--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Companies should be selling ideas more…" description: "\"Companies should be selling ideas more than benefits. Sell ideas. Not stuff.\" — Aaron Ross" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/aaron-ross-35768_benefits_companies-should-be-selling-ideas-more-t_1755116.png" --- # Companies should be selling ideas more than benefits. Sell… ![“Companies should be selling ideas more than benefits. Sell ideas. Not stuff.” quote by Aaron Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/aaron-ross-35768_benefits_companies-should-be-selling-ideas-more-t_1755116.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/aaron-ross-35768_benefits_companies-should-be-selling-ideas-more-t_1755116.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/aaron-ross-35768_benefits_companies-should-be-selling-ideas-more-t_1755116.png) > “Companies should be selling ideas more than benefits. Sell ideas. Not stuff.” [Aaron Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-ross/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Focus on selling the underlying concept or vision rather than just product features. **In simple terms:** Sell ideas, not just product benefits. Key Takeaway Prioritize vision over features. Themes marketing sales innovation value proposition Mood inspirational strategic Type persuasive motivational When to use this quote - product launches - pitch meetings - advertising campaigns - strategic planning Key Concepts customer centricity storytelling brand identity Questions to Reflect On - How can you translate an abstract idea into a tangible benefit? - What evidence convinces skeptical buyers? A Different Perspective Ideas may be abstract and harder to quantify for some customers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Selling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selling/) ## Related quotes > [I still work hard to know my business. I'm continuously looking for ways to improve all my companies, and I'm always selling. Always.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/i-still-work-hard-to-know-my-business-i-m-continuously-looking-for/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [Look at companies selling at new lows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-schloss/look-at-companies-selling-at-new-lows/) [Walter Schloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-schloss/) > [Don't be afraid to start out small. You see tech companies selling for millions, but you shouldn't be afraid to start small and grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawne-merriman/don-t-be-afraid-to-start-out-small-you-see-tech-companies-selling-for/) [Shawne Merriman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawne-merriman/) > [“When we are selling our ideas, the audience must first buy us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-coughter/when-we-are-selling-our-ideas-the-audience-must-first-buy-us/) [Peter Coughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-coughter/) > [We are all salesmen every day of our lives. We are selling our ideas, our plans, our enthusiasms to those with whom we come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-r-schwab/we-are-all-salesmen-every-day-of-our-lives-we-are-selling-our-ideas/) [Charles R. Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-r-schwab/) > [Examples of selling of ideas are portrayed in consulting or paid advice, as the pricing of intellectual property is market driven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-martin/examples-of-selling-of-ideas-are-portrayed-in-consulting-or-paid/) [Chuck Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-martin/) > [The corporate revolution will collapse if we refuse to buy what they are selling - their ideas, their version of history, their wars, their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/the-corporate-revolution-will-collapse-if-we-refuse-to-buy-what-they/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) > [I'm not good at selling laptops. I'm good at selling ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-negroponte/i-m-not-good-at-selling-laptops-i-m-good-at-selling-ideas/) [Nicholas Negroponte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-negroponte/) > [Understand that you need to sell you and your ideas in order to advance your career, gain more respect, and increase your success, influence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-abraham/understand-that-you-need-to-sell-you-and-your-ideas-in-order-to/) [Jay Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-abraham/) > [It's my duty to sell the ideas. But there's always a question when it comes to beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schjeldahl/it-s-my-duty-to-sell-the-ideas-but-there-s-always-a-question-when-it/) [Peter Schjeldahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schjeldahl/) > [The tools I learned photographing celebrities, now I want to use them to sell ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lachapelle/the-tools-i-learned-photographing-celebrities-now-i-want-to-use-them/) [David LaChapelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lachapelle/) > [“The second part of it, which I think is really critical, is understanding that being creative means that you have to sell your ideas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jocelyn-k-glei/the-second-part-of-it-which-i-think-is-really-critical-is/) [Jocelyn K. Glei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jocelyn-k-glei/) > [One thing I'm so grateful for is sidestepping the usual venture capital, private equity route. My friends who have gone that way are many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-mycoskie/one-thing-i-m-so-grateful-for-is-sidestepping-the-usual-venture/) [Blake Mycoskie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-mycoskie/) > [I sell ideas. Actually, if you think about it, everything is really no more than idea. The past is nothing more than a memory,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/i-sell-ideas-actually-if-you-think-about-it-everything-is-really-no/) [Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/) > [Selling and telling are two different things. In politics, we sell ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tan-cheng-bock/selling-and-telling-are-two-different-things-in-politics-we-sell-ideas/) [Tan Cheng Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tan-cheng-bock/) ## More by Aaron Ross > [“Customers don't care at all whether you close the deal or not. They care about improving their business.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-ross/customers-don-t-care-at-all-whether-you-close-the-deal-or-not-they/) [Aaron Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-ross/) > [One of the biggest mistakes companies make is brute force lead generation - "give me more leads!" -when they don't understand that not all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-ross/one-of-the-biggest-mistakes-companies-make-is-brute-force-lead/) [Aaron Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-ross/) > [“As Winston Churchill said, “Never, never, never, never give up!” (with ideal prospects).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-ross/as-winston-churchill-said-never-never-never-never-give-up-with-ideal/) [Aaron Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-ross/) > [Of course you want more revenue, but what good is it if it isn't predictable?