20 Sales Memes That Every Salesperson Can Relate To

Sujan Patel is the founder of Mailshake, a sales engagement software used by 38,000 sales and marketing professionals. He has over 15 years of marketing experience and has led the digital marketing strategy for companies like Salesforce, Mint, Intuit and many other Fortune 500 caliber companies.
  • March 10, 2024

Sales memes are a great way to to provide a little pick-me-up to get the day started.

At Mailshake, we’re all about equipping you with the practical, tactical knowledge you need to succeed in your sales career.

But sometimes? We just want to have fun.

So today, rather than talking to you about sales prospecting, sales follow-up, or sales apps, we’ve rounded up 20 great sales memes that every salesperson can relate to. Hope you enjoy!

20 Sales Memes To Brighten Up Your Day

1. When nobody understands what you really do all day

Despite common misconceptions, sales isn’t all about partying or rolling in money, Scrooge McDuck style. It’s actually a lot of dialling, emailing, and researching — the same as any other desk job.

2. When the leads you were promised don’t pan out

Ever started a new sales role with the promise of access to tons of great leads? If you’re one of the lucky few, maybe those leads actually turned out to be not just fresh, but also qualified.

But if you’ve ever found yourself staring at a CRM contact list that hasn’t been scrubbed since the system was first installed, then this sales meme is for you. Sure, you might be able to warm them up. But in some cases, no leads can be a better starting point than cold leads.

3. When the sales meeting hype wears off

Great sales managers know how to get their salespeople fired up and ready for battle. But it takes a really special sales manager to be able to sustain that momentum longer than it takes the team to get back to their desks.

4. Every sales manager, facing COVID slowdowns

We aren’t trying to put sales managers down here. COVID threw everyone for a loop last year, and figuring out how to keep afloat amidst cancellations and purchase approval delays was no easy feat.

So if you ever see your sales manager sporting Charlie Kelly eyes while coming up with a new plan, cut them some slack. Everyone is trying their best in these unprecedented times!

5. Web stalking your lead for clues to warm up your outreach

We know you don’t want to brag, but if it was possible to earn a Ph.D. in Google stalking, you’d have the letters “Dr.” in front of your name.

Warming up otherwise cold contacts is a great way to increase your chances of success. Just keep things from getting too weird. Your prospect doesn’t need to know you’ve seen their gym check-ins or the regrettable college pics on their Facebook profile.

6. When it’s time to pick up the phone

Are there any strategies in sales that are more divisive than cold calling? Or anything more irritating than a self-satisfied sales manager who once landed a deal on a cold call and now thinks it’s the only way to do business?

Picking up the phone is uncomfortable for you and the person you’re calling. But just remember, it works every time (the 10% of the time it works…).

7. When your lead calls back the moment you’ve gone to lunch

Great salespeople are willing to do anything to close the deal… even if that means answering the phone around a big bite of sandwich.

And hey, if the lead returning your call can’t understand you, you can always blame it on Zoom, Skype, your virtual phone service, or whatever other communications program you’re using. “My connection must be bad” is the new, “Can you hear me now?”

8. When your lead sends you mixed signals

Your lead says all the right things, and emails you back with optimistic notes full of exclamation marks and smiley face emojis. But when it comes down to doing the deal, their actions tell a totally different story.

Look, from the prospect’s perspective, we get that it’s hard to turn people down. But clarity is always better — for both parties — than wasting time on a relationship that’s never going to go anywhere.

9. When you get a little too optimistic about a lead

If you can’t honestly say that you’ve never blown a lead’s forecast probability out of proportion, you’re probably only fooling yourself.

Even when a lead is crystal clear about their timeline or likelihood of purchasing, it’s tough not to give in to wishful thinking — especially when deadlines are looming and quotas are on the line.

10. When your sales manager asks for updated projections

Sometimes, you’ve got a clear understanding of your pipeline’s health and the status of all your deals.

And other times? You might as well be shaking a Magic 8-Ball to see if the likelihood a deal will close is a “Yes,” “No,” or “Ask Again Later.”

11. When the CRM loses your notes

Sure, CRMs aren’t intentionally malicious. But it’s hard not to take it personally when you actually take the time to add good notes to your contact’s record, only to have them disappear the next time you check in.

12. When you’re the only member of the team in a sales slump

It’s great to see your fellow teammates succeed, especially when it means good things for the company overall.

But it can be tough to take when things aren’t really clicking for you. All you can really do is put your head down and focus on continual improvement until your slump starts to turn around.

13. The moment your pitch starts to click

Whether you’re new to a company or you’re selling a new product or service, great pitches don’t happen overnight. It takes time to work out your phrasing, positioning, cadence, and objection handling.

But nothing beats that moment when everything comes together, and you can see in your prospect’s eyes that you nailed it.

14. When the lead you’ve been working for months leaves the company

You’ve been chasing a lead hard for months… only to get the dreaded notice that they’re moving on to another role. Sure, they might take you with them, but chances are there’s already an incumbent provider at their new company — and they may not be able to connect you with their replacement.

Whatever the case may be, when your contact leaves, there’s a good chance you’re looking at another uphill battle to cultivate a new relationship within the organization.

15. When you might be overdoing it on the outreach

What can we say? There’s a fine line between the perfect number of touches and overkill that puts off a prospect. Will you find it before you’ve crossed over it? That can literally be the million dollar question.

16. When you finally get to take some well-earned time away

If you don’t see 24 hours of freedom as a worthwhile trade-off for months of 60+ hour workweeks, can you even call yourself a salesperson?

17. When your pricing objection prospect has to do the walk of shame back to you

Hearing you charge too much can be frustrating, especially if you know for a fact that you’re one of the lowest-cost solutions in your space.

But it’s always better to take the high road. You never know when that lead will have to come crawling back after they’ve called around and can’t find a better deal.

18. When you finally get the yes

Long sales cycles can be brutal. But waiting months — even years — can make finally hearing that commitment especially sweet.

19. When the deposit finally comes through

But as satisfying as getting the yes can be, it doesn’t mean much until the paperwork is signed and the deposit hits your company’s accounting department.

So while it’s fine to get excited about scoring that initial win, try to keep some excitement in reserve until those dollar dollar bills are in the bank.

20. When you finally hit — or exceed — your quota

(source)

And finally, seeing your name cross the quota threshold on your sales leader board is a feeling that can’t be beat. Celebrate by calculating the number of commas on your future commission check and planning what you’re going to do with it!

That’s a wrap on our sales memes folks!

Continue reading

Grow Your Revenue Faster

Automate all your sales outreach with Mailshake.

Book a Demo
Footer CTA