30 pages • 1 hour read
Og MandinoThe Greatest Salesman in the World
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1968A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Key Figures
Hafid
Hafid is The Greatest Salesman in the World’s protagonist, whose life and scrolls provide a framework for teaching 10 lessons. Hafid’s name means “protector of the religion” in Arabic, and he lives up to it: He keeps his adoptive father Pathros’s 10 scrolls in a locked tower and never shares their sales-related knowledge until a sign presents itself—in the form of a destined successor. Throughout his life, he learns The Nature of Success and The Art and Principles of Sales: Hafid spends his youth as a camel boy, tending to Pathros’s animals. Pathros understands the importance of work ethic and employs Hafid as a camel boy to cultivate it. When Hafid falls in love with Lisha, a girl of higher class, he suddenly desires more in life. He desires to become the greatest salesman in the world and thus worthy of Lisha. Pathros’s first test for him is to sell a red goat-hair robe in Bethlehem, a town known for its poverty. Hafid ends up giving the robe to a newborn Jesus, with whom he crosses paths in a cave. This selfless act comes to define him and his relationship with the divine. Upon inheriting Pathros’s scrolls, he travels to Damascus, a city known for its wealth, and officially begins his life as a salesman. Hafid gives away wealth to the less fortunate and ultimately entrusts his scrolls to his destined successor, Paul.
Pathros
Pathros is Hafid’s adoptive father and keeper of the 10 scrolls before they are entrusted to Hafid. He is wealthy and wise, having lived his life by the scrolls’ lessons to build a merchant empire. He employs Hafid as a camel boy to cultivate work ethic but always envisions him as his successor. When Hafid finally asks Pathros for a chance to sell his goods, he imparts several lessons—including the inherent loneliness of being a salesman and how to face obstacles: “Many others face each obstacle in their path with fear and doubt and consider them as enemies when, in truth, these obstructions are friends and helpers” (22). When Hafid chooses to clothe a newborn Jesus with Pathros’s red robe, a bright star appears and fully convinces Pathros of Hafid’s potential.
Erasmus
Erasmus is Hafid’s bookkeeper and most trusted friend. He is a cautious, loyal man devoted to Hafid’s business and those in need. He is entrusted to sell Hafid’s assets and give the resulting gold to the less fortunate. Erasmus hesitates out of concern, wondering why Hafid would want to do such a thing, but ultimately trusts his plan to await a destined successor. Three years later, when Hafid is near death, Erasmus hesitates but ultimately allows Paul to meet with Hafid. In doing so, he allows Hafid’s story to come full circle. While a minor character, his presence proves that the salesman found companionship on his otherwise lonely path.
Saul (Paul the Apostle)
Saul, later known as Paul the Apostle, is a beaten man in rags who appears at Hafid’s palace while the latter naps in his garden. This garden foreshadows Paul’s role as Hafid’s destined successor, as the scrolls often use natural imagery to illustrate their lessons. Paul is a Jewish Pharisee from Tarsus and Rome who was instructed to find Jesus’ followers and send them to Jerusalem to be punished. However, he saw a bright star and began spreading the word of Jesus instead. He recounts Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection to Hafid and presents one of Jesus’ remaining possessions—Hafid’s red robe. This twist leads Hafid to give Paul the 10 scrolls. While a minor character, his arrival is what brings Hafid’s story full circle.
