Certain Success by Norval A. Hawkins
What if the secret to achieving your biggest goals wasn’t luck, but the art of selling yourself? Norval A. Hawkins argues that personal and professional triumphs are guaranteed for those who learn how to effectively market their unique capabilities. This book solves the problem of talented individuals remaining unrecognized by teaching actionable, persuasive communication and self-presentation techniques. Today, in an increasingly competitive world, mastering the “selling process” of your own skills is the ultimate key to standing out and securing your desired future.
Super Summary
Who May Benefit
- Professionals seeking career advancement and better salaries.
- Job seekers wanting to stand out from the competition.
- Leaders and executives aiming to build cohesive, motivated teams.
- Public speakers wishing to influence and persuade audiences.
- Anyone desiring personal growth and increased self-confidence.
Top 3 Key Insights
- Success is guaranteed by mastering the art of selling your capabilities.
- Self-improvement must precede any attempt to market yourself.
- Masterful selling involves suggesting ideas, not forcing arguments.
4 More Takeaways
- Preparation and “prospecting” are vital for finding opportunities.
- True success depends on a foundation of genuine human service.
- Obstacles and objections are opportunities to strengthen your position.
- Closing a deal requires confidently leading the prospect to a decision.
Book in 1 Sentence Certain Success teaches that achieving your goals requires mastering the art of salesmanship to effectively market your best capabilities to the world.
Book in 1 Minute Certain Success by Norval A. Hawkins reveals that failure often happens not because a person lacks talent, but because they lack the ability to sell their talents to others. The book emphasizes that every individual is a salesman of their own “man-stuff” or personal capabilities. Hawkins argues that true success is built on a foundation of human service, self-analysis, and psychological insight. By developing your physical, mental, and emotional faculties, you can properly present your best self to the world. The text outlines standardized selling principles—from prospecting opportunities and making the right approach, to handling objections and closing the sale. Ultimately, Hawkins offers a mindset of absolute confidence: if you continually practice the art of selling your best qualities with a true service purpose, your success becomes a scientific certainty.
One Unique Aspect Hawkins applies commercial sales tactics—like formal prospecting and closing sequences—directly to personal development and career building. He proves that you don’t sell actual “skills,” but rather true ideas about your capabilities.
Chapter-wise Summary
Chapter I: The Universal Need For Sales Knowledge “The secret of certain success in life for you, then, whatever your vocation or ambition, lies in knowing HOW to sell true ideas of your best capability in the right market…”
Poor salesmanship is the primary reason capable people fail. Hawkins reveals that to secure opportunities, you must master the selling process. This chapter outlines vital frameworks for this pursuit. The 4 Elements of Certain Success are: (1) Knowing how to sell; (2) The true idea; (3) Of one’s best capabilities; (4) In the right market or field of service.
To accomplish this, Hawkins provides The 12 Steps of the Selling Process:
- Preparation For Selling
- Prospecting
- The Plan Of Approach
- Securing An Audience
- Sizing Up The Buyer
- Gaining Attention
- Awakening Interest
- The Creation Of Desire
- Handling Objections
- The Process Of Decision
- Obtaining Signature or Assent
- The Get-Away That Leads To Future Orders
He also details The 5 Degrees of Selling Effort: (1) Response to mere demand; (2) Acceptance on presentation only; (3) Desire created by intentional effort; (4) Persuasion of the buyer; (5) Decision comparative to benefits. Furthermore, you must distribute your capabilities through 3 Sales Mediums: Advertising, Correspondence (carefully crafted letters), and Personal Selling.
Chapter Key Points:
- Sell ideas, not raw capabilities.
- Success is deliberate salesmanship, not luck.
- Master five degrees of effort.
Chapter II: The Man-Stuff You Have For Sale “You must accomplish transformation into your best self before you can make the most of your opportunities to sell your abilities and services.”
To sell effectively, you must upgrade your “man-power”. Hawkins likens individuals to motors operating below capacity. By employing Luther Burbank’s “discriminative-restrictive” method, you can build specific traits by feeding particular mind centers with coordinated physical actions. Hawkins outlines The 3 Processes of Mental Development: (1) Getting information from a sense to its associated brain center; (2) Organizing the information with past knowledge; (3) Directing the brain center to send action impulses to muscles. You must train the outer man to successfully develop the inner man.
