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22 quotesFor people who work with people
Sales, customer service, HR, recruitment and PR: jobs where the work is listening, remembering names and keeping your word.
We say who really said each one, and where the credit is uncertain we tell you. Every card is ours to share.
“Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others.”
Brian Tracy
The colleague who shows the new starter round is the one who gets asked to train the next ten.
“People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
Often attributed to Theodore Roosevelt. There is no record of Roosevelt saying it. John C. Maxwell made it popular and it is often credited to him.
Remember the customer's name, the new starter's first day, the driver's long week. Then give the instructions.
“Seek first to understand, then to be understood.”
Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (1989)
In an interview, in a complaint, in a sale: listen to the end of the question before you answer it.
“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”
Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (1989)
Good recruiters and good salespeople talk less than you would think.
“A person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.”
Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People (1936)
Use the candidate's name, the customer's name, the driver's name. It costs nothing.
“Talk to a man about himself and he will listen for hours.”
Benjamin Disraeli, as quoted by Dale Carnegie in How to Win Friends and Influence People (1936)
Ask the interviewer about the team. Ask the customer about their week. People open up.
“Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain, and most fools do.”
Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People (1936). Often credited to Benjamin Franklin, but the line is Carnegie's.
Point out the problem and bring one fix with it. That is what gets people promoted.
“The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said.”
Attributed to Peter Drucker
The candidate who goes quiet about the last job. The customer who stops complaining. Notice both.
“People will never forget how you made them feel.”
Often attributed to Maya Angelou. The full line ("they will forget what you said...") was printed by Carl W. Buehner in 1971, before it was credited to her.
Customers forget the price. They remember who was kind on the phone.
“People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it.”
Simon Sinek, Start with Why (2009)
In a sales job, and in an interview: say why you care, not only what you did.
“I will persist until I succeed.”
Og Mandino, The Greatest Salesman in the World (1968)
Sales is a numbers game played by people who did not stop at the first no.
“Help others achieve their dreams and you will achieve yours.”
Les Brown
Every placement a good recruiter makes is somebody's new start.
“The quality of your life is the quality of your communication.”
Tony Robbins
A clear handover note saves the next shift an hour. Write it well.
“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”
Bill Gates, Business @ the Speed of Thought (1999)
Every complaint is free advice about what to fix.
“Hire character. Train skill.”
Peter Schutz, former chief executive of Porsche
For employers: the reliable one with no experience often beats the experienced one who is not.
“Customer service shouldn't just be a department, it should be the entire company.”
Tony Hsieh, chief executive of Zappos, as widely quoted
From the warehouse to the call centre, everyone is in customer service.
“Be impeccable with your word.”
Don Miguel Ruiz, The Four Agreements (1997)
Say you will ring back, and ring back. In sales, HR and service, that is the whole reputation.
“A person's success in life can usually be measured by the number of uncomfortable conversations he or she is willing to have.”
Tim Ferriss, The 4-Hour Workweek (2007)
Ask for the pay rise, the training, the feedback. The awkward five minutes pays for years.
“Never be so sure of what you want that you wouldn't take something better.”
Chris Voss, Never Split the Difference (2016)
In a negotiation, a sale or a job offer, listen for the option you had not thought of.
“Force yourself to act enthusiastic and you'll become enthusiastic.”
Frank Bettger, How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling (1947)
Smile on the first call of the day. By the tenth you mean it.
“I am not judged by the number of times I fail, but by the number of times I succeed.”
Tom Hopkins, the sales trainer
Nobody remembers the calls that went nowhere. They remember the deals you closed.
“If you want to gather honey, don't kick over the beehive.”
Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People (1936)
Complain to a customer or a colleague and you lose them. Ask nicely and you win them.
Other sections
- Work and keeping going (189)
- Starting a business (152)
- For leaders (41)
- Working with people (22)
- Mindset and habits (144)
- True stories of people who started small