The Sales Bible

Ever wonder why some salespeople seem to have customers chasing them, while others struggle just to get a call returned? In The Little Red Book of Selling, Jeffrey Gitomer argues that the secret is simple but often ignored: people don’t like to be sold, but they love to buy. Your job isn’t to talk prospects into a purchase—it’s to create an atmosphere where they want to buy. Throughout his signature blunt and humorous style, Gitomer lays out practical, tough-love principles for mastering that art.

The Core Philosophy: Selling Is Helping

Gitomer turns traditional sales thinking upside down: instead of focusing on “how to sell,” master “why they buy.” He criticizes sales training that teaches cheesy manipulation techniques but ignores the psychology behind buying decisions. When you start thinking in terms of how customers make decisions—trust, value, comfort, and fit—you stop acting like a salesperson and start acting like a partner in their success. As he says bluntly, “Selling is puking. Your customer wants to buy.”

To sell forever, Gitomer insists, you must build relationships based on value and trust, not push tactics. A customer who loves to buy from you becomes loyal, refers others, and never talks about price. That’s the difference between short-term commissions and long-term prosperity. You stop seeing your job as hitting quotas and start seeing it as helping others win.

The Power of Passion and Personal Philosophy

Gitomer’s “Red” metaphor isn’t an accident. Red symbolizes passion, love, visibility, and fire—the emotions that drive great salesmanship. He repeatedly urges readers to “be on fire” about what they sell. If you’re not passionate about your product, he says bluntly, “go sell something else.” He compares sales success to inner philosophy: “Philosophy drives attitude. Attitude drives actions. Actions drive results. Results drive lifestyle.” If you don’t like your results, you need to fix your philosophy, not your script.

This personal philosophy connects every part of Gitomer’s book—from kicking your own ass (self-motivation) to protecting your mindset against fear and rejection. He argues that real greatness comes not from luck but from hard work and self-belief, echoing what thinkers like Jim Rohn and Napoleon Hill have long preached: belief shapes reality.

Why Relationships Beat Price

Gitomer dismantles the myth that “price wins.” In his view, when a prospect keeps shopping based on price, it means they don’t see your value. He tells stories of businesses that lost customers not because they charged more, but because they failed to create loyalty. The real currency of selling is emotional connection—the kind that makes buyers say, “I like you, I believe you, I trust you, and I have confidence in you.” Only then, Gitomer says, “they may buy from you.”

This emotional equation—like → trust → buy → relationship—is the life cycle of sales. It’s how you shift from pitching products to building partnerships. Every principle in his book feeds this central truth: your humanity—not your discount—closes deals.

The 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness

Everything else in the book radiates from this core idea into Gitomer’s twelve and a half action principles. These range from preparing thoroughly (“Work while others sleep”) and branding yourself as the trusted expert (“It’s not who you know, it’s who knows you”), to mastering humor, creativity, and risk reduction. He even adds a “half-principle”: resign your position as general manager of the universe—stop meddling in other people’s problems and focus on dominating your own success.

Each principle is intensely practical, delivered with Gitomer’s trademark mix of motivation and sarcasm. He doesn’t tell you to “get motivated”—he tells you to buy your own laptop instead of whining that your boss won’t. He doesn’t want you to memorize closing techniques—he wants you to ask smarter questions that make customers think, “No one ever asked me that before.” In short, he teaches how to stop pushing and start attracting.

Why This Philosophy Matters

Sales, in Gitomer’s world, isn’t just a job—it’s a craft, a passion, and a reflection of who you are. You don’t “close deals”; you build lifelong customers who buy again and again because they trust your expertise and authenticity. That’s what he means by sales “forever.” In a marketplace obsessed with quick wins, Gitomer’s message feels radical but timeless: enthusiasm, preparation, self-motivation, creativity, and personal value still win over scripts, gimmicks, and discounts. If you learn how to make others want to buy from you—not just tolerate your sales pitch—you’ve mastered the little red art of selling.

Jeffrey Gitomer begins his first major principle with a punch: no one is coming to save you. If you want success, you have to kick your own ass. In his eyes, most sales problems aren’t caused by the economy, bad territories, or cheap competitors—they happen because salespeople aren’t self-motivated. They think of their position as a job instead of a career. Gitomer insists that you need self-inspiration, self-determination, and more hard work than you’ve ever done. He tells his own story of freezing at 5:30 a.m. on a Chicago curb while waiting for a client who casually summed up his philosophy, “Hard work makes luck.”

Philosophy Drives Attitude

Gitomer argues that attitude starts with philosophy. “Attitude drives actions. Actions drive results. Results drive lifestyles.” You can’t start with good actions unless your mindset is right. If you think of yourself as unlucky or stuck, you’ll act that way. His cure: develop a “YES!” attitude—the belief that every problem begins with a solution. Unlike generic “positive thinking,” a YES attitude assumes success even before others see it. It tells your customer that their expectations will be met.

