Sales is a fast-moving job.
While incentives and perks seem lucrative, sales as a profession come with its own set of challenges.
Salespeople are often perceived in a negative light by most buyers. Sales reps are aware of this view, making their job satisfaction lower than most.
They also face rejections and failures at the workplace a lot of times. Whether it’s cold calling, pitching the product, or overcoming objections, the success is seldom 100%.
As a manager or team lead, you need to keep your team’s motivation level up and help them stay on the top of their game.
So, here are 30 motivational sales quotes to inspire your team.
(A sneak peek )
Sales Skills Quotes
1. “How many times are we guilty of selling without understanding what the customer needs? I’m a true believer of asking ourselves the why — i.e., the customer value. Clients should feel that you’re really resonating and listening to what they need and expect.”
Polly C. Heiss, Executive Director – Integrated Logistics, Kerry Logistics (via LinkedIn)
95% of consumers believe that the average sales rep talks too much.
But people want to be heard.
If you see, the highest converting talk-to-listen ratio on sales calls is approximately 43:57. That is, reps must listen more than then talk.
And that’s why active listening is an important skill to hone.
I’ll give you one more tip.
Do call quality audit often. For this, use a CRM software to record and track conversations between buyers and your reps. This way, you can suggest improvements based on facts and not wimps.
CRM software such as LeadSquared seamlessly integrates with cloud calling tools like RingCentral, CallTrackingMetrics, and more. It helps reps call the prospects and record conversations for quality assessment and management.
2. “There is incredible power in leading with research and leading with relevance.”
Kraig Kleeman, founder and CEO of TheSalesCadence.com
Always enter a meeting after researching and understanding your customer’s needs. The research helps strengthen the buyer’s conviction about how your product can help.
3. “Treat objections as requests for further information.”
Brian Tracy, Canadian-American motivational public speaker and self-development author.
58% of buyers say salespeople could not effectively respond to their questions. Objections are almost always an indicator of your customer’s lack of information. So, find out what your customer needs to know and answer it to your best capabilities.
4. “Prospecting – find the man with the problem.”
Ben Friedman, American political economist
More than 40% of sales reps state that prospecting is the toughest part of the sales process.
The best way to prospect is to look for customers who will see your product as a solution instead of shooting in the dark. You can also use tools like Leadfeeder and LinkedIn Sales Navigator for prospecting.
5. “Even the simplest tools can empower people to do great things.”
Biz Stone, co-founder of Twitter
Your sales team can work best when they concentrate on tasks that matter most. Tasks like lead distribution, scoring, reports, and so on, can be easily automated. Equip your team members with automation tools to ease their work and increase productivity.
Be it a CRM software, prospecting, or analytics tool, your rep can be their best selves only with the right tools.
6. “Communication practices are essential in this new environment where you rarely engage directly or in-person with your team. Taking the time to get to know people, ensuring focus on mental health & well-being and connection across multiple levels, managers, teams, individuals and partners requires daily focus and is very different to being visible in an office environment.”
Kevin Ackhurst, Head of Sales for APAC, HubSpot (via LinkedIn)
Just like listening, communication is also an essential skill in this remote and hybrid work environment.
However, unfortunately, 15% of a rep’s time is spent managing meetings and not actually attending them. Tools like Calendly and Schedulista help create the perfect appointment plans – freeing reps for more productive tasks.
Sales Strategy Quotes
7. “Sales enablement can’t be reactive. It has to be a full-blown strategy that’s woven into the fabric of the company.”
Roderick Jefferson, CEO, Roderick Jefferson & Associates
Sales enablement is a company-wide effort. You need strategies that enable sales at every step and every team. Inter-departmental silos can cause great losses to your overall sales.
Consistent interaction between departments is necessary for growth and profit. Teams need to support and share each other’s workload for greater efficiency. Keeping teams in separate states can cause more harm than good in the long run.
8. “To build a long-term, successful enterprise, when you don’t close a sale, open a relationship.”
Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE, Hall of Fame keynote speaker, executive speech coach, sales presentation, and online learning expert.
Rejections are hard. And it’s worse when you could not close an exciting sale. But this doesn’t mean the prospect you’re talking to can’t refer you to someone who will buy. So keep that relationship because you don’t know what the future holds.
9. “Stop selling. Start helping.”
