--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can't sell anything if you can't tell…" description: "\"You can't sell anything if you can't tell anything.\" — Beth Comstock" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/373/beth-comstock-28303_funny_you-can-t-sell-anything-if-you-can-t-tel_1864522.png" --- # You can't sell anything if you can't tell anything. ![“You can't sell anything if you can't tell anything.” quote by Beth Comstock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/373/beth-comstock-28303_funny_you-can-t-sell-anything-if-you-can-t-tel_1864522.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/373/beth-comstock-28303_funny_you-can-t-sell-anything-if-you-can-t-tel_1864522.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/373/beth-comstock-28303_funny_you-can-t-sell-anything-if-you-can-t-tel_1864522.png) > “You can't sell anything if you can't tell anything.” [Beth Comstock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-comstock/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective marketing requires clear storytelling; without a story, a product cannot be sold. **In simple terms:** You must tell a story to sell. Key Takeaway Craft a compelling narrative. Themes marketing storytelling entrepreneurship Mood enthusiastic pragmatic Type business inspirational When to use this quote - product launch - sales pitch Key Concepts branding communication strategy Questions to Reflect On - What story best fits your product? - How can you test narrative impact? A Different Perspective A story alone may not overcome a poor product. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Funny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) [Great marketing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-marketing/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Marketing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marketing/) [Storytelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storytelling/) ## Related quotes > [To sell something, tell a woman it's a bargain; tell a man it's deductible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-wilson/to-sell-something-tell-a-woman-it-s-a-bargain-tell-a-man-it-s/) [Earl Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-wilson/) > [Whether B2B or B2C, I believe passionately that good marketing essentials are the same. We all are emotional beings looking for relevance, context and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-comstock/whether-b2b-or-b2c-i-believe-passionately-that-good-marketing/) [Beth Comstock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-comstock/) > [Marketing's job is never done. It's about perpetual motion. We must continue to innovate every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-comstock/marketing-s-job-is-never-done-it-s-about-perpetual-motion-we-must/) [Beth Comstock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-comstock/) > [If you cannot sell, you cannot be an entrepreneur. If you cannot sell, you cannot raise money. if the thought of sales terrifies you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/if-you-cannot-sell-you-cannot-be-an-entrepreneur-if-you-cannot-sell/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [“David Ogilvy, once wrote, “Great marketing only makes a bad product fail faster.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/david-ogilvy-once-wrote-great-marketing-only-makes-a-bad-product-fail/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Give them quality. That's the best kind of advertising.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milton-s-hershey/give-them-quality-that-s-the-best-kind-of-advertising/) [Milton S. Hershey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milton-s-hershey/) > [Starbucks is not an advertiser; people think we are a great marketing company, but in fact we spend very little money on marketing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-schultz/starbucks-is-not-an-advertiser-people-think-we-are-a-great-marketing/) [Howard Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-schultz/) > [Good marketers see consumers as complete human beings with all the dimensions real people have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-sachs/good-marketers-see-consumers-as-complete-human-beings-with-all-the/) [Jonah Sachs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-sachs/) > [A lot of drive is innate, self-perpetuated, reinforced energy. As a kid, I could always sell anything I could get my hands on -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ovitz/a-lot-of-drive-is-innate-self-perpetuated-reinforced-energy-as-a-kid/) [Michael Ovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ovitz/) > [The saddest day of your life is when you decide to sell out, and nobody wants to buy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-spinrad/the-saddest-day-of-your-life-is-when-you-decide-to-sell-out-and/) [Norman Spinrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-spinrad/) > [Do you guys have to sell everything? I'd like to buy the Earth's core.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/do-you-guys-have-to-sell-everything-i-d-like-to-buy-the-earth-s-core/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [Controversy sells, politics sell, all that type of stuff sells.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jadakiss/controversy-sells-politics-sell-all-that-type-of-stuff-sells/) [Jadakiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jadakiss/) > [If you sell your soul to the devil, you get more grain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/if-you-sell-your-soul-to-the-devil-you-get-more-grain/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [My real life helped me sell a lot of records.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-notorious-b-i-g/my-real-life-helped-me-sell-a-lot-of-records/) [The Notorious B.I.G](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-notorious-b-i-g/) > [Weight justly and sell dearely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/weight-justly-and-sell-dearely/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) ## More by Beth Comstock > [What's the DNA of a marketer? We call it the 4-I's: instigator, implementer, innovator, and integrator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-comstock/what-s-the-dna-of-a-marketer-we-call-it-the-4-i-s-instigator/) [Beth Comstock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-comstock/) > [Marketing's job is never done. It's about perpetual motion. We must continue to innovate every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-comstock/marketing-s-job-is-never-done-it-s-about-perpetual-motion-we-must/) [Beth Comstock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-comstock/) > [Our job is to understand where the market is heading and translate that into practical action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-comstock/our-job-is-to-understand-where-the-market-is-heading-and-translate/) [Beth Comstock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-comstock/) > [The more passionate that someone is about something, the more you have to listen to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-comstock/the-more-passionate-that-someone-is-about-something-the-more-you-have/) [Beth