A little inside sales inspiration can help you get motivated, especially at the start of a new year. We’ve put together a collection of twelve quotes from well-known business leaders, past and present, to inspire you for a productive 2020.
Selling vs. Talking
- “Most people think ‘selling’ is the same as ‘talking.’ But the most effective salespeople know that listening is the most important part of their job.” — Roy Bartell
Listening allows salespeople to find out what their prospect needs. What they need to be answered, what they need a solution to, or what void your product fills. Focus on what your prospect is saying to pick up on clues that can ultimately help you win the client.
Check out what we said about listening in 5 Tips For Better Inside Sales Calls.
- “If people like you, they’ll listen to you, but if they trust you, they’ll do business with you.” — Zig Ziglar
Finding someone who will listen to what you have to say is step one. Showing them that they can trust you and that you’re worthy of their business is step two.
Learn more about the value of building value in Inside Sales Reps: Be Useful, Not Forceful to Close the Deal.
Passion for Selling
- “I have never worked a day in my life without selling. If I believe in something, I sell it, and I sell it hard.” — Estée Lauder
There must be a passion inside you for what you’re selling. Even if that passion is to make people’s lives easier with your solution, let that inside sales inspiration shine through in your selling tactics.
Asking Questions
- “Ask that extra question. It’s that one little extra question that makes the difference.” — Steve Richard
Be inquisitive. If you’re curious about something else, ask. You never know: if you skip asking it, you may miss out on your golden ticket to the sale. If you launch into a sales pitch, you may miss something valuable that asking questions may have uncovered.
The Importance of Persistence
- “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” – Thomas Edison
Give it one more shot. When it comes to selling over the phone, give it several more shots. Around 10 percent of sales are closed after four follow-up contacts; the other 80 percent require five-to-12 contacts. The fresh data from the recent Telfer Study reveals that “the average number of contact attempts needed for a positive outcome with a lead is 5.7 for B2B companies and 5.9 for B2C companies.”
Check out our guide on sales persistence for data and tips when it comes to effective follow up.
Embrace Change
- “It is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the most responsive to change.” – Charles Darwin
Adapt. Prepare yourself to ebb and flow with each conversation and acclimate technologically. Change, after all, is inevitable.
If adapting to change is your thing, we recommend checking out our post, Become a Future-Proof Sales Professional.
Overcome Call Reluctance
- “I’m not afraid to take a swing and miss.” – Fred Smith
Be courageous and make the offer. The only thing they can say is no, and even a no can transform into a yes by the know-how of a skilled salesperson. Don’t fear the phone and the possibility no. Overcome cold call reluctance. A yes awaits you.
Handling Opportunities
- “It’s not about having the right opportunities. It’s about handling the opportunities right.” – Mark Hunter
How you speak to people matters. Your strategy, your tone of voice, follow-ups, etc., they all matter. You can have the perfect opportunity, a lead that’s sure to buy and ruin the deal if you don’t handle it correctly. Or, you can take a lead that has gone cold and sell them your product and every add-on you have to offer.
Check out 7 Easy Inside Sales Tips to Catapult Your Closing Ratio to learn ways to improve the close ratio on the opportunities you have.
Find the Joy in the Job
- “There is little success where there is little laughter.” – Andrew Carnegie
Even if you’ve only been in sales for a short time, you know that a little humor goes a long way with most people. It shows your human and can help build a connection with the person on the other end of the phone.
Emotions Often Trump Logic in Purchase Decisions
- “When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion.” ~Dale Carnegie
When speaking with someone about a potential purchase — or even when you’re just trying to set an appointment, you’ll encounter emotions that impact your ability to move the person closer to the sale. Even in the face of facts and logic, people will often base their final selections about how they feel about your product or doing business with you.
Work hard to increase your emotional intelligence and train yourself to listen for emotional clues to help you guide your prospects to the right decisions.
It’s All About Your Attitude
- “Sales are contingent upon the attitude of the salesman – not the attitude of the prospect.” – W. Clement Stone
Stay positive even if your prospect has a negative attitude. You know what you’re offering is valuable, so stick to it. Once you reveal the benefits and they see the value in your product, they will likely come around.
Success Requires Action
- “Success seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.” – Conrad Hilton
Don’t let a bad call ruin your day. Simply move on to your next prospect and try to win that one over instead.
Where do you get your inside sales inspiration?
Influential words from prominent people never fail to inspire me. Hopefully, these quotes have amped you up and provided you with the inside sales inspiration to tackle your next sales call with gusto!
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