For nearly three months at the weekly vendor meetings in Charlotte we have been reading through Og Mandino’s classic sales book, “The Greatest Salesman in the World.” Published in 1968, it sold millions of copies and continues to win devotees today.
The book opens 2,000 years ago with the story of a young apprentice who asks the Greatest Salesman in the World to share his secret to success. After proving himself worthy, the young man is given ten sacred scrolls that will lead him to become “the greatest salesman in the world.” The ten scrolls, which are titled as proclamations, are the ten chapters that make up the bulk of the book.
The first scroll, “Today I Begin a New Life,” focuses on the power of habits. “I will form good habits and become their slave.” The reader is instructed to read the first scroll twice daily for 30 days, internalizing, believing it and owning it. The process is to be repeated with each subsequent chapter.
If that procedure is followed properly, it would take over ten months to read the entire book. We didn’t do that at Speak Up. We tackled one scroll per week—which vendors discussed and personalized with a variety of goals.
The next scroll, “I Will Greet This Day with Love in my Heart,” encourages a love-centric response to all people and circumstances, and makes it obvious that the book is about much more than just increasing sales. It is about living a life of purpose and intentionality—with results that flow into the personal and professional realms.
The process was occasionally challenging and pressing. The readings didn’t encourage complacency, blame and excuses. Instead, the focus was on steady growth, persistence and taking ownership—with no excuses!
It has been a privilege to read and discuss the book weekly with the incredible group of people who sell Speak Up. Many of them were outright homeless before joining Speak Up. I have been consistently impressed by the aptitude and hunger they show for honest self-analysis and change.
As with most things involving Speak Up vendors, the lessons learned flow out into the community. “I share these scrolls with my family,” said one vendor. “My addiction support group reads these,” said another. And “My life needed this!”
Like I said, a privilege.