The Most Significant Sales Keynote In History

Picture this. A sales conference featuring the then-sitting president of the United States as the keynote speaker. It happened in July of 1916.

It wasn’t because the president had nothing going on that day, happened to be in town, and decided to swing by.  A world war was raging in Europe. What we now know as World War 1.

It was because Woodrow Wilson had an important message for the sales world that day. It was the United States’ opportunity to establish itself as a world superpower…and it depended largely on salespeople to make it happen. He had four lessons he wanted every salesperson to hear clearly and embrace.

It was the most significant sales keynote speech of all time… these are the lessons.

@saleshistorian on Instagram – daily quotes, pics & comics from the past (and can also be found @saleshistorian on X, too)
The Transparent Sales Leader – The book on revenue leadership includes several quotes and lessons from past sales.
The Transparency Sale – the first book, (ironically) named one of the top 100 sales books of all time.

COMING IN JANUARY OF 2026 – Four Levers Negotiating – chock full of history quotes, too…pre-order now.