19 of the Most Motivational Videos to Inspire Your Sales Team in 2023

Sales is one of the most challenging and stressful professions out there. Salespeople face rejection on a daily basis – according to one study, reps face an average of 23 rejections before closing a single deal. They also operate under immense pressure, with over 40% of reps saying they struggle to meet quota.

It‘s no wonder that turnover for sales roles is notoriously high at around 35% annually. The mental and emotional toll of constant nos and the need to always be closing can wear down even the most passionate reps over time.

That‘s why it‘s critical for sales leaders to keep their teams motivated, energized and resilient in the face of adversity. And one of the most powerful tools for sparking inspiration is motivational videos. A rousing speech from an iconic leader or a moving story of triumph over the odds can be the perfect pick-me-up to get reps fired up to attack the day.

But not all motivational videos are created equal. The best ones don‘t just make you feel good in the moment – they leave you with lasting lessons and mindset shifts that change how you approach your craft. They speak specifically to the challenges reps face and show what‘s possible when you commit to mastery.

That‘s why I‘ve rounded up 19 of the most motivational sales videos that every team should watch in 2023. I carefully curated this list to include a range of speakers and styles, from classic locker room speeches to innovative takes from up-and-coming voices. But they all have one thing in common – the power to get you pumped to take on the world one deal at a time.

Videos to Set the Tone for an Epic Sales Day

Mindset is everything in sales. The thoughts and beliefs you carry into each interaction have a huge impact on your performance. Starting your day with intentional motivation is key to keeping your head in the game. Fire up these videos to prime yourself for greatness:

1. Eric Thomas – "You Owe You"

When it comes to pure motivational force, Eric Thomas is in a league of his own. The man known as the "Hip Hop Preacher" has a gift for delivering hard-hitting speeches that shake you out of complacency. In this 6-minute video, Eric hammers home why you can‘t afford to cheat yourself out of success.

He shares his own story of going from a high school dropout to earning a PhD, to illustrate that transformation happens when you hold yourself to a higher standard. His central point – "you owe you" – is that you are ultimately accountable to be your best self. It‘s a powerful reminder to approach each day with integrity and intention.

Key Quote: "When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you‘ll be successful."

2. Les Brown – "You‘ve Gotta Be Hungry"

As a former politician and longtime motivational speaker, Les Brown knows a thing or two about winning people over. In this electric 10-minute speech, Les dives into why wanting success is not enough – you‘ve got to be hungry for it.

Les says most people only reach a fraction of their potential because they lose the hunger and drive to grow beyond their comfort zone. He challenges you to look in the mirror and ask if you‘re giving your all to the goals you claim to want. This video is the perfect way to recommit to your purpose and attack the day with renewed ambition.

Key Quote: "You‘ve got to be willing to go through the pain. You‘ve got to be willing to work through the rejection…Greatness is a lot of small things done well, day after day."

3. Denzel Washington – "Fall Forward"

Denzel Washington needs no introduction as one of the most accomplished actors of all time. But he‘s also a deep thinker with incredible insight into peak performance. And his 2011 UPenn commencement speech is a masterclass in staying motivated through adversity.

Denzel‘s core message is about the power of failing forward. He says the path to success is paved with mistakes and missteps – what matters is learning from them and using them as fuel. Anytime you‘re afraid to take a risk or feel discouraged by a failure, come back to Denzel‘s words to reframe challenges as opportunities.

Key Quote: "Every failed experiment is one step closer to success…Fall forward."

Videos for Handling Rejection Like a Champion

Rejection is a fact of life in sales. Even the best reps don‘t bat a thousand. But dealing with constant nos can take a major toll on your confidence and motivation over time. These videos will help you keep rejection in perspective and bounce back stronger than ever:

4. Jia Jiang – "What I Learned From 100 Days of Rejection"

Fearing rejection is one of the biggest things that holds reps back from taking their game to the next level. But Jia Jiang shows that the only way to overcome that fear is to face it head on, repeatedly. Jia embarked on a crazy experiment to get rejected every single day for 100 days.

Throughout the process, he discovered that the anticipation of rejection is almost always worse than the actual event. He slowly built up an immunity to the sting of hearing no and learned to see rejection as just part of the process. If you struggle with call reluctance or beating yourself up over lost deals, this video will give you the courage to keep persisting.