Comstock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-comstock/) > [Marketing is about innovation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-comstock/marketing-is-about-innovation/) [Beth Comstock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-comstock/) > [Know thyself. Know the customer. Innovate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-comstock/know-thyself-know-the-customer-innovate/) [Beth Comstock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-comstock/) > [Business model innovation is constant in this economy. You start with a vision of a platform. For a while, you think there's a line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-comstock/business-model-innovation-is-constant-in-this-economy-you-start-with/) [Beth Comstock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-comstock/) > [In big companies projects have to scale and Lean Startup help us to do it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-comstock/in-big-companies-projects-have-to-scale-and-lean-startup-help-us-to/) [Beth Comstock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-comstock/) > [Mind share before market share.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-comstock/mind-share-before-market-share/) [Beth Comstock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-comstock/) > [B2B does not mean boring marketing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-comstock/b2b-does-not-mean-boring-marketing/) [Beth Comstock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-comstock/) > [An idea doesn't count if you can't use it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-comstock/an-idea-doesn-t-count-if-you-can-t-use-it/) [Beth Comstock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-comstock/) > [Some dream in color. We dream in scale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-comstock/some-dream-in-color-we-dream-in-scale/) [Beth Comstock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-comstock/) > [You have to tell a story before you can sell a story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-comstock/you-have-to-tell-a-story-before-you-can-sell-a-story/) [Beth Comstock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-comstock/) > [We seek to be as nimble as a startup.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-comstock/we-seek-to-be-as-nimble-as-a-startup/) [Beth Comstock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-comstock/) > [There is a shotgun wedding going on and its between Marketing and IT. Finance's worst nightmare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-comstock/there-is-a-shotgun-wedding-going-on-and-its-between-marketing-and-it/) [Beth Comstock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-comstock/) [Explore all 19 Beth Comstock quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-comstock/) ## More Funny quotes > [You cant be controlling in improv.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/you-cant-be-controlling-in-improv/) [Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [It's a hard thing to describe. It's just this sense that you got something to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonah-lehrer/it-s-a-hard-thing-to-describe-it-s-just-this-sense-that-you-got/) [Jonah Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonah-lehrer/) > [God reveals Himself through surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-reveals-himself-through-surprises/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Sometimes I look at my awesome twitter followers & think to myself, What the hell would I do without them :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/sometimes-i-look-at-my-awesome-twitter-followers-think-to-myself-what/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [The happy have whole days,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colley-cibber/the-happy-have-whole-days/) [Colley Cibber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colley-cibber/) > [Congratulations to Facebook on going public with all my private information...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/congratulations-to-facebook-on-going-public-with-all-my-private/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Why are things as they are and not otherwise?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johannes-kepler/why-are-things-as-they-are-and-not-otherwise/) [Johannes Kepler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johannes-kepler/) > [I've been funny my whole life. This is a gift God gave me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-morgan/i-ve-been-funny-my-whole-life-this-is-a-gift-god-gave-me/) [Tracy Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-morgan/) > [Penis goes in , sperms cums out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/penis-goes-in-sperms-cums-out/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [If you were to send a werewolf to the moon, would he be a werewolf permanently?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-schaal/if-you-were-to-send-a-werewolf-to-the-moon-would-he-be-a-werewolf/) [Kristen Schaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-schaal/) > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) Pancho Barnes > [If you can connect people, you can create the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-heiferman/if-you-can-connect-people-you-can-create-the-future/) [Scott Heiferman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-heiferman/) > [Don't think OF the market. Think AS the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-fishman/don-t-think-of-the-market-think-as-the-market/) Michael Fishman [Browse all 39,858 Funny quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can't sell anything if you can't tell anything.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Beth Comstock" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-comstock/you-can-t-sell-anything-if-you-can-t-tell-anything/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Funny" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-comstock/you-can-t-sell-anything-if-you-can-t-tell-anything/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/373/beth-comstock-28303_funny_you-can-t-sell-anything-if-you-can-t-tel_1864522.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/373/beth-comstock-28303_funny_you-can-t-sell-anything-if-you-can-t-tel_1864522.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/373/beth-comstock-28303_funny_you-can-t-sell-anything-if-you-can-t-tel_1864522.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can't sell anything if you can't tell anything.” — Beth Comstock", "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": "Beth Comstock", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-comstock/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You can't sell anything if you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-comstock/you-can-t-sell-anything-if-you-can-t-tell-anything/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-comstock/you-can-t-sell-anything-if-you-can-t-tell-anything/#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 } } ] } ```