Zig Ziglar, Salesman and author
You must have heard this quote from Hilary Hinton “Zig” Ziglar, an American author, salesman, and motivational speaker. His sales books are full of practical insights and can be a ready-reckoner for everyone in sales.
The above sales quote is pretty self-explanatory. Sell products that are solutions for your buyers.
10. “Every brand isn’t for everybody, and everybody isn’t for every brand.”
Liz Lange, Creative Director and CEO of Figue and the founder of Liz Lange Maternity
Sometimes the product you sell isn’t necessary to your prospect. Don’t waste your time trying to sell to someone who doesn’t need your product. Instead, focus on those who will actually need it.
11. “The customer doesn’t care about features – they care about solving their problems.”
Trish Bertuzzi, Founder & CEO, The Bridge Group
You may speak at length about your product and its features. But the truth is customers are only looking for features that help them solve their problems.
Empowerment Quotes
12. “There are no limits to what you can accomplish, except the limits you place on your thinking.”
Brian Tracy, Canadian-American motivational public speaker and self-development author.
Sales reps often meet with uninterested or uninvolved prospects. This quote is significant in situations where they feel powerless as it shows that we are all capable of what we believe we can achieve.
13. “There is no magic to closing. There are no magic phrases. Closing the deal is completely dependent on the situation.”
Alice Heiman, Founder & Chief Sales Energizer, Alice Heiman LLC
Most of us would expect a discounted rate to push for closing. But, close rates reduce by 17% when the word “discount” comes into play. So be aware – what sounds like something that could help you cinch a closing may work against you.
14. “The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.”
Amelia Earhart, American aviation pioneer and author.
Sometimes we find the first step the hardest to take. Thinking on your feet and taking initiative is essential to your success. 73% (Source: Michigan news)of 25–35-year-olds overthink, making it difficult to act when under pressure. Overthinking can be fatal to an easy deal, so trust your instincts and act promptly.
15. “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
Eleanor Roosevelt, Former First Lady of the United States
A powerful and simple line that highlights – no matter what rejection you face, don’t let it get to you. There are times when sales reps deal with unsavory meetings that target them. But this is a quote to help you remember that you deserve to treat yourself kindly.
16. “Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.”
Henry David Thoreau, Naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher
This quote is especially important when it comes to feeling envious and unhappy. With the rise of competition within the workplace, comparison becomes inevitable. Healthy competition and praise to those who do well are necessary.
At the same time, managers should help reps who are feeling lost or aren’t achieving the same results. It can damage their self-esteem and job satisfaction if it goes unseen. So, we should do our best to look out for those who face such issues and never compare an employee negatively.
17. “You can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them.”
Shonda Rhimes, television producer, screenwriter, and author
It can be tough to reach people and form a meaningful connection in the sales industry. This isn’t to say that you can cross personal boundaries for your profit. Rather reach out to those in need of your products and help them live happier lives.
All of us have been stereotyped and have stereotyped others in the past. This can be harmful to forming long-lasting relationships when it comes to selling. So do not let yourself get trapped by the “us against them mentality.” Instead, sell to everyone who needs your product, regardless of their background.
18. “Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all, is a form of planning.”
Gloria Steinem, Writer, lecturer, political activist, and feminist organizer
Many of us tend to feel bogged down by harsh realities, especially when we’re facing rejections. But when we plan out our days in a way that helps us reach our dreams, there’s nothing to fear. Find effective planning tools that won’t overwhelm you. Some great options are Gamifier and Anaplan.
And if you are a manager reading this, know that your reps are not without fears. Research has shown that sales reps are often anxious and depressed because of their job. It was also found that their managers play a key role in improving their mental health. So if you can, reach out to your reps and check in on them regularly.
19. “A man can fail many times, but he isn’t a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.”
John Burroughs, Author
This sales quote hits hard because of just how true it is to life. The second we begin to blame the world for our problems, we’re assigning the responsibility of solving them to someone else.
It’s more than okay to feel unhappy and to take well-deserved breaks. But we should take responsibility and accountability for our faults, especially in sales.
Transparency among sellers is essential to creating a positive brand image. Transparent brands are more likely to get appreciation from 53% of customers. And 94% of consumers feel they are particularly loyal to a brand that is transparent. So, it is okay to make mistakes but always admit to them. Your customers will appreciate you more.
20. “Control what you can control. Don’t lose sleep worrying about things that you don’t have control over. Because, at the end of the day, you still won’t have any control over them.”
