7 Quotes to Help You Out of a Sales Slump

John Rydell

April 9, 2024

9 min

Table of Contents

Summary:

  • Sales quotes can be an effective tool to give you perspective during a sales slump.
  • Believe in yourself to boost confidence and effectiveness in sales.
  • Embrace challenges and fears daily to grow and overcome obstacles.
  • Set clear, actionable goals to guide your sales efforts and improvements.
  • Focus on overcoming challenges and learning from setbacks for long-term success.
  • Dream big and aim for excellence, removing self-imposed limitations on your potential.
  • Prioritize process and effort over outcomes to maintain motivation and drive.
  • View each rejection as a step closer to success, learning from every "no" to refine your approach.

It takes hard work to become a great salesperson. Often, you need to improve your conversation skills and cold calling techniques.

Other times, you need to find some motivation.

Maybe you’re in a slump and you’re doubting yourself. Maybe you feel like you’re in way over your head.

If so, don’t worry. You can get past this. Every salesperson goes through their own ups and downs.

That’s why we’re giving you seven inspirational quotes from famous and successful people. Seeing things from a different perspective can be just what you need to end your sales slump and take you to the next level.

1. “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt

Past president Teddy Roosevelt makes a great point with this quote. If you want to achieve anything, you need to believe that you can do it.

Once you believe in yourself, you’ll start finding ways to make it happen. Additionally, it will give you the confidence you need to perform your best.

In sales, this is especially important. People need to trust and believe you, which requires confidence. And you won’t convey confidence if you don’t believe in yourself.

You don’t need to be the best salesperson to believe in yourself. If you’ve made sales before, you know you can do it again. Believe that you’re good enough today and that you’re only going to get better.

Once you believe in yourself, the sky’s the limit. President Roosevelt inspired America in the early 1900’s, and his motivating quote can help you get your sales numbers up today.

2. “Do one thing every day that scares you.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt understood a critical flaw in human psychology – people are afraid of many things that won’t hurt them. And these roadblocks prevent people from becoming truly extraordinary.

At first, this wisdom quote sounds harsh. But by doing one thing that scares you every day, you’ll start to see that the negative side-effects are relatively small, and often nonexistent.

This practice is great for salespeople because the fear of rejection can be crippling, even though a rejection has no real consequence. When someone says “no” to you, it doesn’t change your abilities or hurt your chances of making future sales. Only you can have that effect on yourself.

3. “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” – Zig Ziglar

Zig Ziglar was the Michael Jordan of sales. He has many great life quotes, but this is the perfect one to help you get your sales skills on-track. If you don’t know what you want, it’s nearly impossible to achieve it.

Use this concept to improve your selling by setting the right goals. Instead of making your goal a specific number of sales, make it behavioral. Here are some examples:

  • Before I make each sales call, I will visualize and believe that success is coming.
  • When I get rejected, I will say to myself, “No one wins them all. Next time…”
  • If I get 10 “no’s” in a row, I’ll ask my coworker to listen to my next call and see if she notices any flaws.

If you can figure out what habits will make you a better salesperson, make it your goal to adopt those habits. Those repetitive actions will lead to success over time.

Follow Zig Ziglar’s advice and you’ll notice a consistent improvement in your sales performance.

4. “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.” – Helen Keller

Helen Keller’s positive quote is so uplifting and true. People often focus on the negative aspects of reality when so many good things are happening.

This is one of the best inspirational quotes because you can use it to flip your script and see things from a different perspective. If you closed two of your last fifteen sales pitches, don’t think about the thirteen rejections you received. Think about the two successful deals you closed, and how you’re going to make more sales from those lessons learned.

Helen Keller reminds us that it’s not the hard facts that matter – it’s your perception of them. If you can see your slumps as opportunities for overcoming obstacles, you’ll absolutely do well in sales.

5. “Make your life a masterpiece; imagine no limitations on what you can be, have or do.” – Brian Tracy

When you search for inspiring quotes on Google, this Brian Tracy quote is one of the first to pop up. It’s a great reminder that we are usually the biggest limiter of our own potential.

Everyone has an opportunity to achieve greatness, including you. Don’t settle for mediocrity. Dream big instead.

Figure out what you truly want, set that as your goal, and make decisions that move you closer to achieving it. Don’t forget President Roosevelt’s quote – “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” By setting your sights high and focusing on the long-term vision, you’ll overcome short-term rejections by keeping your eye on the end prize.

6. “If I try my best and fail, well, I’ve tried my best.” – Steve Jobs

It’s not that results don’t matter – it’s that focusing your attention on results makes it harder to accomplish your goals. You’ll get frustrated every time you falter. Instead, focus on doing great work and mastering the process.

Try your best to close every sale. When you get rejected, try to determine whether you could have done something differently. And when you’re not working, spend time learning and understanding the art of selling.

If you focus on the process rather than the results, you’ll stay motivated because you know you’re moving toward your goal – even when you have a bad streak. If you listen to Steve Jobs and fixate your attention on trying your best, you’ll maintain your inspiration and then the results will follow.

Don’t beat yourself up when you’re in a sales slump. Instead, make sure you’re focusing your attention on the right metrics.

7. “Every ‘no’ brings you closer to a ‘yes’.” – Mark Cuban

Of course, you want every prospect to say “yes” and buy from you, but that’s not realistic. Instead of getting upset when people turn you down, use it as a learning opportunity:

  • Could you have made a better connection with the prospect?
  • Could you have shown the benefits of your product better?
  • Could you have done anything differently, or was the product not right for the prospect?

You need to embrace failure if you want to excel in sales. You should be proud of every denial for putting yourself out there. Because you’re not really failing – you’re gaining valuable experience. Instead of seeing every “no” as a failure, realize that you’re just one step closer to making another sale.

Motivating quotes can be great reminders when your focus goes astray. We gave you seven of the best inspirational quotes we could find. Whenever you need a little motivation, come here and realign your mindset. Stay positive and you’ll get your hot streak back in no time.

Do you have any great strategies to inspire yourself when you’re in the midst of a sales slump? Let us know in the comments below!

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