25 Best Inspirational Sales Quotes from the Pros

1. “There are No Traffic Jams on the Extra Mile.” –  Zig Ziglar

If you haven’t heard of Zig and you’ve been in sales for the last 50 years than you must have been doing business on another planet! Zig’s probably the best known sales trainer of all time in the US. I love this sales quote because it sends such a clear message. If you want to be a remarkable salesperson, be prepared to do the remarkable and you’ll be remembered for it.

2. “You Can’t Manage What You Don’t Measure” – Timo Rein

This sales quote comes from one of the Founders and the CEO of Pipedrive, which is appropriate. Pipedrive is a simple sales CRM that makes it much easier to measure sales performance (through automated sales reports) so that you can better manage your success. Only through measuring how you perform can you identify areas that need your attention most, then begin to improve them. At Fit Small Business we recommend Pipedrive as the best sales CRM, and I use it personally.

3. “Quality Performance Starts with a Positive Attitude.” –  Jeff Gitomer

This sales quote comes from Jeff Gitomer one of the best known sales trainers and bloggers in the US. Jeff believes that salespeople are much more likely to succeed if that start out with the right philosophy, which drive the right attitude which in turn drives action. But he argues that most salespeople start with action and have no idea what their philosophy is, which gets them off on the wrong foot with a less than perfect attitude.

4. “Doing What You’ve Been Doing is Going to Get You What You’ve Been Getting” –  Seth Godin

Seth has been writing his daily blog for over 20 years and this is one of my favorite sales quotes. If my performance starts to dip, I keep going back to it because it’s the well that keeps on giving. The message is so clear, “it’s not enough to just try harder, you have to try different things if you want a different or a better outcome.”

5. “Be So Good That They Can’t Ignore You.” – Steve Martin

Matt Jones, beaconrealtygrp.com

Starting out, especially cold calling people, I faced a lot of rejection. Some of those same people are now some of my best clients. I knew that eventually I would be such an asset to them that they simply couldn’t ignore my call, and that kept me hungry to be better. That sales quote now resonates more than ever as I launch a new venture in a new market.

6. “You Don’t Close a Sale, You Open a Relationship” – Patricia Fripp

Rahim Kassam Crosscap

Selling is all about relationships and trust, most customers I have sold and up-sold to I’ve achieved because of establishing an excellent relationship by delivering solutions on time that solve the client’s needs.

7. “Nothing Happens in Business Until Something Gets Sold.” – Thomas Watson

Paige Arnof-Fenn, Mavens & Moguls

I love this sales quote because it helps people stay focused on what matters. We’ve all been in those meetings where people love to hear themselves talk and they make every excuse in the book about how hard it is to get the meeting. There are usually a lot of people with stories about how much progress they are making, but really it comes down to someone making the sale. My competitive juices start flowing when I know, if he or she can do it, I can too! That is just the kick in the pants I need to get going.

8. “You Can’t Beat the Person who Never Gives Up.” – Babe Ruth

Lori Cheek, Cheekd

After building my dating business for over six years, I’ve got a laser-focused vision to succeed and will do almost anything to keep this business flourishing. I’m actually not surprised by my determination because for as long as I can remember, I’ve been extremely stubborn. When most people would have quit, I only hustled harder. I think my personal approach, passion, and dedication mixed with my relentless conviction that failure is not an option has been the recipe that will ultimately lead to my success. No matter what… in the end, I’m going to have a magical and cheeky story to tell.

9. “In For A Penny, In For A Pound”

Jared Weitz, United Capital Source

This is one of my favorite sales quotes. I love it because it truly represents how a business owner must be in their business. There is no being half in, you must go “all in” for your business.

10. “Coming Together is a Beginning; Keeping Together is Progress; Working Together is Success.” – Henry Ford

Katongole Johnny, 4 Corners Alliance Group

When I read this quote, it opened my mind that the only way to success is working together. You can’t be good in everything, but when you share ideas, you prosper.

What is teamwork? Teamwork can be defined as the ability to work cooperatively with others and work together, as opposed to separately or competitively, to achieve a common goal. Teamwork is used in all aspects of life. Analyze any situation or task involving more than one person: in almost all cases, the outcome can only be positive if a sufficient amount of teamwork is used.

For example, a marriage will only work if both partners put in the effort. A sports team will not be successful unless the team works together as a unit. A business will not survive unless all members work as one team. Whether or not each individual realizes it, they are putting complete trust in the other members of their team to work together and achieve one common goal.

11. “We Don’t Sell a Service; We Sell an Experience.”

Christopher Savage, Savage Global Marketing

We pride ourselves at Savage Global Marketing on assuring clients they are here for the ride and experience, not just a simple handshake and a deal. Customers today are involved in projects with the 6 senses, they are paying attention to the way it feels, looks, sounds, etc. Don’t lose a customer by offer a service or a product, show them that experience they really are looking for but haven’t seen.

12. “The Difference Between a Successful Person and the Rest is Not a Lack of Ability but a Lack of Will.” –  Vince Lombardi

Christopher J. Croner, SalesDrive, LLC

This sales quote resonates with me on a sales level and on an overall business level. Our research has consistently shown that the most important characteristic for success in “hunter” salespeople is Drive (Need for Achievement, Competitiveness, and Optimism). Knowledge and technique are important, but the salesperson who can get the door slammed in their face and knock on the next door with that much more certainty and enthusiasm wins the day.

13. “Make Me Feel Important.”