Key Quote: "I found that rejection is just a numbers game. Every ‘no‘ gets me closer to a ‘yes‘."

5. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson – "Depression to Triumph"

Long before he was a Hollywood megastar, Dwayne Johnson had big dreams of playing in the NFL. But after multiple injuries cut his football career short, he fell into a deep depression. For a while, he wallowed in self-pity and felt like a failure.

But eventually, he realized feeling sorry for himself wasn‘t getting him anywhere. So he resolved to pick himself up, dust himself off and find a new goal to pour his energy into. He credits that decision as the turning point that led to his massive success in entertainment.

Dwayne‘s story is all too relatable for reps who put their heart and soul into a big opportunity only to have it fall through. It‘s a powerful example of how shifting your focus from what you can‘t control to what you can is key to thriving after rejection.

Key Quote: "One day, you will look back and realize that every rejection you received was actually a gift. You just couldn‘t see it at the time."

6. Sara Blakely – "My Journey From Door-to-Door Fax Salesperson to Billionaire Entrepreneur"

It‘s hard to imagine the founder of a company like Spanx ever struggling to make a sale. But before Sara Blakely revolutionized the shapewear industry, she cut her teeth selling fax machines door-to-door. And she heard a lot more nos than yeses in the early days.

In this interview, Sara looks back on how she made a game out of cold calling and knocking on doors. She never let the daily barrage of rejections diminish her spirit. In fact, she says one of her keys to success is being able to take no as a challenge rather than a stop sign.

Sara‘s journey is an inspiring reminder that massive success often comes on the other side of massive failure. Her positive outlook and perseverance show what‘s possible when you stay bought in to your vision despite the doubters and naysayers.

Key Quote: "I didn‘t have a special gift. I didn‘t have a special anything. I just had an idea and I was willing to put 100% of myself into it even when people around me were laughing."

Videos to Stoke Your Competitive Fire

To be elite in sales, you need the same relentless drive as a world-class athlete. You‘ve got to be obsessed with being the best and unwilling to settle for mediocrity. Use these videos to tap into your primal competitive spirit:

7. Michael Jordan – "Maybe It‘s My Fault"

No list of inspiring competitors would be complete without Michael Jordan. MJ‘s will to win and work ethic are the stuff of legend. And in this iconic Nike commercial, he reflects on how his unparalleled success is rooted in failure.

The GOAT rattles off a series of his shortcomings, from missed shots to lost games. But the underlying message is that those failures were actually the secret to his greatness, because they fueled his maniacal dedication to improvement. For reps facing a slump or plateau, MJ‘s video is a powerful push to stay hungry and keep honing your craft.

Key Quote: "I‘ve failed over, and over, and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

8. Kobe Bryant – "The Black Mamba Mentality"

Kobe Bryant took the torch from Jordan as one of the fiercest competitors to ever step on a basketball court. And in this interview filmed shortly before his tragic passing, Kobe unpacks what he calls the "Mamba Mentality" that drove him to 5 championships.

For Kobe, the Mamba Mentality came down to an insatiable yearning to be the best. Every single day, he was chasing an ideal version of himself and working harder than anyone to close the gap between his current and potential self. That constant quest for growth enabled him to maintain an edge even after cementing his legacy.

Kobe‘s video is all about taking pride in your preparation. The hours you put in when no one‘s watching are what separate the good from the great. Embrace the Mamba Mentality, and you‘ll find extra gears you never knew you had.

Key Quote: "If you want to be great at something, there‘s a choice you have to make. What I mean by that is, there are inherent sacrifices that come along with that."

9. Usain Bolt – "The Importance of Losing"

Usain Bolt is undoubtedly the fastest man who ever lived. Over a glittering sprinting career, the 8-time Olympic gold medalist broke record after record and dominated the sport like no one before him. But Usain knows he wouldn‘t have reached those heights without first learning hard lessons.

In this speech to youth athletes, Usain shares that losing his first race at age 8 was actually one of the best things that ever happened to him. The humbling defeat taught him the value of training diligently and bouncing back from failure. He realized excellence wasn‘t going to be handed to him – he had to go out and earn it every single day.

Usain‘s experience of turning an early loss into unmatched success perfectly encapsulates the mindset reps need to climb the ranks in a challenging field. It‘s not about never failing; it‘s about leveraging failure as motivation to come back even better.

