Michael Feinstein Quotes

Business school professors don't take selling seriously because they don't know how to sell. It's easy to talk about business theory and production time and just-in-time development. Selling is much more difficult.

Your product should sell itself, but that does not mean you don't need salespeople.

When one has the right swing and enthusiasm, selling is not unlike hunting, a veritable sport. To scare up the game by preliminary talk and to know how long to follow it, to lose your gain through poorly directed argument, to hang on to game that finally eludes, to boldly confront, to quickly circle around, to keep on the trail, tireless and keen, till you have bagged some orders, there is some satisfaction in returning at night, tired of the trail, but proud of the days work done.

The worst fault a salesman can commit is to be a bore...... Pretend to be vastly interested in any subject the prospects shows an interest in.

No one tells salesmen what they can and can't do.

I still remember the five points of salesmanship: attention, interest, conviction, desire and close.

Gelsey Kirkland has had more than her share of demons, as her two distressing memoirs - and her violently checkered career - attest.

I had a great time being a salesman because of the pitches that I gave when I was selling shoes. However, I don't think I'm as well versed in shoes as I am in comedy. Being a salesman was all about being a people person, and I enjoy being around people. I also love talking to people - which is why I think I did so well.

Family issues and a failing career would be enough to consume most young actresses.

I always faced obstacles in my career.

It's no fun being a salesperson when it feels like you're talking to a wall. That's what it feels like when you haven't learned your customer's points of interest.

Never let an engineer try to sell his stuff. It rarely works unless you are Akio Morita.

If you hear my idea but don't believe it, that's not your fault; it's mine. If you see my new product but don't buy it, that's my failure, not yours. If you attend my presentation and you're bored, that's my fault too.

Several national tests have revealed the following startling statistics about why salespeople fail...15% Improper training both product and sales skills. 20% Poor verbal and written communication skills. 15% Poor or problematic boss or management. 50% Attitude.

The ability to sell is the number one skill in business. If you cannot sell, don't bother thinking about becoming a business owner.

Everybody has a product to sell—no matter whether you’re an employee, a founder, or an investor. It’s true even if your company consists of just you and your computer. Look around. If you don’t see any salespeople, you’re the salesperson.

Learn to sell and you'll never starve

Concentrate on the activities of prospecting, presenting and following-up; the sales will take care of themselves.

Sales = income. The reason so many people have low incomes is that they are poor at selling.

The language of salesmanship was no doubt born with the first fashions in fig leaves in the garden of Eden. A strange concept has grown around it: if something is to be sold, inaccuracy is not immoral. Hence the art of advertisement - untruthfulness combined with repetition.

Marketing tells a story that spreads. Sales overcomes the natural resistance to say yes.

Literary qualifications have no more to do with it than oratory has with salesmanship. One must be able to express himself briefly, clearly, and convincingly, just as a salesman must.

There is no sale without the story; no knockout without the setup.

If you cannot sell, you cannot be an entrepreneur. If you cannot sell, you cannot raise money. if the thought of sales terrifies you, get a job at a dept. store and start there. Or get a job with a company like Xerox that requires that you go around to businesses and knock on doors. As your courage increases, you may want to try a company in network marketing or direct sales that is willing to train you.

You'll learn more in a day talking to customers than a week of brainstorming, a month of watching competitors, or a year of market research.