Being in sales and business is full of lots of ups and downs, so sometimes we need a bit of a push to keep going. Reading a few motivational quotes that we can put on our desks to look at when feeling a bit glum can keep us going and focused on what we need to be working on.
People may think reading quotes is a bit woo-woo and not needed in sales and business but every now and again we just need that little bit of extra encouragement and that’s exactly what these quotes can do.
I am going to share 20 motivational quotes that have helped me and can help you when you need some extra motivation. All of these quotes are from men but don’t worry the next blog is full of inspirational quotes from ladies.
Let’s have a look at my top 20 motivational quotes from men.
If your dreams don’t scare you, then they are too small!
RICHARD BRANSON
What a brilliant thing to say! This quote from Richard is true, if your dreams don’t scare you then maybe they’re too small. It’s easy to play safe and just focus on little goals that you know you can achieve.
Focus on big visions and big dreams. When people say you can’t do it, look at them in the eye and say you’re going to make it happen. Dreams that we have are what get us to where we need to be. Focus on that and dream big!
Don’t negotiate with yourself.
DAVID GOGGINS
David Goggins says never to negotiate with yourself. As business and salespeople, sometimes we all want to go down the route that’s easier… We say we’re going to do something and then we don’t.
I have done that myself (numerous times), but I try and have David Goggins’ words in my ear when I’m thinking about not wanting to do something.
Never negotiate with yourself! If you commit to something in sales and in business, you have to fully commit to it. Keep focused on doing the work you need to and you will achieve great results.
Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it!
CHARLES SWINDOLL
When you think about it in terms of especially running a business, we face setbacks and face challenges that get in the way. It’s very easy to let our heads drop and focus on it and think that we’re rubbish and not achieving things rather than thinking I’m going to deal with this in a different way.
It’s not about what happens to you, it’s how you react to it. In sales and business, we’ve got to keep that mentality, that strength, and commitment to keep going and achieve the results we want.
Remember what Charles says it’s not what happens it is how you react to it. That’s what is important.
Be so good, they can’t ignore you.
STEVE MARTIN
This quote always inspires me when I am doing sales proposals and sales prospecting. It’s from Steve Martin and he says, “Be so good that they can’t ignore you.”
Remember this great quote when doing your business presentations, be so good and make your presentation so powerful that they cannot ignore what you are saying.
Be so focused on giving great advice in your proposals and presentations that they cannot possibly ignore what you are saying to them. Having this mindset will open doors and get your company the numbers to be where you want.
Mastering others is strength. Mastering yourself is true power.
LAU TZO
My fifth quote comes from a Chinese Philosopher and it’s one that you may not have heard of before, but I think it’s such an important one when it comes to sales.
What does this really mean,? The point of this quote is that people like to think that if they master other people that they’re being really strong and in a position of power. Actually (and I know this from my years of life) is that unless you can master and control yourself and your actions, disciplines and behaviours then I ultimately cannot achieve anything.
Mastering others is strength but being able to master yourself is true power, and if you can achieve that you can achieve anything you want to.
Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later.
OG MANDINO
Quote number six comes from a guy who I absolutely loved his book when I read it a few years ago. If you’ve never read the greatest salesman in the World by OG Mandino then definitely read it! It’s a great insight into how you could achieve incredible sales success.
This quote is one I absolutely love and it’s so true for sales and business. Success and the results we want don’t often come from the actions we take that day. They come from the work we do in the background when no one is looking.
It’s at these key times when we do our best and give our all. We have to do the work now before we harvest in time. Focus on OG Mandino’s wise words from this quote. It’s a great inspiration to motivate you and get you where you want to be. Do the work now and the results will follow.
The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.
WALT DISNEY
I have a few friends that I always joke with and call the vice presidents of Amna.
Amna stands for all mouth no action.
This leads me nicely to my next quote which is from Walt Disney. He was a brilliant inspiration and business person that we can all learn from. It’s so easy when we’re in a sales situation to put off something we don’t like to do until tomorrow or to just talk about it, rather than actually doing the work needed to.
