How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling

About How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling

A business classic endorsed by Dale Carnegie, How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling is for anyone whose job it is to sell. Whether you are selling houses or mutual funds, advertisements or ideas—or anything else—this book is for you.

When Frank Bettger was twenty-nine he was a failed insurance salesman. By the time he was forty he owned a country estate and could have retired. What are the selling secrets that turned Bettger’s life around from defeat to unparalleled success and fame as one of the highest paid salesmen in America?

The answer is inside How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling. Bettger reveals his personal experiences and explains the foolproof principles that he developed and perfected. He shares instructive anecdotes and step-by-step guidelines on how to develop the style, spirit, and presence of a winning salesperson. No matter what you sell, you will be more efficient and profitable—and more valuable to your company—when you apply Bettger’s keen insights on:

• The power of enthusiasm
• How to conquer fear
• The key word for turning a skeptical client into an enthusiastic buyer
• The quickest way to win confidence
• Seven golden rules for closing a sale

  • Complete Title: How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling
  • Format: Paperback
  • Language: English
  • Number of Pages: 192
  • Publication Time: April 9, 1992
  • Publisher: Cornerstone Library
  • ISBN: 067179437X
  • ISBN13: 9780671794378

About Frank Bettger

Frank Bettger Frank Bettger

Franklin Lyle (Frank) Bettger (1888-1981) was a salesman and self-help author. He was the father of longtime actor Lyle Bettger. He played Major League baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1910 under the name Frank Betcher.

After his brief baseball career, Bettger returned to his native Philadelphia, where he started collecting accounts for a furniture store on a bike. He then started selling life insurance for the Fidelity Mutual Life Insurance Co. of Pennsylvania but was not initially successful, and considered quitting after 10 months. During a moment of reflection, he remembered what his baseball manager told him about his lack of enthusiasm. So he made a commitment to himself to start acting enthusiastically in his insurance presentations.

He also met a successful salesman and took his advice to read the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. A light went on in his mind when he realized that Franklin’s Socratic method of asking “key” questions might work with selling policies. He tried it, it worked, and Bettger began to perfect his technique with great enthusiasm.

After succeeding in life insurance sales and becoming Top Salesman for 20 years with Fidelity Mutual, he met Dale Carnegie. Carnegie encouraged Bettger to write his first best-selling books: How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling. and How I Multiplied My Income and Happiness in Selling. How I Raised Myself… was translated into over a dozen languages, including British English, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, and Swedish. Bettger also gave a series of lectures to Jaycees organizations nationwide with Dale Carnegie.

Frank Bettger wrote a last book, entitled How I Learned the Secrets of Success in Selling, in 1960. The book focused on his life and lessons he learned during his short baseball career, and reflected how those lessons learned at an early age helped mold him into the success he became.

Reviews How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling

User ImageReid

This is a book my father read. It was first published in 1949. Lots of stories, energetic writing, an easy read.PART ONEI. These Ideas Lifted Me Out of the Ranks of Failure1. Force yourself to ACT ent…

User ImageTony Bradshaw

Any salesman that hasn’t read How To Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie should read this book. It has caused me to finally start the program that Benjamin Franklin did of applying one s…

User ImageDavid McClendon, Sr

Maybe you aren’t intending on a career in selling. Perhaps your business has little to do with selling. The bottom line is that everyone sells something to someone, no matter what. If you are a chil…

User ImageJonathan

It is a shame that I’ve grown up with disdain for salesmen. This book along with others like Think and Grow Rich, The Magic of Thinking Big, and How to Win Friends and Influence People have taught me…

User ImageDaniel Taylor

Given the crappy appearance of the cover of the Amway edition, I thought this book would be filled with advice that has been deservedly long-forgotten. I was wrong.An associate of Dale Carnegie, of “H…

Evy Hanson

Classic advice from (at the time) the highest paid salesperson in America. I have given this book as a gift several times. Includes the inspiring poem by Herbert Kauffman which Bettger shared hundreds…

User ImageJoel Valdez

One of the best books I’ve read in terms of attitude towards selling, particularly for people that don’t consider themselves as sellers. Highly recommended…

User ImageLorraine Haataia, PhD

Whether you’re a business owner, entrepreneur or salesperson, I highly recommend putting this on the top of your reading list. I’ve read this book several times in the past few years. After reading it…

User ImageCyndy

I hate the title but like the book. Some people cringe from any form of the word “sales, selling, etc.” Anyone could benefit from this book. It was originally published in 1947 but so much of the key…

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