“Uh-oh! Guess what day it is?? Guess what day it is!” We don’t have to tell you it’s Wednesday. You probably figured it out on your own, whether you glanced at your calendar or recently saw that Geico commercial with the obnoxious camel that won’t take a hint. Everyone in the world would collectively agree that Monday is the worst day of the week in terms of motivation, but we’d like to argue that Wednesday makes a close second. Think about it: it’s the middle of the week, you’re starting to daydream about the weekend, and in some rare cases, there’s an annoying camel walking around your office constantly reminding everyone what day it is. But before your vision starts to tunnel, remember there’s always a beam of light at the end of a bad Wednesday. And for us, that light comes from the genius that is TED Talks. TED Talks is a non-profit devoted to sharing note-worthy ideas. They record and archive expert lectures on topics ranging from gaming to global issues. Below we’ve compiled our favorite sales lectures given by the business industry’s top gurus. Watch some or all of them to dramatically strengthen your sales game.
1.) Rory Sutherland is the Vice Chairman of Ogilvy Group. His experiences as a classics teacher and later copywriter are the basis for his unique marketing perspective in his humorous lecture, “Life Lessons from an Ad Man.”
2.) Seth Godin is an author, entrepreneur, and marketer. Godin’s interest in marketing ideas in the digital age produced his lecture, “How to Get Your Ideas to Spread.”
3.) Dan Pink is author of books about business, work, and management. His unconventional path into the business world provided him with some interesting, and humorous, insight for his lecture, “The Puzzle of Motivation.”
4.) Sheena Iyengar is a professor of Business in the Management Division at Columbia Business School and the director of the Global Leadership Matrix initiative. Iyengar’s lecture, “How to Make Choosing Easier,” reveals the findings from her research on making decisions and shows how businesses can use this research to enhance their customers’ sales experiences.
5.) Joseph Pine is an author whose books and workshops help entrepreneurs and executives reach their full sales potential. In his lecture, “What Consumers Want,” Pine discusses the importance of incorporating authenticity into your sales pitch.