Chapter Key Points:
- Develop total physical, mental capacity.
- Train muscles to build mind.
- Use discriminative-restrictive growth methods.
Chapter III: Skill In Selling Your Best Self “The foundation of sales art is knowledge of selling technique.”
Sales skill minimizes resistance. Pure argument and logic cause friction; suggestion bypasses mental barriers. Hawkins details 4 Rules for Words: (1) Use common words for easy understanding; (2) Use short words for force; (3) Use definite words instead of generalizations; (4) Use vivid words to paint mental pictures.
He provides a framework for 3 Tone Pitches: (1) Mental Pitch (head tone) to convey bare facts and attention; (2) Emotive Pitch (chest tone) to bypass the mind and win the heart; (3) Power Pitch (abdominal tone) for commanding respect and asserting solidity. Non-verbal communication is categorized into 3 Classes of Movement: Poise (balance suggests mental stability), Pose (quiet vs. active reflects energy), and Action (straight lines for intellect, single curves for emotion, double curves for power).
Chapter Key Points:
- Avoid debating or logical arguments.
- Utilize suggestion to bypass defenses.
- Master specific tones and actions.
Chapter IV: Preparing to Make Your Success Certain “If you would make your success a certainty, you must get all ready for it in advance.”
Opportunity favors the thoroughly prepared. Hawkins insists on comprehensive preparation—understanding your value so perfectly that you never underprice or overprice yourself. True salesmanship is rooted in a sincere “Service Purpose,” prioritizing the buyer’s needs over a quick paycheck. You must cultivate “company manners,” politeness, and a pleasing, adaptable character to impress people before you even realize they hold your next opportunity.
Chapter Key Points:
- Preparation prevents failure in opportunity.
- Cultivate a genuine service purpose.
- Display pleasing manners to everyone.
Chapter V: Your Prospects “The master salesman does not regard himself as merely a ‘prospectee,’ but as a prospector.”
Opportunities do not happen by chance; you must hunt for them like a gold miner. Good prospecting requires immense energy, observation, and “pep”. You must study local conditions, racial characteristics, and individual hobbies to tailor your approach appropriately. Look for what a business lacks, and figure out how your specific skills satisfy that exact need.
Chapter Key Points:
- Actively hunt for opportunities everywhere.
- Discover and fulfill prospect lacks.
- Study local and temporary conditions.
Chapter VI: Gaining Your Chance “The essence of a successful plan of approach to the mind of any prospect is a carefully thought-out idea of how to supply him with exactly what he lacks.”
Securing the interview involves outsmarting standard gatekeeping. Don’t be just another applicant; demonstrate a unique service motive. Hawkins outlines 4 Essentials of Good Approach: (1) Mental alertness in perceiving differences; (2) Good memory for retaining impressions; (3) Constructive imagination for anticipating scenarios; and (4) Friendly courage to overcome resistance.
He also provides 4 Ways to Re-construct Ideas using constructive imagination: (1) Enlarge the mental image of your service capabilities; (2) Diminish the perceived cost or salary of your service; (3) Separate the composite job into highly functional parts; (4) Image each specific part as a whole opportunity. By bringing a well-planned service idea, you compel the employer to see your distinct value.
Chapter Key Points:
- Differentiate yourself from other applicants.
- Plan using constructive, strategic imagination.
- Demonstrate clear, tailored service value.
Chapter VII: Knowledge of Other Men “The true signs of character are to be read only in the words, tones, and movements of a man…”
Before pitching, you must “size up” the employer. Ignore unchangeable physical traits like head shape, and focus strictly on developed muscle structures and actions, which reveal real mental habits. Quick, precise movements indicate sharp thinking, whereas wavering feet reveal indecision. By observing the prospect’s posture, gestures, and tone of voice, you can tailor your message directly to their emotional state and mental speed.
Chapter Key Points:
- Size up via muscle actions.
- Match your mental speed appropriately.
- Look past gruff, defensive facades.
Chapter VIII: The Knock at the Door of Opportunity and the Invitation to Come In “The secret pass-word to Opportunity is, ‘Service’.”