Key Quote: "Dreams are free. Goals have a cost. While you‘re dreaming, someone else is working."

Videos to Build an Unstoppable Sales Culture

Individual motivation is great, but there‘s nothing more powerful than a high-performing sales team that pushes each other to be their best. If you want to create a winning environment, make a habit of watching these videos as a group:

10. Jake Wood: "Maintaining Optimism During a Crisis"

Jake Wood is the cofounder and CEO of Groundswell, a disruptive consulting firm that connects Fortune 500 companies with military veterans. But long before he was a successful entrepreneur, Jake cut his teeth leading combat units as a Marine.

In this speech, Jake recounts being deployed during the Haditha Dam crisis, one of the most intense battles of the Iraq War. Despite facing incredible odds and mounting casualties, he and his fellow Marines never lost faith. Instead, they banded together and maintained incredible positivity in the face of death.

Jake‘s riveting story shows the unifying power of optimism during challenging times. When teams choose to stay bought in to the mission and believe the best in each other, they tap into a deeper well of resilience. As a leader, building that collective spirit is key to not only surviving, but thriving.

Key Quote: "Optimism galvanizes a team and creates a shared sense of purpose, and a motivation to fight harder and succeed because you believe you‘re doing it for something."

11. Jocko Willink – "Good"

Jocko Willink has become a leading voice on leadership and discipline since retiring from the Navy SEALs. And in this short but potent video, he shares a uniquely empowering approach to dealing with adversity.

Whenever something bad happens, Jocko‘s instinct is to say "Good." Didn‘t close the deal? Good – more motivation to improve your pitch. Lost a big client? Good – an opportunity to show your persistence and win them back.

For Jocko, uttering "Good" in the face of a challenge is a way to maintain control of the situation. Instead of being a victim of circumstances, you‘re embracing them as an chance to respond with strength. That mentality is infectious when it spreads across a team.

Jocko‘s video is a master class in the power of framing. How teams interpret problems and setbacks is often more important than the events themselves. Choosing an empowering meaning is key to an unstoppable sales culture.

Key Quote: "When things are going bad, there‘s going to be some good that‘s going to come from it."

12. Simon Sinek – "The Infinite Game"

As a leadership expert and author, Simon Sinek has a knack for shifting paradigms. And in this video based on his book The Infinite Game, he presents a compelling case for redefining success and competition.

Most people see business as a finite game with a clear ending – you either win or lose. But Simon argues the companies that endure embrace an infinite mindset. They‘re not focused on beating the competition; they‘re focused on outlasting them.

An infinite approach means constantly adapting, investing in people and staying true to your purpose beyond just profits. While a finite mindset leads to short-term thinking and cutting corners, an infinite one builds lasting excellence.

Simon‘s ideas have huge implications for sales teams. Instead of getting caught up in a never-ending race to hit quotas, true success comes from igniting the passion that leads to consistent performance. When the whole team embraces that outlook, the sky‘s the limit.

Key Quote: "In the infinite game, the true value of an organization cannot be measured by the success it has achieved based on a set of arbitrary metrics over arbitrary time frames. The true value of an organization is measured by the desire others have to contribute to that organization‘s ability to keep succeeding, not just during the time they are there, but well beyond their own tenure."

The Bottom Line

There‘s no doubt about it – sales is a grind. The daily barrage of nos and pressure to close can be enough to break those without ironclad resolve. But with the right motivational fuel, any rep or team can rise to the challenge and achieve remarkable results.

These 19 videos are a masterclass in the mindsets and habits that separate top performers from the rest of the pack. From Jia Jiang‘s lesson on fearing rejection to Sara Blakely‘s story of perseverance, they show what‘s possible with unshakeable self-belief. They‘ll give you the courage to fail forward, the drive to outwork the competition and the resilience to overcome any adversity.

But watching these videos once isn‘t enough. Make them a regular part of your motivation routine – play them before sales kickoffs or training sessions, send clips to reps who need a boost, put quotes in high-traffic areas. Absorb the lessons not just with your head, but with your heart. Because motivation is like bathing – it‘s recommended daily.

I hope this curated list of motivational sales videos serves you and your team well. Bookmark it, share it, and come back to it often to keep your fire burning bright. Remember – success loves preparation. Invest in developing a champion‘s mindset and a culture of greatness, and you‘ll be amazed by the records you can break. Now go get after it!