author
Norval A. Hawkins
A pioneering sales executive at Ford Motor Company, this early 20th-century author turned practical business experience into plainspoken advice on selling. His books draw on years spent helping build Ford's national dealer network and shaping the company's advertising approach.
1 Audiobook
Certain Success
by Norval A. Hawkins
About the author
Born in Ypsilanti, Michigan, in 1867, Norval A. Hawkins built his reputation in business before becoming known as a writer on salesmanship. Research on his life describes him as both a successful Ford executive and an acclaimed author of books about selling, while local history sources remember him as one of Ypsilanti's notable business figures.
Hawkins is especially associated with Ford Motor Company, where he headed the sales department for about twelve years. During that period, he helped organize a nationwide system of dealerships and distribution, introduced new advertising methods, and launched Ford Times, the company newsletter. His own writing later pointed back to those years as the practical foundation for his sales ideas.
He wrote books including The Selling Process and Certain Success, presenting salesmanship as a skill that could be learned through method, discipline, and attention to people. That mix of hands-on experience and direct, usable advice helps explain why his work still appears in digital libraries today.