Gaining attention requires hitting the prospect’s senses without causing annoyance. If attention wanders, regain it by appealing to multiple senses—like snapping a card on a desk to hit both sight and sound. To transition from attention to interest, you must suggest ideas that are like the prospect’s own thoughts. Speak their language, match their tempo, and present “headlines” that summarize your value.
Chapter Key Points:
- Hit senses to compel attention.
- Induce interest through shared likeness.
- Use headline statements for curiosity.
Chapter IX: Getting Yourself Wanted “Success is not to be won by getting in where you are not wanted, however likable you may be.”
You secure desire by explicitly proving a lack in the prospect’s organization and painting a vivid picture of yourself filling it. Make the employer like you through genuine human sympathy, as people naturally want to work with those they like. However, avoid aggressively criticizing their current setup; use tactful suggestion so they feel the improvement is their own discovery.
Chapter Key Points:
- Prove a specific lack exists.
- Picture yourself successfully filling it.
- Use tactful suggestion, never criticism.
Chapter X: Obstacles In Your Way “An objection really is a favorable sign… He objects or evades because he is on the defensive.”
Objections mean the prospect is engaged. Distinguish whether an objection is mental (handle with logical facts) or emotional (handle with feeling, noted by a deep or vibrant tone). Use adaptive originality and tact to turn excuses into advantages. If they say you lack experience, frame it as being adaptable and free from bad habits. Anticipate objections and maintain patient, calm control without fighting back.
Chapter Key Points:
- Treat objections as buying signals.
- Match answers to emotional origins.
- Turn weaknesses into distinct strengths.
Chapter XI: The Goal of Success “The master salesman does not falter and fall down just before the finish.”
The closing stage demands absolute courage. A “nearly successful” sale is a total failure. The 5 Essentials of Good Close are: (1) Know with certainty when the prospect’s mind has reached the closing stage; (2) Change tactics to begin contrasting affirmative and negative ideas; (3) Weigh the ideas so vividly that the prospect perceives the “Yes” side is undeniably heavier; (4) Color affirmative ideas alluringly while painting the negative as uninviting; (5) Use suggestion or imitation of a physical act to commit the prospect to easy acceptance. Never beg or ask for a personal favor. Assume the “Yes,” present the pen, and get the decision pronounced.
Chapter Key Points:
- Weigh pros and cons vividly.
- Never beg or use pleas.
- Prompt physical action for decisions.
Chapter XII: The Celebration Stage “The celebration stage of the selling process should be the first stepping-stone leading to another successful sale.”
Achieving your goal is not an excuse to relax. Resting on your laurels leads to egotism, mental rust, and ultimately, failure. True masters of salesmanship celebrate a closed deal by immediately pursuing the next prospect. Success is built brick by brick; one promotion is just the foundation for the next. Maintain dynamic confidence rather than static complacency. By continually elevating your goals, you accumulate true success.
Chapter Key Points:
- Avoid complacency after a victory.
- Use success as starting points.
- True wealth equals enduring friendships.
20 Notable Quotes
- “Capabilities, like goods, are profitless until they are sold.”
- “A sale is a success only when true ideas are sold, and afterward are delivered by the goods.”
- “The secret of certain success… lies in knowing HOW to sell true ideas of your best capability.”
- “Success is a matter of making a good batting average.”
- “The demand of the future will be, however, not so much for BIG men as for big MEN.”
- “You must accomplish transformation into your best self before you can make the most of your opportunities.”
- “Your growth, when you employ the right processes and methods, is certain.”
- “The foundation of sales art is knowledge of selling technique.”
- “A suggestion is given ready access to the mind of the other man.”
- “You can do more to sell yourself by the way you walk into a man’s office than you could accomplish by bringing him the finest letters.”
- “If you would make your success a certainty, you must get all ready for it in advance.”
- “To-day there is no poor territory for success.”
- “The true salesman never apologizes to himself.”
- “The secret pass-word to Opportunity is, ‘Service.'”
- “The true signs of character are to be read only in the words, tones, and movements of a man.”
- “Every ‘suggested’ idea is accepted as absolutely true unless it is contradicted by other ideas.”
- “An objection really is a favorable sign.”
- “No race was ever won by a man who could not finish.”
- “Favorable decision is the prospect’s mental conclusion that it is better to buy than not to buy.”
