A Word from the Wise Can Help You Sell More
Today I’d like to highlight one sales enablement tool that I think is under-appreciated: great advice. Specifically, let’s look at the words of those who have achieved great things in many fields. Ask anyone here at Superior and they will tell you, I am always sending out quotes to inspire our team. By seeing what those who have achieved success consider important, we might pick up sales tips we can use to get more leads, close more deals, and make history in our own small way.
Here are ten quotes that work as inspirational sales tips from people who know what it takes to be a winner. As a result, they wound up at the top of their chosen professions. And in these quotes, they give us a hint at how they did it. I hope one or more of them strike a chord with you. Let’s start with our MVPs (Most Valuable Proverbs) from the world of sports.
“I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” – Wayne Gretzky
This one’s easy: anticipation. Have a plan. Think about what’s going to happen, and act. Put yourself in the best possible position to capitalize. For salespeople, this translates into being in the right place with the right product at the right time. It’s not a matter of luck, it’s a matter of skillful planning. They call Gretzky “the Great One.” Not “the Lucky One.”
“You just can’t beat the person who never gives up.” – Babe Ruth
Persistence was what the Babe valued. Maybe that’s why he “persisted” in belting more pitches over the fence than just about anyone. You can swing and miss twice. But that third one just might need a passport. People and situations change. The most resistant prospect can become a customer one day. Your relentless pursuit will be rewarded when that happens.
Next, let’s hear from some iconic visionaries from the past and present. What do they envision as the key to success?
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is to try just one more time.” – Thomas Edison
Like “the Babe” Edison, too, believes every failure is a step closer to success. Imagine if right before that first bulb finally lit up, Edison had decided “heck with this. It’s never going to work.” And quit. You’d be reading this on a scroll. By candlelight! So go ahead—make one more call before you leave for the day. After all, it just might be the one.
“As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.” – Bill Gates
Bill Gates has accomplished a thing or two. Along the way, he recognized that “one-man bands” don’t get many gigs. By believing in teamwork and trusting the talented people you work with, you can get a great deal more done. In sales, the other people in your company, your customers and prospects are all important parts of the process. When they are given respect, allowed to do shine and perform their best, that allows you to achieve yours.
“Try not to become a person of success, but rather try to become a person of value.” – Albert Einstein
I think I’ll have a desk plaque made of this one. It shouldn’t be the trappings or appearance of success that drive you; it should be the ability to help people. The goal in sales isn’t to get the order as much as it is to solve the problem the prospect or customer is facing. The sales will come when those people value what you bring to the table in products, services and wise counsel. That’s the difference between a single sale and a long, profitable relationship.
Let’s continue with some giants from the world of culture. They’ve inspired us over the decades. Could their words have a similar impact on our businesses?
“Everything you can imagine is real.” – Pablo Picasso
Picasso’s work showed great imagination through his fanciful images. Yet he believed that anything capable of being imagined is reality in the making. With that perspective, a salesperson gains the courage to pursue lofty goals and achieve a new level of success. Nothing is too hard, too much trouble, or too “iffy.” “Long shots” don’t exist. The lesson, therefore: make the call, it could happen.
“Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them. ” – Ann Landers
Good advice, Ann. No wonder people respected your opinion for decades. Opportunities aren’t prizes; they are possibilities that require nurturing and effort to bring to fruition. For sales enablement, treat leads like seeds. They’re not plants yet, and they’re certainly not blossoms or fruit. You must first use the tools, take the trouble and apply the care to reap successes.
“Success does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time.” – George Bernard Shaw
Another quote about putting failure to work. Many times, mistakes are the only things that teach us anything. If we make ourselves better because of each one, our successes can’t help but multiply. But learning what to improve upon is key.
Finally, let’s hear from a couple of history’s most successful leaders. They helped create and protect the world’s greatest countries. Thus, they knew a thing or two about success.
“Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill
There have been few more colorful and quotable characters in world history than Sir Winston Churchill. His stirring words helped rally allied forces to victory in World War II. This quote moves freely from battlefield to business. Many battles are lost every day, but if the energy and positive momentum of hard work and confidence remain high, business success will come.
“Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you.” -Thomas Jefferson
Self-doubt and self-analysis can be paralyzing. Thus Jefferson would tell you himself that his words are not the most important thing. What you do with them will determine your success or failure in sales or any other field.
Great Words – Now Let’s Get to Work
These are all wonderful words. But they’re wasted if they don’t inspire real, day-to-day action. We can help you take some of the “cosmic” principles and relate them to your company’s business. Because properly interpreted, they can increase the success rate of your sales staff, and help them see the bigger picture—to achieve bigger things.
For almost a century we have been providing sales enablement tools that save time and money and make work-life easier. Heck, my grandfather founded this company in 1924 to save time in the workday for sales reps! See how your company benefits by contacting me today and asking for a free sales enablement review.
