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The Success System That Never Fails, by W. Clement Stone
“When you go for something, don’t come back until you get it.”
Matt Karamazov
September 01, 2023 • Estimated Reading Time: 15 minutes
📚 Hey, good evening!
The author of today’s book left a fortune of $275,000,000 to charity after he died, and he was one of the greatest salesmen of the 20th century.
So, yeah, of course I wanted to read his book!
It’s called The Success System That Never Fails, by W. Clement Stone, and I ended up with 3 full pages of notes!
The language is a little dated, as I mention in the summary below (I mean, it came out in 1962 - literally no one talks like that anymore), but the sales and business advice is timeless, and anyone with that kind of generous heart is someone we can all learn from.
Below, I share a short summary of The Success System That Never Fails, as well as my best book notes, along with some additional recommended reading.
There are lots of incredible insights to be found in this book, so let’s get into it!
If you’re looking for a book that will teach you extremely effective, evergreen sales strategies, while developing your business acumen, and making you a better person at the same time, then you might like…
As always, my book notes and summary for this book are available on my Patreon, as well as my personal notes from more than 1,200+ other books. Updated monthly.
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They’re updated monthly with all the new books I’ve been reading and taking notes on, but I do have to say that my earliest book notes need to be updated, and I’m working on that.
Just to be fully upfront with you guys.
I mean, they’re very good, but my notes from 2020 onwards are much more in-depth and complete than the ones from, say, 2015.
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That was kind of a long explanation, but again, thank you to everyone for either supporting me on Patreon or even considering doing so, and you can click here for my complete notes from today’s book and more than 1,200+ other books too.
Happy reading!
Forget the lame title (the book came out in 1962), this guy left $275,000,000 to charity after he died, so it’s pretty safe to assume that you and I can probably learn a thing or two about a thing or two from him.
The Success System That Never Fails is something of an autobiography, and it actually contains most of what we know about Stone’s life. It begins with his early life, selling newspapers on the street and eventually having a “breakthrough” when he discovered that the real money was in selling to people inside restaurants.
At first, the owners and managers tried to shoo him away, but he slowly won them over with his politeness, persistence, and because of the fact that most of the restaurant patrons had no objections to this ambitious young man trying to make his way in the world! It’s a style he adopted all his life, and, hey, I mean $275 million dollars later, here we are!
Obviously, since it was written in 1962, he talks exactly the way you think he would, with this old-time-y, “Dale Carnegie-esque” earnestness. So the language is a little dated, but the sales and business knowledge is timeless!
Hunter S. Thompson would have hated the guy for how much he donated to Richard Nixon’s presidential campaign, but there’s no political stuff in here! It’s all honest, natural, wholesome, and effective sales advice that is very well worth learning.
Stone was clearly one of the greatest salesmen of the 20th century, with a decency and a genuine desire to help and be of service which is evident in everything he wrote. There’s plenty still to learn from this little book.
“When you go for something, don’t come back until you get it.”
“In the end, your environment will control you; therefore, make sure that you control your environment. Avoid situations, acquaintances, and associates who tend to hold you back.”
“I tried to make one hour do the work of many, just as I tried to make one dollar do the work of many.”
“It’s a universal law: It takes more energy to overcome inertia in getting started from a standstill than to continue the momentum of a moving body when it is once in motion.”
“For some reason, he reported this to the principal, who called me to his office. He endeavored to prove that the time he spent talking to me cost the city of Detroit money - several hundred dollars per minute.
‘Money?’ I thought to myself. ‘Why, my earning capacity as a salesman is far greater than my teacher’s!’
So instead of motivating me to do what he wanted - not argue with the teachers in the future, his logic caused a reverse reaction. I quit school, and if his logic is correct, Detroit saved thousands of dollars, for I never talked to the principal again.”
“I believe it is desirable for each of us early in life to decide what he would do if life ever seemed to be not worth living. I know I did. My decision: Should my life ever be worth nothing to me, it could at least be worth much to others.”
“Sales are contingent upon the attitude of the salesperson, not the attitude of the customer.”
“Don’t take the first step in the wrong direction.”
“Remember: The essence of a living philosophy is that it must be alive. To be alive, it must be lived. To be lived, you must act! Actions, not mere words, determine the validity of a man’s living philosophy.”
“When you share, the remainder multiplies and grows.”
“You can motivate another person to do what you want when you give him an opportunity to get what he wants.”
“We learned through them that no matter how little you had, you were fortunate to share it with others.”
“Rate of growth is figured in percentages. If sales were $100,000 two years ago and $200,000 last year, the rate of growth was 100 percent. If sales totaled $300,000 this year, the rate of growth has dropped to 50 percent! What a drop! If the rate of growth continues to drop at this rate, there is trouble ahead. Always figure growth in percentages!”
“There is an old Hindu legend stating that when the gods were making the world, they said:
‘Where can we hide the most valuable of treasures, so that they will not be lost? How can we hide them so that the lust and greed of men will not steal or destroy them? What can we do to be assured that these riches will be carried on from generation to generation for the benefit of all mankind?’
So in their wisdom they selected a hiding place that was so obvious it wouldn’t be seen. And there they placed the true riches of life, endowed with the magic power of perpetual self-replenishment.
In this hiding place these treasures can be found by every living person in every land who follows the success system that never fails. The True Riches of Life are Hidden in the Hearts and Minds of Men.”
Currently, I don’t have a complete breakdown of The Success System That Never Fails published on the Stairway to Wisdom (my library of expert book breakdowns), but below I’ve listed some similar breakdowns that you may enjoy instead.
When you become a member of the Stairway to Wisdom, you’ll gain access to more than 100+ book breakdowns like these ones here, as well as a premium weekly newsletter that will help you build the kind of life for yourself that you’ll love living.
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That’s it! I hope you found these book recommendations helpful, and I’ll be back with even more books for you very soon!
Mere “information” is everywhere today, but what’s going to separate you (and give you the life you desire) is consistent, meaningful action, backed up with the most powerful ideas from the greatest books ever written.
That’s what I aim to provide you with.
With that said, I hope you enjoyed this edition of The Reading Life, and enjoy the rest of your day!
All the best,
Matt Karamazov
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