5 Favorite Quotes That Relate to Sales
When I was at MLS' National Sales Center, I had a 'Quote of the Day'. It may have been about sales, often it wasn't. The goal was to discuss how that quote related to sales, and how it could inspire us to be better. It was corny for sure...but it worked. In fact, by the end, we had the reps do this exercise, too...and the results were awesome. Every day the group loved the time we spent on this exercise...every one of the sessions we had.
This exercise changed the way the reps thought about sales...which is a critical component of sales success. When we're honest, sales has a negative connotation. That said, it's the most important part of almost every business...and, when done properly, I couldn't imagine anything cooler than helping people get to sporting events.
To all that...here are my top 5 favorite quotes that relate to sales:
The most unprofitable item ever produced is an excuse. - John Mason - Quite simply, it's easy to find excuses to NOT do a sales job. It's those people that search for solutions that are the best sales people. It's those people that constantly search to make their process more efficient who are the best sales people. Making excuses why you don't do either may feel good for a minute, but it's a wasted minute. It produces absolutely nothing.
People hate to be sold, but they love to buy. - Jeffrey Gitomer - The author of some of the most influential books in the history of sales, this is my favorite quote by him. It's a tremendous reminder that when we put ourselves first in the sales process, we create a selling process that isn't fun for the buyer. When we create a buying process that shows the customer we are fully there for them...we put ourselves in a better position. People often relate sales to talking...when listening is actually one of the most important things a sales rep can do.
Fall down seven times, stand up eight. - Proverb - One of the most critical things a sales rep needs to get their mind around is that failure is ok. In fact, after a yes, a no is the second best answer in sales...way better than a maybe. The more we take ownership of this, the more we accept that no's are an important part of our job...the more sales we'll make. Every no gets us one step closer to a yes. No one likes getting a no, but to be truly successful, we need to learn that resiliency to get up more than we fall down.
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. - Gandhi - Oddly enough, this is my favorite B2B sales quote. In B2B sales, persistence is more critical than anything flashy that you can do. Proving to a business executive that you have something of value and you're not going anywhere will get you that coveted meeting. While this quote is meant for so much more than B2B sales, admittedly, it's principal message has driven the way I've sold to businesses since 2005...with a lot of sales behind it.
Fortune favors the bold. - Virgil - This quote was the top line of my match.com profile. True story. I'm a huge believer that you just need to go for it. In your language, in your actions, and in the way you attack your job. The more reticent you are in sales, the less successful you'll be. This doesn't just include making or not making calls. It's whether you use strong language on the phone with clients. It's throwing yourself at getting people to make decisions. It's not about assuming you're good, it's about constantly getting better.
I'd love for people to reach out with some of theirs!