Be Selfish—The Right Way

In a counterintuitive twist, Gitomer says being selfish wins. The logic is simple: before you can be your best for others, you must be the best for yourself. When you learn, grow, and master your own craft, you automatically become valuable to others. He challenges readers to invest in themselves instead of waiting for companies to train them—buy your own laptop, your own books, your own success insurance. His unfiltered advice: “Train yourself.”

Getting Out of Slumps

Most salespeople face slumps. Gitomer’s practical advice reads like a recovery prescription. Don’t blame the economy—blame your habits. Study the basics, revisit your plan, talk to your best customers, get feedback, read about attitude, and stay away from “pity parties.” Like a baseball player fixing a batting slump, go back to fundamentals. Repetition and hard work restore confidence. Gitomer’s humor turns serious motivation: “In a sales slump? Get fired up or get fired.”

Celebrate Effort, Not Just Victory

Gitomer believes that focusing only on victories blinds you to progress. Celebrate the hustle, the learning, the mornings you show up before the competition. He compares working your ass off to building the foundation of every other success principle. In his blunt assessment, most people won’t do the hard work that makes selling easy. If you’re reading his book, he expects more: work harder, learn constantly, and kick your own ass every day until results follow naturally. It’s the tough-love mantra that transforms complacency into momentum.

Preparation separates amateurs from pros. Gitomer mocks lazy salespeople who say, “Tell me a little about your business,” claiming it’s the third dumbest thing you can say to a prospect. True preparation means knowing the customer’s world inside and out before you walk through the door. He recommends researching their website, competitors, vendors, and even their CEO to uncover insights others miss. His refrain: “The workday starts the night before.” While most salespeople watch TV, winners work while others sleep.

Homework Never Ends

Gitomer redefines “homework” as lifelong study. The bad habits learned as students—avoiding preparation—resurface in adult careers. Successful salespeople never stop doing homework. They show up armed with information about the client’s industry, culture, and pain points. That preparation impresses prospects and silently communicates respect. As he says, “Prepared is going to their website and printing out pages…not asking from total ignorance.”

Winners vs. Whiners

In one of his most memorable lines, Gitomer declares, “You can’t be a winner if you’re a whiner, wiener.” Most salespeople whine about quotas, territory, or the economy instead of planning smarter. Winners plan, study, and take initiative. He contrasts the “wing it” mentality with deliberate research. Preparation (reading industry news, studying decision-makers, crafting questions) signals discipline. When you “wing it,” you lose to someone who doesn’t.

Working While Others Sleep

Gitomer’s personal habit of writing late at night and early in the morning encapsulates his message: greatness begins in hours others waste. He’s written books, columns, and made millions by using his extra three or four hours a day—not watching reruns, but creating ideas. His message is simple but searing: if you want success, stop saying “I don’t have time” and turn off the clicker. Prepare, or someone else will. In his world, the future belongs to the salesperson who studies the customer tonight so they can win tomorrow.

Gitomer is blunt: sales success today depends less on networking and more on personal branding. “It’s not who you know—it’s who knows you.” He challenges you to become a recognized expert, not just another salesperson. In his own career, he turned his name—literally “Gitomer”—into a brand. His weekly column, website, and e-zine made him “The Sales Guy.” The result: he hasn’t made a cold call in years because prospects call him first. Your goal is to make people seek you.

Building the Law of Attraction

Branding creates attraction. When customers see you as a consistent source of valuable insight, they trust you before you arrive. Gitomer’s practical steps include buying yourname.com, giving freely of your expertise, writing articles, joining associations, and showing up where leaders gather. This visibility makes you top of mind when they’re ready to buy. As he quips, “Position more, compete less.” (Compare this with Seth Godin’s idea of “Permission Marketing”—Gitomer adds the sales spin: permission comes from reputation.)

Give Value First

Gitomer’s branding secret is generosity. Give before you ask. Share information that helps customers build their business. Don’t send brochures about you—send ideas about them. His columns and e-zines deliver free advice, which generates thousands of inquiries weekly. That’s the “value first” philosophy again—branding and selling are two sides of the same coin.

Be a Resource, Not a Salesperson

Personal branding succeeds when people see you as a valuable resource. Gitomer pushes for integrity and creativity, from memorable business cards to meaningful community involvement. Become visible and credible enough that CEOs take your calls, not assistants. In his world, you don’t chase recognition; you earn it through consistent excellence and value delivery. When customers recognize your name, you’ve already made the first sale—the sale of you.

Gitomer insists that “It’s all about value, it’s all about relationship, it’s not all about price.” He despises “three bids and lowest price” thinking. The antidote: redefine value as something done for the customer, not something tacked onto a product. Real value means helping your customer increase profit, productivity, and success. He calls discount-hunters “cheap bastards” and jokes that they’re also the biggest pain in the ass. Instead, focus on relationships that make price secondary.

Giving Value First

The 6.5 principles of giving value include sending useful information, writing for trade journals, using testimonials, and speaking at public events. Gitomer’s favorite tactic—“Free Speech”—is not political; it’s marketing. Give free talks at civic groups. You help others, build visibility, and get warm leads—all while improving presentation skills.