- “The celebration stage of the selling process should be the first stepping-stone leading to another successful sale.”
About the Author
Norval A. Hawkins (1867–1936) was a pioneering American sales executive, best known for his transformative role as the Commercial and General Sales Manager of the Ford Motor Company from 1907 to 1919. A certified public accountant by early training, Hawkins applied systems, efficiency, and deep psychological principles to the art of selling. Under his leadership, Ford’s sales exploded exponentially, multiplying 132 times—from 6,181 to over 815,000 cars a year. He revolutionized dealer networks, distribution, and the science of mass-market auto sales. He authored influential works, notably The Selling Process (1919) and Certain Success (1920), codifying his methods for professionals in all fields. Hawkins demonstrated that salesmanship is not a dark art but a teachable, systematic process grounded in human service. His legacy remains deeply embedded in modern corporate organization and self-improvement frameworks.
Deep Diving
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Q: Does “Certain Success” apply only to professional salespeople? A: No, it applies to anyone looking to sell their capabilities, secure a job, or gain a promotion.
- Q: Why do capable, deserving people often fail? A: Because they lack the salesmanship required to market their hidden capabilities to the world.
- Q: Is salesmanship a natural gift or an acquired skill? A: It is an acquired art built on scientific principles, practice, and discriminative training.
- Q: What is the true essence of a successful sales approach? A: Approaching the prospect with a sincere intention to render a much-needed service.
- Q: Why does the author discourage using logic and reasoning? A: Because reasoning often triggers mental opposition and puts the prospect on the defensive.
- Q: What is the “Burbank Method” in this context? A: Luther Burbank’s discriminative-restrictive plant training method applied to human mental and physical development.
- Q: How should one handle objections? A: Treat them as buying signals. Don’t fight back; use tact to turn them into reasons for hiring you.
- Q: What is the purpose of the “power pitch” tone? A: To convey strong conviction, command respect, and demonstrate the depth of your character.
- Q: How do you tip the scales of decision at the close? A: Weigh your merits vividly against minimized demerits, then gently impel a physical committal.
- Q: What is the biggest danger after achieving success? A: Complacency. The “celebration stage” should immediately transition into pursuing the next goal.
Theories and Concepts:
- The Dual Self: The concept that a human consists of the inner ego (mind) and the outer body (muscles), which must be trained in tandem to produce results.
- Discriminative-Restrictive Training: A development theory adapted from agriculture focusing entirely on isolating a desired trait and starving out undesired traits through specific physical repetitions.
- The Mental Scales: The psychological concept of closing a sale by visually and verbally weighing positive and negative outcomes in front of the prospect, taking control of their decision-making process.
Books and Authors:
- The Selling Process by Norval A. Hawkins: Mentioned throughout as the companion volume to Certain Success, offering the technical processes for commercial salespeople.
Persons:
- Luther Burbank: Renowned botanist whose methods of plant development Hawkins uses as a metaphor for human character growth.
- Henry Ford: Founder of Ford Motor Company and Hawkins’ former employer, cited as a master of maintaining a “Service Purpose” and creating lasting friends.
- Charles M. Schwab: Steel magnate cited as the world’s greatest salesman due to his unparalleled ability to win friends and influence people.
- J. Pierpont Morgan: Prominent financier used to illustrate that “character” is the ultimate collateral for success.
Related Books:
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie: Expands on Hawkins’ principles of likability, avoiding arguments, and understanding other people’s motives.
- Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill: Complements the ideas of applied faith, auto-suggestion, and organized planning found in Certain Success.
- To Sell Is Human by Daniel H. Pink: A modern take reinforcing Hawkins’ premise that everyone is in the business of selling ideas and capabilities.
- Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini: Dives deeper into the psychological triggers (like reciprocation and liking) that Hawkins intuitively deployed.
How to Use This Book: Read it as a manual for your career. Chart your latent skills, practice tone and posture daily, and treat every interview as a calculated sales presentation where your service is the product.
Conclusion
Hawkins’ Certain Success proves that achieving your dreams isn’t a lottery—it’s a learnable, repeatable process of marketing your true value. Don’t let your talents stay hidden in the shadows of poor presentation. Start treating your career as your greatest product, apply these timeless sales strategies today, and guarantee your own success story!