Cam Newton, Football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League
We’ve all faced days where everything feels out of our control. But the honest truth is that some things are not within our control. If things have taken a bad turn for your sale, let it go. But as I’ve written in a previous quote, if you don’t close don’t worry, but keep that relationship steady.
Success Quotes
21. “Success isn’t about how much money you make; it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.”
Michelle Obama, Former First Lady of the United States
Next time measure your success by the number of times you get a referral. It will indicate the kind of relationship you’ve built with customers and the change you brought in their lives. You won’t have to worry about your bank balance when your customers keep sending new customers your way.
The difference you make as a sales rep will keep you with a job no matter where you go.
22. “Understand your limitations so you can overcome them.”
Erin Morgenstern, Multimedia artist and author
It’s easy to feel caught up in our weaknesses. But there is strength in overcoming and acknowledging them. You are always capable of change, good or bad.
23. “If things are going untowardly one month, they are sure to mend the next.”
Jane Austen, Novelist
To sell a product or service, salespeople must make an average of six calls. So don’t feel down when the first, second or third doesn’t go through. Persistence is key to getting a customer on call.
24. “Pretend that every single person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, ‘Make me feel important.’ Not only will you succeed in sales, but you will also succeed in life.”
Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, Inc
This is one of my favorites because it puts the focus on the customer. Many times we get caught up in explaining the importance of our product instead of focusing on how important the customers are to the product’s existence.
Life Quotes
If you ask salespeople how they feel about their job, you’ll find only a few very satisfied.
A part of it depends on our perceptions about ourselves. Sometimes we expect more, and we are left discontented when we don’t get that.
But life’s more than that.
If you’re on a crossroad, read the following quotes to see life from a different angle.
25. “If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet. How important you can be to people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.”
Fred Rogers, educator, minister, and television host
Some of us have a habit of making ourselves inconsequential in someone else’s life. But that’s not right.
The first step to being a good sales rep is to realize you are important and remember it when you sell.
26. “Make sure your worst enemy doesn’t live between your own two ears.”
Laird Hamilton, Big-wave surfer and co-inventor of tow-in surfing
The National Science Foundation estimates that the average person has 12,000 to 60,00 thoughts per day. 80% of those thoughts are negative. That’s roughly 9600-48000 bad thoughts per day.
So, be mindful of how you think. Ultimately, your thoughts shape your reality.
27. “On the bleakest days, you have to keep your eyes onward and upward. And on the saddest days, you have to leave them open to let them cry. To then let them dry. To give them a chance to wash out the pain to see fresh and clear once again.”
Tahereh Mafi, Author
Indeed surveyed 1,500 Americans to assess their burnout levels in 2021. More than half of survey respondents (52%) are experiencing burnout.
Toxic hustle culture can have serious consequences on our mental health. So don’t hold back from expressing your anxieties or taking a break. You have time to succeed in a way that makes you happy.
28. “I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.”
Louisa May Alcott, author
Change is inevitable. But adapting to change is tough.
Here’s what salespeople say.
All of us are learning every day to survive. Fear can be crippling, but don’t fret because you aren’t alone on your journey. And you’re constantly learning how to steer your way to success.
29. “Experience is merely the name men give to their mistakes.”
Oscar Wilde, Poet and playwright
Not to sound cliche, but we learn a lot about our profession when we go wrong. Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, each mistake comes with a lesson. Keep them as a guide on what not to do in the future.
30. “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”
Dr. Seuss, Author
I’m hoping this message reaches the manager. Sales reps, especially beginners, are rarely faultless at their work. They will need constant guidance, encouragement, and support from a senior worker. And it is up to you to take responsibility and care for your juniors when they need help. Your support will create a solid foundation of trust and confidence in your sales team.
The takeaway
These sales quotes are reminders to keep yourself motivated and not let things get to you.
You have a lot to offer your company, and you should be confident in yourself. But these quotes are not the substitute for professional help when you are mentally exhausted.
So please seek help when you need it, and keep these quotes in your mind for a rainy day. We’re all working towards different goals and have different dreams. But we should always be kind to ourselves in this process of achieving them.
If you can recall the quotes about tools making a world of a difference, and it’s been on your mind since, look no further! LeadSquared is a great option for all your sales operations. With lead management, call recording, tracking, and reports, it is an all-in-one system for sales efficiency. Check for yourself, and let us know how it goes.
