How should you treat a prospect when you’re on a sales call?
It’s a no brainer. But while it’s common sense, sometimes even the best of us forget to put these guidelines into practice.
These principles were popularized by Dale Carnegie in his classic book How to Win Friends and Influence People which has sold over 15 million copies worldwide.
We’ve pulled 30 tweetable quotes of wisdom to share from the book. These pieces of advice are great reminders for anyone that interacts with other people on a day-to-day basis. Yup, that’s most of us.
1. "Every man I meet is my superior in some way. In that, I learn of him."
2. "Criticisms are like homing pigeons. They always return home."
3. "Only knowledge that is used sticks in your mind."
4. "The rare individual who unselfishly tries to serve others has an enormous advantage."
5. "The only way I can get you to do anything is by giving you what you want."
6. "A person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language."
7. "Arouse in the other person an eager want. He who can do this has the whole world with him."
8. "Every successful person loves the game. The chance to prove his worth, to excel, to win."
9. "Success in dealing with people depends on a sympathetic grasp of the other person’s viewpoint."
10. "Pay less attention to what men say. Just watch what they do."
11. "Ask questions instead of giving orders."
12. "The average person is more interested in her own name than in all the other names on earth put together."
13. "Remember a name and call it easily and you have paid a subtle and very effective compliment."
14. "There is only one way to get the best of an argument -- and that is to avoid it."
15. "Three-fourths of the people you will meet are hungering for sympathy. Give it to them and they will love you."
16. "People are more likely to accept an order if they had a part in the decision that caused the order to be issued."
17. "Flaming enthusiasm backed up by horse sense and persistence is the quality that most frequently makes for success."
18. "Ask yourself: What is the worst that can happen? Then prepare to accept it. Then proceed to improve on the worst."
19. "Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude."
20. "One reason why birds and horses are not unhappy is because they are not trying to impress other birds and horses."
21. "To be interesting, be interested."
22. "All men have fears, but the brave put down their fears and go forward."
23. "Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to."
24. "Talk to someone about themselves and they’ll listen for hours."
25. "You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him to find it within himself."
26. "Criticism is dangerous because it wounds a person’s pride, hurts his sense of importance, and arouses resentment."
27. "Actions speak louder than words. A smile says, 'I like you. I am glad to see you.'"
28. "You can't win an argument. If you lose it, you lose it; and if you win it, you lose it."
29. "If you want to gather honey, don’t kick over the beehive."
30. "It raises one above the herd and gives one a feeling of nobility and exaltation to admit one's mistakes."
1. "People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing."
2. "Take a chance! All life is a chance. The man who goes furthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare."
3. "Today is life -- the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today. Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby. Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with gusto."
4. "Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get."
5. "If you can’t sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there and worrying. It’s the worry that gets you, not the loss of sleep."
6. "Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves."
7. "Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday."
8. "Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all."
9. "Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success."
10. "Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy."
Looking for more snippets of wisdom? Here are 25 Steve Jobs quotes, 40 Jim Rohn quotes, and 43 awesome quotes to inspire and motivate.