Where do you look for sales inspiration when you’re out of the office? Here are a few ways you can spend your downtime getting motivated for your next sale.

It doesn’t matter if you’re in a sales slump or performing at your best, motivation will always drive you to hustle and work smarter. It’s usually easy to find sales inspiration in the workplace – look at recent analytics, dial up recent leads, or meet with your mentor to talk shop.

However, when you want to continue bettering yourself as a salesperson outside of the office, there are still many options to get motivated. Here are ten of our favorite tools to inspire your career.

Love reading? Try these three books for sales inspiration

The Greatest Salesman in the World, by Og Mandino.

First published in 1968, the inspiration you’ll find in "The Greatest Salesman in the World" is still relevant almost fifty years later. Why? This isn’t your run of the mill learn-how-to-be-a-salesperson manual filled with tips and tricks of the trade. Instead, it is a mix of fiction and self-help in which Mandino teaches sales (and life) lessons by means of mythology and spirituality.

"The Greatest Salesman in the World" will teach you about character building and lays out the traits necessary to become the best salesperson you can be.

Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook, by Gary Vaynerchuk

Social selling is changing the way salespeople of all industries do business, and it’s making many of them quite nervous. If you’re not hip to the world of Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram, it’s time you let Gary Vaynerchuk, the Godfather of social marketing, give you a crash course. "Jab, Jab, Right Hook" will motivate even the most apprehensive salesperson to “knock out” their competition online by standing out from the crowd. This go-to marketing guide is perfect for everyone. You’ll find sales inspiration in here if you’re the newest hire or a chief marketing executive.

The Psychology of Selling, by Brian Tracy

Would you rather read a more scientific approach to selling? If so, The Psychology of Selling is the book for you. Filled with tips and tricks you can put to use right away, Brian Tracy’s guide will show you that there’s a different route to each sale that you might not have tried yet. Instead of focusing on how to change a client’s mind, how can you change the way you approach sales?

Podcasts are perfect for some quick knowledge

Close Call

The Close Call podcast was created by Close.io’s CEO, Steli Efti. A master of closing deals, he’s worked with hundred of Silicon Valley start ups. Now, he’s sharing his best practices, strategies and easy-to-implement tips.

The Sales Evangelist

When someone cares about sales so much he’s nicknamed The Sale Evangelist, you can expect to be inundated with sales inspiration, news, and tips when you listen to this podcast. His energy is enough to motivate you to work harder, and better, in your sales position, but the well-known guests will inspire you as well.

If you’re going to watch a movie, make it one about selling

The Pursuit of Happyness

One of the most motivating movies about sales, The Pursuit of Happyness is a great peek into the life of a young, homeless, single parent, Chris Gardner, who scored an unpaid internship at prestigious stock brokerage firm. There is so much sales inspiration to take from this movie. First, anyone can succeed, regardless of their circumstances. Also, hard work pays off. We won’t spoil the movie for you, but this is one you won’t want to miss.

Glengarry Glen Ross

The salesmen in Glengarry Glen Ross are desperate, and they’ll do – and say – anything to get their leads to close. There’s so much good (and bad) selling in this movie. If you need some motivation in your career, here are the takeaways you can get from this foul-mouthed film:

  1. Be ruthless. If you want to succeed in sales, you need to hustle and beat out your competition.
  2. You’re nothing if you’re not closing. It doesn’t matter who you’re getting your goods and services in front of. If they’re not signing on the dotted line, you’re wasting your time.

Ted Talks are filled to the brim with well-presented information

The Puzzle of Motivation - Dan Pink - Career Analyst

If you need new sales inspiration to change how you think about motivating your prospects to buy, check out this Ted Talk by Dan Pink. There are still many salespeople who think bonuses and discounts are the only way to reel in new customers – not so true anymore. Contingent motivators (you do this, and you’ll get that) may work in some sales, but you can’t rely on them So what motivates your customers to buy? First, watch the podcast. Next, look at your sales structure and plans creatively. How canyou change your pitch?

Quotes are quick punches of motivation

If time is limited, but you still need a pick me up, sales-related quotes are the perfect inspiration. Plus, you don’t need to work very hard or waste much time looking for good motivational quotes. Any search engine will point you in the direction of quote round ups.

Use social media for inspiration, not just branding

Finally, find even more sales inspiration on social media. Does that like a strange suggestion? Follow both your competition and peers. What are they doing to engage your audience? Can you emulate their strategy or identify what they’re missing? If you’re already following competitors, what about your mentors? They’re bound to share their thoughts on selling, and you’ll learn something new. While you’re busy reading, listening, and watching video clips for sales inspiration, QuoteWizard can be working on your behalf. We can connect you with high-quality leads right away.   What quote motivates you the most? Sales inspiration comes in many forms, and we’d love to learn how you stay selling at your best. Let us know in the comments!