Price vs. Value

To prove value’s power, Gitomer tells the car dealer story: customers who save $100 on a car regret it at 7:00 a.m. when service fails. They’d pay $1,000 more for good treatment. People forget price but remember suffering. He argues that when service and relationship are strong, price becomes irrelevant. Buyers don’t want “sales pitches”; they want answers to their problems.

Make Friends Before You Start

Gitomer’s mantra: “If you make a sale, you can earn a commission. If you make a friend, you can earn a fortune.” He believes customers buy from friends, not vendors. Professionalism should never replace friendliness; humor and humanity seal trust. He champions being the salesperson who laughs, listens, and cares—because friends outlast transactions. Relationship and value, not discounts, make you unforgettable and unstoppable.

One of Gitomer’s most practical insights is about risk: prospects don’t say “no” because of logic—they hesitate because of perceived risk. The greatest barrier to buying is the fear of regret, loss, or poor judgment. He teaches a deceptively simple strategy: identify and remove the buyer’s risk. When buying becomes safe, selling becomes easy.

Understanding Risk

Gitomer categorizes risk as emotional (fear of looking foolish), financial (fear of overpaying), functional (fear the product won’t work), or relational (fear of poor service). These are rarely stated directly but operate like invisible brakes in the buyer’s mind. Your job: uncover and eliminate them. Ask, “What’s the risk?” and “What’s the reward?” He calls this the “hole card” of customer psychology.

How to Remove Risk

Risk removal comes from credible proof, guarantees, demonstrations, and testimonials. Video testimonials are Gitomer’s favorite because “a picture is worth a thousand words; a video is worth a sale.” Show customers who are ecstatic, not just satisfied. He also recommends refund assurances and value guarantees—anything that transfers confidence from you to them.

No Risk, No Reward

As boldly as he teaches risk elimination, Gitomer also reminds you: risk-taking is mandatory for salespeople themselves. “No risk, no balls,” he writes. You must dare to speak, challenge, and ask. Prospects fear buying; you fear rejection. Remove both. When you make it risk-free for them and fearless for yourself, buying flows naturally. Selling, in his philosophy, isn’t persuasion—it’s confidence transfer.

Gitomer declares that great salespeople don’t “pitch”—they engage. You create the conditions for the buyer to talk themselves into a purchase. Engagement happens through powerful questions, humor, and presence. “Ask smart questions,” he writes, “and they think you’re smart.” Instead of memorizing closing lines, master inquiry that leads prospects to see their own logic for buying.

The Science of Powerful Questions

Gitomer lists nine benefits of asking the right questions: you qualify buyers, build rapport, uncover needs, find hot buttons, and—most importantly—let customers reveal motives. He contrasts “dumb” questions (“Are you satisfied with your current supplier?”) with power questions (“If your husband died, how would the house payments be made?”). Intelligent questions make prospects evaluate themselves. His goal: create a buying atmosphere, not a selling one.

Listen Like a Scientist

Write down answers, Gitomer says; it proves you care. The secret isn’t just asking—it’s recording responses for follow-up and action. Listening transforms you from a salesperson into an advisor. This echoes consultative selling models (like Neil Rackham’s SPIN Selling), but Gitomer packages it in his raw, street-smart humor: “If your questions are dumb, prospects think you are too.”

The Heart of the Sale

Engagement changes the conversation’s tone. When buyers laugh, think, and talk about themselves, trust builds. “It’s not hard sell—it’s heart sell,” Gitomer writes. Through empathy and curiosity, you help them connect their needs to your product. You stop convincing and start guiding. Once people convince themselves, your work is done—selling turns into buying.

In his final half-principle, Gitomer offers a surprising twist: stop trying to fix everyone else’s problems. “Resign your position as general manager of the universe.” He argues that meddling in drama—office politics, gossip, celebrity scandals—drains your time, focus, and emotional energy. The best salespeople live in their own universe: learning, earning, and improving. Every minute spent on someone else’s mess is a minute lost to mastery.

Refocusing Your Attention

Gitomer attacks distraction mercilessly. From news obsession to coworkers’ pity parties, these diversions erode your discipline. Replace them with study, planning, and self-education. He jokes that if people redirected the time they spend on other people’s drama, they could become bestselling authors or millionaire salespeople. His motto: “Save your own ass first.”

Achievement Begins With Isolation

To master sales and life, Gitomer says, you must first master yourself. When you control your time, focus, and emotions, you can create wealth, reputation, and freedom. Giving unsolicited advice, gossiping, or worrying about politics wastes energy needed for improvement. “Lock your doors, grab a book and a highlighter, and start to read,” he advises.

The Road to Your Own Universe

This chapter completes Gitomer’s cycle of success. After kicking your own ass, preparing, branding, adding value, and lowering risk, you need space to apply it all. Focus on creating your own results and ignore distractions. The reward isn’t just sales—it’s peace of mind and achievement. As he concludes: “The less time you spend in other people’s business, the more time you’ll have for your own success.”