino's classic The Greatest Salesman in the World remains an invaluable guide towards a philosophy of salesmanship. Mandino has a clear, simple writing style that supports his purpose: to make the principles of sales known to a wide audience. A parable set in the time just prior to Christianity, The Greatest Salesman in the World weaves mythology with spirituality into a much-needed message of inspiration in this culture of self-promotion. Mandino believes that in order to be a good salesperson, you must believe in yourself and the work which you are doing. It is a simple but profound spiritual philosophy about how to succeed in the world's marketplace, easily understood and easy to take to heart. --Jodie Buller

Customer Reviews

An average parable about sales and relationship skills that plods along
This book provides a set of daily mantras to improve sales performance. These helpful tools are set within a rambling story of sales in the first century BC/AD. Combining the message with the birth of Christ seems to detract from the teaching - if these mantras stand on their own, why the need to attach the story to something else?

The first 50 pages are a rather plodding introduction, so I would skip over them. The next ten chapters provide the keys to success and could easily be summarised into ten pages rather than this story. The final chapter is unnecessary and fails to add to the book.

So, the ten rules are useful, and could lead to an improvement in sales skills. But the book overall makes the key messages in too many layers of description. Parables are great ways to get messages across, but this is not one of them.

An inspirational story
I was prompted to write this review based on a number of negative reviews I read on this page about the book.
One reader actually said he read it twice with out getting the point-or much out of it.
Og Mandino's is one with a difference-it is not what you can get out of it that matters ( he is not really trying to impart knowledge in the real sense) it is what the book can impart into your subconscious mind that makes it different.
As one reviewer explained the best way you can acquire maximum benefit from book is by following the recommended procedure-reading each chapter for 30 days, three times daily and not turning to the next chapter until you have completed the preceding one.
I know this might sound strange and a waste of time (we are talking about 270 days here) but it is indeed worth the while.
If you go about it this way you will start noticing a change -have a more positive attitude to life-persist more and wake up with more vigor.
What you have read will keeping seeping through you conscious to your subconscious (especially when you face tough situations) and this will inspire you handle life better.
I personally read the book in 1993 - I could not believe that there was such a wonderful book in existence and it really changed my life>
How I wish more of us could learn to inspire and motivate like Og.
He definitely got me thinking about going into inspiration motivation.

A life changing book
Every once in a while we all read a book that has a profound influence on the way we think about what we do and how we live. This is such a book and not just for sales people. Anybody whose job involves dealing with people will benefit from this insightful, humane and deeply spiritual book.

Buy it and put the ideas into practice. They are fundamentals that can't fail you. Inspirational stuff.