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-ross/of-course-you-want-more-revenue-but-what-good-is-it-if-it-isn-t/) [Aaron Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-ross/) > [“Making the field salespeople do cold calls means having your highest-cost (per hour) sales resource perform the lowest-value (per hour) activity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-ross/making-the-field-salespeople-do-cold-calls-means-having-your-highest/) [Aaron Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-ross/) > [“Demographics 30 points based on manual Prospect review 0-8 points based on title Source and Offer Website leads source: +7 Thought leadership offer: -5…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-ross/demographics-30-points-based-on-manual-prospect-review-0-8-points/) [Aaron Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-ross/) > [“Red Flags And Deal Breakers What signals or signs can you look for, as early in the sales process as possible, to warn you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-ross/red-flags-and-deal-breakers-what-signals-or-signs-can-you-look-for-as/) [Aaron Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-ross/) > [“Three Keys To Predictable Revenue Building a Sales Machine that creates ongoing, predictable revenue takes: Predictable Lead Generation, the most important thing for creating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-ross/three-keys-to-predictable-revenue-building-a-sales-machine-that/) [Aaron Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-ross/) > [“For A Sales Team I encourage clients to generally set up their dashboards in a three column format, including: Left: Current month activity (amount…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-ross/for-a-sales-team-i-encourage-clients-to-generally-set-up-their/) [Aaron Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-ross/) > [“Executives need to spend at least 25% of their time with customers, so they stay connected with “what it’s really like out there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-ross/executives-need-to-spend-at-least-25-of-their-time-with-customers-so/) [Aaron Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-ross/) > [One-time revenue spikes that aren't repeatable won't help you achieve consistent year-after-year growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-ross/one-time-revenue-spikes-that-aren-t-repeatable-won-t-help-you-achieve/) [Aaron Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-ross/) > [If you can predict the rate at which you create (or create and grow) qualified pipeline, and you know your average close rate(s), then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-ross/if-you-can-predict-the-rate-at-which-you-create-or-create-and-grow/) [Aaron Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-ross/) [Explore all 13 Aaron Ross quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-ross/) ## More Benefits quotes > [If the members of parliament no longer consider themselves mandatories of the taxpayers but deputies of those receiving salaries, wages, subsidies, doles, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-the-members-of-parliament-no-longer-consider-themselves/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [ \[The Dalai Lama\] told me some years ago, "I've made every concession to China, and I've been as open and tolerant as I could,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/the-dalai-lama-told-me-some-years-ago-i-ve-made-every-concession-to/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [Anger is a rough water; if you can canalize it into a water mill, you can benefit from it. Anything bad can be transformed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/anger-is-a-rough-water-if-you-can-canalize-it-into-a-water-mill-you/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Shortly after I turned 50, both Ted Turner and the AARP came into my life. The only difference? With AARP, there were benefits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/shortly-after-i-turned-50-both-ted-turner-and-the-aarp-came-into-my/) [Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [Politics is about power. It is about the power of the state. It is about the power of the state as applied to individuals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-rudd/politics-is-about-power-it-is-about-the-power-of-the-state-it-is/) [Kevin Rudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-rudd/) > [Therefore, I see whatever exists as good, death is to me like life, sin like holiness, wisdom like foolishness, everything has to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/therefore-i-see-whatever-exists-as-good-death-is-to-me-like-life-sin/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Trust is about keeping commitments, but in many instances, circumstances change and organizations therefore shed commitments, things such as retiree medical benefits, pension obligations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/trust-is-about-keeping-commitments-but-in-many-instances/) [Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-us-think-of-education-as-the-means-of-developing-our-greatest/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To really be of benefit to others as the Buddha always taught, we ourselves must first get out of the swamp. One of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/to-really-be-of-benefit-to-others-as-the-buddha-always-taught-we/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [I won the seat of Oxley largely on an issue that has resulted in me being called a racist. That issue related to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-hanson/i-won-the-seat-of-oxley-largely-on-an-issue-that-has-resulted-in-me/) [Pauline Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-hanson/) > [Intelligence is a separate gift, for the benefit of students, so that they may think of themselves as intellectual and not very intelligent, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/intelligence-is-a-separate-gift-for-the-benefit-of-students-so-that/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I've always said that I benefit, as an actor, from not having the illusion of security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-sparks/i-ve-always-said-that-i-benefit-as-an-actor-from-not-having-the/) [Hal Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-sparks/) > [Benefits received are a delight to us as long as we think we can requite them; when that possibility is far exceeded, they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tacitus/benefits-received-are-a-delight-to-us-as-long-as-we-think-we-can/) [Tacitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tacitus/) Browse all 3,616 Benefits quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Companies should be selling ideas more than benefits. Sell ideas. Not stuff.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Aaron Ross" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-ross/companies-should-be-selling-ideas-more-than-benefits-sell-ideas-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Benefits" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-ross/companies-should-be-selling-ideas-more-than-benefits-sell-ideas-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/aaron-ross-35768_benefits_companies-should-be-selling-ideas-more-t_1755116.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/aaron-ross-35768_benefits_companies-should-be-selling-ideas-more-t_1755116.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48a/aaron-ross-35768_benefits_companies-should-be-selling-ideas-more-t_1755116.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Companies should be selling ideas more than benefits. Sell ideas. Not stuff.” — Aaron Ross", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Aaron Ross", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-ross/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Companies should be selling ideas more...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-ross/companies-should-be-selling-ideas-more-than-benefits-sell-ideas-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-ross/companies-should-be-selling-ideas-more-than-benefits-sell-ideas-not/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```