Moniek James, Entrepreneur Mentor

Pretend that every person you meet has a sign around his or her neck that says, “Make me feel important.” Not only will you succeed in sales, you will succeed in life. This sales quote reminds me to see every person that I encounter as a human being, not a potential sale. It reminds me that making the connection is paramount. When I focus on making people feel important first, the sales follow.

14. “We Must All Suffer From Either the Pain of Self-Discipline or the Pain of Regret.”

Elayna Fernandez, The Positive Mom

The reason I love this quote so much is that quite often the journey of success is hard, and we all go through times in which it becomes tempting to quit. However, if we focus on the pain of defeat, on the pain of regret, on the pain of what will happen and what it will cost you to NOT reach your goal, you will find great motivation to go on, and to do everything you can to achieve it!

15. “Fail Well!” –  Barbara Corcoran

Elena Shkarubo, MeetnGreetMe.com

My favorite sales quote belongs to Barbara Corcoran, who built her fortune in real estate. The full sales quote is, “Fail well! The only difference between the superstars making millions a year and persons barely get by is how long they feel sorry for themselves once they get hit.”

No one likes to fail. A lot of people don’t even start because they get stuck with the question ‘what if I fail’ or ‘what if I get No instead of Yes’. But failure is just a part of the business cycle. Moreover, it brings us experience and makes us stronger. Barbara’s words encourage me to leave the I’m-so-sorry-for-myself zone faster and easier. At the end of the day, it’s up to us whether to focus on the failure, get depressed, and give up or to accept it as a possible outcome and move forward.

16. “A Deal Isn’t Closed Until the Money is in the Bank.”

Colin Myles, Author

I like this sales quote because it reminds me that sales is a process linked with credit control. You can generate $1,000,000 in sales, but if three months down the line $600,000 is still outstanding, you stand a good chance of running into cash flow difficulties.

17. “People will Forget What you said, People will Forget What you Did, but People will Never Forget how you Made Them Feel.” –  Maya Angelou

Vladimir Gendelman, Founder & CEO, Company Folders, Inc.

Sales is based on relationships that build up, not quick interactions. Because it occurs over a period of time, people may lose sight of details during a sale. But they will retain an overall impression of how you treated them and whether they enjoyed working with you. If you make customers feel good about themselves and their purchase decisions, they will come back to buy from you in the future.

18. “Always be a Little Wary so you Never Have to be Very Afraid.” – Old Swedish Saying

Jim Berlin, Logistics Plus Inc.

You should always watch out so that you can see what is coming ahead. Sometimes it can be a roadblock or obstacle, but other times it could be a lifetime opportunity. When those opportunities come around, sometimes to be successful, you have to take chances and have confidence in yourself and the people around you.

19. “It Takes Months to Find a Customer, Seconds to Lose One.”

Ann Johnson, Owner & Founder, All You Naturally

I’ve been in sales for nearly 40 years, and you can bang on doors for weeks, sometimes months, before you land that account or customer. But, for whatever reason, in a blink of an eye, you can lose that account or customer, just like that! Another company might beat your prices, or the customer may not like your product. Build relationships, and do whatever it takes to make your customers happy! They are then less likely to jump ship.

20. “Don’t Throw Stones at Every Dog That Barks.”

Karla Jobling, COO, BeecherMadden

In sales, there is always a new market or new angle that you can pursue, but the way to be successful is to become an expert in your niche. If you are always trying to be an expert in a new area, you will get distracted and not hit your targets.

21. “Yesterday’s Home Runs Don’t Win Today’s Games.” – Babe Ruth

Keith Johnstone, Peak Sales Recruiting

This is my favorite sales quote because it reminds you that every minute of every day counts towards achieving your sales target. It reminds you to stay humble; that as great as your past successes might be, it’s what you do in the here and now that will make or break whether or not you achieve your goal.

22. “Innovation is Rewarded. Execution is Worshipped.” – Dan Gilbert

Emmanuel Lao, Square 1 Group

I always preach to the staff that good ideas or products are always just the beginning. Most people fail to understand that the real journey to success starts when you step out of that door and tell people to buy your product. We worship execution because, in the beginning, we will get rejection far more times than acceptance. However, if that level of acceptance becomes more perpetual, then universal praise is due.

23. “People Don’t Like to be Sold, but They Love to Buy.” – My father-in-law

John Kinskey, AccessDirect, Inc.

In the early day of starting my business, my father-in-law, a retired sales pro, was coaching me. I never forgot his reciting this sales quote as he tutored me in sales. He went on to explain the do’s and don’ts of setting appointments and conducting on-site sales calls, with some stern coaching after each one. That sales quote sums up the subtleties in the art of selling.

24. “In Sales, You Let the Prospect Talk 80% of the Time and You Talk the Other 20%.”

Brandon Lewin, BrandonMLewin.com

This has been a proven belief of mine that has led me to selling to thousands of customers over the years and millions of dollars in services and products sold. People want other people to listen to them and help them get what they want.

A salesperson or a person in the position to sell to someone has the responsibility to act as a doctor. You must diagnosis the person to truly help them. That means the world to me.

25. “You Can Have Everything you Want in Life if you Just Help Other People Get What They Want.” –  Zig Ziglar

Marc Carriere, Marketing Tactics

This sales quote has continued to inspire and guide me in business for over 30 years. I’ve found that genuinely putting other people first earns you their trust. And, when they know you have their best interests at heart, they’re generally more than willing to give you what you want.