Quotes About Selling That Make Me Think

Posted on June 17th, 2009 by Dave Stein

Paul Lanigan from Sandler Ireland put up a query today soliciting favorite sales quotes.  Here are some of mine.

  1. Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt. (Mark Twain)
  2. Tell your customer the truth before your competitor exaggerates it.
  3. You can’t handle the truth!  (A Few Good Men)
  4. Nothing is as exhilarating as to be shot at without result. (Churchill)
  5. We don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are. (J. M. Barrie)
  6. Who he is is so loud, I can’t hear what he is saying.
  7. Some people are so far behind in the race, they believe they are leading. (Uncle Junior on the Sopranos)
  8. It’s not the strongest of the species that will survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change. (Charles Darwin)
  9. The successful man is the average man, focused.
  10. The definition of a brand is something people will pay extra for, even if the product or service is identical to a competitor. (Geoffrey Colvin)
  11. Opportunity may knock only once, but temptation leans on the doorbell.
  12. Virtually all of my questions at the trial, and most of my tactics and techniques, are aimed at enabling me to make arguments I’ve already determined I want to make. In fact, before the first witness at a trial has even been called, I’ve usually prepared my summation to the jury. (V. Bugliosi)
  13. It’s not the plan that is important, it’s the planning. (Dr. Graeme Edwards)
  14. Your ears will out-earn your mouth.
  15. Time is what keeps everything from happening at once. (Woody Allen)

Please add your own as a comment.

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14 Responses to “Quotes About Selling That Make Me Think”

  1. John Caddell, on June 17th, 2009 at 10:21 am Said:

    One of my favorite is from “Dumb & Dumber.” Lauren Holly, late in the movie, tells Jim Carrey that “it’s a chance in a million we’ll ever get together.”

    Carrey says, “So you’re telling me there’s still a chance?”

    An former VP of mine used that quote to demonstrate to his sales folks that qualifying and candidly assessing your prospects was really important–that it wasn’t enough to “still have a chance.”

  2. Dave Stein, on June 17th, 2009 at 10:58 am Said:

    I hadn’t remembered that line, John. Perfect! Thanks.

  3. Jill Konrath, on June 17th, 2009 at 10:48 pm Said:

    I like Nolan Ryan’s quote, “Pitching is easy. Preparation is hard.”

  4. Dave Stein, on June 18th, 2009 at 3:12 pm Said:

    Right on, Jill. Thanks.

  5. Keith Stoneman, on June 19th, 2009 at 11:16 am Said:

    My personal favorite used in training for years, sort of a Yogi Berra-ism:

    “You won’t get 100% of the sales you don’t ask for.”

  6. Jill Myrick, on June 21st, 2009 at 2:57 pm Said:

    I love these! I am sure there is a gem in Tommy Boy, but I just can’t think of one right now. I’ll work on that. Thanks for a great list.
    Jill

  7. chuck luffer, on June 22nd, 2009 at 11:57 am Said:

    if sales were easy then everyone would be a sales person

  8. john esposito, on June 23rd, 2009 at 8:14 am Said:

    Vince Lombardi:

    “Winning is not a sometime thing: it’s an all the time thing. You don’t win once in a while; you don’t do the right thing once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.”

    I can identify with this as my team and I talk constantly about holding ourselves to the highest standards, exemplified by a sales methodology we’ve adopted at AMICAS. When adherence to the methodology slips, it’s a red flag that we’re not doing things right “all the time.”

  9. Dave Stein, on June 23rd, 2009 at 11:34 am Said:

    Thanks John,

    AMICAS is an ESR client and is a textbook case of a company embracing methodology the right way.

  10. The Sales 2.0 Network | Building The Right Foundation for Sales 2.0, on June 23rd, 2009 at 3:42 pm Said:

    [...] recent comment on my blog by John Esposito, VP of sales at AMICAS, reminded me to write a post about his [...]

  11. Bruce Ellis, on June 24th, 2009 at 2:00 pm Said:

    Nothing happens until somebody sells something…

  12. Twitted by JohnFMoore, on June 26th, 2009 at 6:35 pm Said:

    [...] This post was Twitted by JohnFMoore [...]

  13. Josiane Feigon, on June 28th, 2009 at 5:20 pm Said:

    Great collection of inspiring and motivation quotes, Dave.

  14. Geoff Alexander, on July 7th, 2009 at 9:58 am Said:

    Hi Dave, two of my own favorites are:

    “When you buy quality, you only cry once”, and a price objection rebuttal by my buddy Tim Mattis: “If I had your money, I’d burn mine.”

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