You have to quit talking about it and start making the vision you have come to life. If you don’t then it just becomes a dream without any execution actually happening. Hope’s not a strategy, take action and start doing!
You just can’t beat the person who never gives up.
BABE RUTH
Quote 9 is from an amazing baseball player from years ago who achieved incredible results and records. I think it absolutely sums up what we have to do as salespeople and business owners, and that is that you can’t beat the person who never gives up!
If your ability to withstand some challenges and tough moments is low, and you want to give up the moment things get tough, the chances are you are going to fail in sales and business.
We have to build resilience to get through the tough times (trust me, there are always plenty). You have to have that determination and desire to achieve something, and then never give up. When you’ve got that drive that dedication and commitment to making something happen, then just like Babe Ruth says, you just can’t beat them.
The road to Easy Street goes through the sewer.
JOHN MADDEN
We are halfway through now and this is a brilliant quote that I love from a guy called John Madden. I think it really epitomises the first few quotes I have mentioned already.
What John means by “the road to easy street goes through the sewer” is this: we have to go through the tough times before we get the results.
Unfortunately, there is no red carpet for us to walk down. There are going to be many, many trying times and challenges in sales and business.
Even the biggest businesses in the world and the largest CEOs and the largest companies that earn millions and millions of pounds per year have challenges. Money doesn’t solve these things, you’ve got to accept that there’ll be issues. You have to go through them to get to where you want to be.
Success is where preparation and opportunity meet.
BOBBY UNSER
I use this quote on a regular basis and it’s one from Bobby Unser.
In sales, we have to do the work and the planning in order to take advantage of an opportunity.
We can’t do that if we don’t prepare, or put the work in to take time to research a client before we go to meet them.
Bobby’s quote is a great way to help you to start thinking about that and achieving the things you want.
The questions you ask are more important than the things you could ever say.
THOMAS FREESE
I absolutely love this quote because it reflects how important it is for salespeople all over the world and business success stories to achieve what they want.
What Thomas Freese says is so true, especially when it comes to sales. If you have watched my videos or read my blogs, you’ll hear me regularly mention that you have to listen more than you talk.
When we ask great questions, we start to find out more about the other person and what is happening in their world, opportunities open up. The questions you ask are more important than any of the things you can say. Use this in your day-to-day activity and start asking questions in a more engaged and empathetic way and your chances are likely to go up.
Opportunities don’t just happen, you have to create them.
CHRIS GROSSER
Often in business we all want things to happen and go a certain way, but we get frustrated when they don’t. Maybe the leads aren’t coming through or we didn’t win a deal that we thought we were going to do. Perhaps we couldn’t launch a service that we wanted.
When these setbacks happen, we get frustrated and think there are other things at fault. This quote from Chris Grosser which I use as a motivation to keep me on the right path is a great one.
When it comes to sales and business there’s a phrase I always use which is maybe even similar to this. It’s “eat or be eaten, you have that choice”. We can’t just wait for opportunities to come to us we have to go and make them happen and get to where we want to be.
If we don’t, chances are that we’re going to get what life gives us – which may be not what we want. If you want opportunities, go and create them. Go and knock on that door till it opens. Go and engage with someone. Don’t just expect it to come to you. Go and get it!
Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. Don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better.
JIM ROHN
If you have never heard of Jim Rohn, I recommend you look him up. He was one of the greatest inspirational speakers and coaches in the early 70s and 80s. He inspired many people like Bezos and Tony Robbins.
This quote from him is brilliant. Rather than being able to moan about things, try to make them easier. It’s our job to do the things that other people don’t want to do.
That’s why Jim Rohn was a legend and helped create so many incredible business owners. He motivated them to achieve great things and if you take his advice on board you can do the same.
If you look really closely, most overnight successes took a long time.
