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Curt Fowler: Becoming the Greatest Salesman in the World: Part III

Curt Fowler

Monday, July 20th, 2020

Part III

“The ordinary focus on what they’re getting. The extraordinary focus on who they are becoming.”

So far we reviewed the lessons learned from scrolls one through six in the classic book, “The Greatest Salesman in The World” by Og Mandino.

In those scrolls, Mandino taught us the secrets of good habits, love, persistence, individuality, present moment focus and emotions. Let’s dive into the next lessons taught by this great book.

Scroll VII: I Will Laugh at The World

“This too shall pass.”

Mandino uses this phrase to teach the reader to laugh at the world. 

The origin of this phrase is said to come from King Solomon. The story goes that Solomon intended to humble his wisest servant so he asked him to perform a seemingly impossible task. Solomon requested from the servant a magic ring  –one that if a sad man wore it, he would become happy and if a happy man wore it, he would become sad. The servant could not produce such a ring so King Solomon (widely known as one of the wisest people in history) took it upon himself to have his jeweler design a ring with the inscription, “Gam ze ya’avor,” Hebrew for “this too shall pass.”

When we are going through hard times, the phrase reminds us those times will not last forever. When we are celebrating great victories, the phrase can keep us humble and hustling.

Scroll VIII: Today I Will Multiply My Value a Hundredfold

A field of clay touched with the genius of man becomes a castle.

A tree touched with the genius of man becomes a shrine.

A cut of sheep’s hair touched with the genius of man becomes a garment fit for a king.

If it is possible for clay and wood and hair to have their value multiplied by man, cannot we do the same with the “clay” that bears our name?

Isn’t that the purpose of life? To each day step toward becoming more like the one who made us?

Mandino gives the example of a grain of wheat that faces one of three futures. It can be fed to pigs, ground for bread or planted to multiply. The grain of wheat cannot choose its future, but we can.

When planted, one grain of wheat can become one hundred. The hundred can become a thousand. The thousand can become enough to feed the world. Aren’t we more than a grain of wheat?

But how do we multiply our value a hundredfold? By choosing to improve ourselves every day and investing what we have learned in the lives of others. It is only by investing in the lives of others and teaching them to do the same, that we create value beyond our lifespan and far beyond our abilities.

Scroll IX:  I Will Act Now

Our dreams, goals and plans are worthless unless followed by action.

No map has ever carried its owner over even one inch of ground. No law has ever prevented one crime. Action alone can carry the map owner to their destination and stop the crime.

Our actions are generally held back by procrastination. Procrastination is usually born of fear. I know my inaction is almost always caused by fear.

I’ve been told the number one cause of failure in sales is “call hesitation.” Why would a person paid to make sales make excuses to not pick up the phone or knock on the door? Fear.

I excel at justifying my inaction. I need more data. I need a better plan. I’ve got filing that needs to be done. My excuses can be endless.

When our subconscious does not want to do a task, we become exceptional at justifying our inaction. What I find most interesting is the procrastinator can rarely see what he is doing while the lack of action is clearly evident to those around him.

Overcoming procrastination and moving to action is best accomplished through accountability. Accountability for actions rather than more planning. Accountability is the only thing that has worked for me.

Mandino suggests repeating the words “I will act now” throughout our days and gives us great examples of when to use the phrase.

When I awake, I will say them and leap from my cot while the failure sleeps another hour.

I will say them and approach my first prospect while the failure ponders and plans.

When I face a closed-door, I will say them and knock while the failure waits outside with fear and trepidation.

When I face temptation, I will say them and immediately act to remove my self from evil.

Which of these three principles should you implement immediately to get closer to your goals? “I will act now” is weighing on me. I hope one or more of these will draw you closer to your goals.

We love helping leaders build great businesses. If you’d like to learn more you can check out our free resources at www.valuesdrivenresults.com/resource-library/ or give us a call at (229) 244-1559. We’d love to help you in any way we can.

Curt Fowler is president of Fowler & Company and director at Fowler, Holley, Rambo & Stalvey. He is dedicated to helping leaders build great organizations and better lives for themselves and the people they lead.

Curt is a syndicated business writer, keynote speaker and business advisor. He has an MBA in strategy and entrepreneurship from the Kellogg School, is a CPA, and a pretty good guy as defined by his wife and four children.