STEVE JOBS
This quote comes from a legend of the business world Steve Jobs. Jobs was the inspiration behind Apple and created the iPod and the iPhone and so many devices that have made Apple the global conglomerate and beast that is today.
The quote he says is so true. Overnight success stories take a long time! What he is saying is that everyone thinks it was easy. Everyone thinks he just flipped a switch and success happened. They didn’t see the work that went on before and the work you have to continuously put in.
The results may not happen straight away, but you have to keep doing the great things you’re doing and adding value to your audience and don’t compare yourself to other people’s journeys. Steve Jobs was right overnight success stories generally take a long time In the making.
If you aren’t willing to work for it, don’t complain about not having it.
TOBY MCKEEHAN
Building on Steve Jobs quote is one that I think is brilliant.
Too many people want to moan about things they haven’t got, the results the lifestyle, money, etc.
Half of the time it’s because they haven’t been able to do the work to make it happen. If you aren’t willing to work for it then don’t complain about not having it.
The choice is yours. If you want to have great things then you have to work hard to get it.
Without passion, you don’t have energy. Without energy, you have nothing.
WARREN BUFFETT
I couldn’t write a blog about motivational quotes without including one from one of the greatest investors and business gurus of his time and that’s Warren Buffett.
What he says is true for people in business and sales. When you don’t have passion for what you do, you lack energy and this comes through in your conversations and proposals when you lack the passion.
I love the work I do and I hope when people meet me they say I’m passionate about helping and supporting business owners to get results. You have to have that passion to have the energy to get the results you want. Warren Buffett’s right, if you haven’t got that passion you don’t have that energy. Find your passion and that’s going to help you achieve all the things you want.
A goal is a dream with a [definitive] deadline.
NAPOLEON HILL
If you have never read Napoleon Hill’s book Think and grow rich, I highly recommend that you do. It’s an inspiration and has given me so many insights.
His quote is a great way to think about the goals that you have. If you’ve got a goal to achieve something, then don’t just dream about it. Put a plan in place and make it happen.
Identify what you’re going to do, identify what actions you’re going to take and then use the other quotes I have shared to motivate you to get it done.
A goal is a dream with a deadline! Focus on making sure your goals have deadlines in place and you’re going to bring those dreams to life.
It always seems impossible until it's done.
NELSON MANDELA
This quote is one that I had up on my office wall for a long time and it’s by the great Nelson Mandela. He was an incredible inspiration to so many people worldwide and his quote is one I am sure we can all resonate with.
Everything does always feel impossible. We feel there are hundreds of hurdles to jump over and there’s a million reason not to do something.
Nelson Mandela said it will feel impossible until it’s done. Make sure you focus on not the impossibles, but on doing the work needed. Putting in the hard graft will get you the results eventually.
It may seem hard to begin with but keep focusing on the things you need to do and you will succeed. Nelson Mandela is bang on the money here!
If you love what you do then you won’t place time limits on when you do it!
JAMES WHITE
The final quote is from a guy called James White. I don’t know if you have heard from him but he is a sales mentor and trainer and loves helping small businesses get great success. If you haven’t already guessed, it’s me!
This quote is something I use in my day-to-day working life. If you love what you do then you’ll never put time limits on when you do.
It’s a key thing I say to business owners and sales professionals everywhere – focus on doing something you love, if you love it and it’s your passion then you’ll never stop wanting to do it.
You’ll look at Mondays in a great way and Fridays in a sad way because you love the work that you do. Never put time limits on when you do it and focus on that, focus on doing something you love and you will have a great life.
There you go the 20 different motivational quotes that inspire me and help me on a day-to-day basis achieve what I want to. Of course, quotes are nothing if we don’t apply them in our world but use these as an inspiration to motivate yourself on the tough days or if you suffer setbacks.
Below is a guide where you can have all of these 20 quotes, where you can print them off and put them on your desk and use them to motivate you.
Take inspiration from these brilliant people, they share some incredible insights that can help motivate all of us and make incredible things happen.
