Daily Motivation for Salespeople | Quotes and Inspiration

Staying motivated in a sales job can be no easy feat.

With salespeople being asked to do more and more tasks — with nothing being taken off their plates, in the meantime — it can be challenging to stay optimistic and produce results every day.

We rounded up some of the most effective and inspirational daily motivation for salespeople to help get them through the day, knock out their to-do lists, and crush their goals.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• Why Do Salespeople Need Daily Motivation?
• 11 Motivational Quotes for Sales Every Day
• 8 Daily Salesperson Affirmations

Why Do Salespeople Need Daily Motivation?

It’s no secret to anyone in the profession that working in sales can sometimes be grueling, challenging, and stressful. 

Salespeople are being asked to do more and more tasks, leaving very little time for them to actually sell. In fact, sales reps today only manage to spend about 36% of their time selling. 

In addition to the growing time management challenges inherent to the job, there’s also a lot of stress around quota attainment.

Fortunately, there are some simple steps that salespeople can take to give their brains the boost they need to charge forward.

It’s a well-known scientific fact that words have the power to regulate physical and emotional stress and improve your overall wellness; repeating positive affirmations is a simple and effective way to ward off workplace blues and keep you focused. 

The following are some of our favorite inspirational quotes for daily motivation and affirmations that you can repeat to yourself out loud at the beginning of each day. Consider writing a few of these quotes on sticky notes and placing them somewhere you’ll see every day.

Ditch the data entryTake off the additional stress: automatically sync your email, calendar, & campaign activityTry Yesware Free

11 Motivational Quotes for Sales Every Day

Here are some of our favorite daily motivational quotes for sales. Some of them are written by salespeople, some by psychologists, and some by all-around successful people.

1. “We become what we think about.” – Earl Nightingale

The author of Essence of Success makes a concise but powerful point here — the way you frame your thoughts directly impacts your outlook on life and the actions you take in your everyday responsibilities.

Challenge yourself to frame your thoughts in the positive. Steer away from thoughts like, “Don’t be pushy” — according to Nightingale, even thinking about being pushy in terms of trying to avoid it might lead you to inadvertently behave that way. 

Instead, try saying, “I’m going to be respectful and pay attention to non-verbal communication.” Put the focus on the positive.

2. “Optimism is the one quality more associated with success and happiness than any other.” – Brian Tracy 

Best-selling author and motivational speaker Brian Tracy finds himself on our list a few times. In this quote, he lays out the facts — success and happiness have nothing to do with money, connections, intelligence, or background.

The key, he says, is to maintain a positive mindset; optimism takes people farther than any other quality.

3. “Success is not final, failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill 

This is a particularly important daily motivational quote for salespeople, as they’re likely to encounter some kind of “failure” every day, whether via buying objections or lost opportunities. Churchill encourages us to stay focused on the bigger picture and not get hung up on failure. 

On the flip side of things, it’s also wise to not become overly proud of your success. The exciting thing about a career in sales is that there’s always another challenge to pursue; celebrate your successes, but don’t let them create complacency.

4. “I can’t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.” – Jimmy Dean

In a career that requires thinking on your toes, Jimmy Dean’s quote about adaptability is especially relevant. 

Successful people recognize that there’s very little they can do to control others, their environments, or certain circumstances. They can, however, control how they respond to those things.

5. “It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome.” – William James

Another daily motivational quote about the power of positive thinking — are you sensing a theme here?

William James, philosopher and psychologist, reminds us that we are ultimately in control over how successfully we can complete a task. That control comes primarily from our mindset, attitude, and the optimism with which we approach the job at hand. 

6. “We generate fears while we sit. We overcome them by action.” – Dr. Henry Link

Dr. Henry Link was a famous psychologist who specializes in employment psychology. He reminds us that an idle mind is ripe for creating unnecessary fears and anxiety. 

The best way to combat that, he says, is to ditch procrastination, break the paralysis, and do something.

7. “Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.” – Will Rogers

In the sales world, every day — every hour, even — represents a brand new opportunity.

Whatever happened yesterday — good or bad — don’t let it dictate the way you behave today. Put yesterday behind you and put your best foot forward each and every day.

8. “Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.” – Warren Buffet

Warren Buffett, multi-billionaire and author of several bestsellers, hits the nail on the sales head here.

When it comes to a successful sales career, the name of the game is building relationships. Buffett’s quote is a great reminder to salespeople to plant the seeds of relationships and value-offering early on; the rewards will be plenty with patience and diligent care.

9. “What you lack in talent can be made up with desire, hustle, and giving 110% all the time.” – Don Zimmer

Despite what some people believe, no one is “born to be a salesperson.” The great thing about a sales career is that it’s accessible to just about anyone who has the grit and optimism to make it work.

Zimmer’s positive quote is a great reminder that personal growth and determination outweigh innate skill every time. 

10. “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford

Rounding out our collection of mindset-based personal development quotes, Henry Ford minces no words with his direct statement on how much your thoughts influence the trajectory of your life.

If you think you can do something — and continue to believe that even in the face of adversity — chances are high that you’ll achieve it. Conversely, if you let any challenges dictate your sense of capability, it’s likely that you’ll succumb to this negativity sooner or later.

11. “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” – Zig Ziglar

Just about every salesperson is familiar with Zig Ziglar, author of the world-renowned sales book Secrets of Closing the Sale.

His quote should be an inspiration to us all — the only way to become great is to start doing something. Consistent action and commitment to improvement are the most reliable ways to become great at something, sales included.

Bonus: Looking for a laugh? Check out these 33 sales memes that’ll make any salesperson’s day better.

8 Daily Salesperson Affirmations

Practicing daily affirmations has been shown to generate dopamine, the brain chemical responsible for feelings of reward. 

In order to reap the biggest benefits, try repeating them consistently — at least twice a day, ten times each. 

Here are some of our favorite affirmations to repeat to yourself. The more you practice these, the more beneficial they will become. Of course, feel free to edit or adapt them to fit your unique situation.

1. I deliver results. 

No beating around the bush here — repeat this to yourself every day for a surefire boost to your productivity. The great thing about this affirmation is that it isn’t specific to any one kind of result — some days will be more productive than others, but ending every day with some sense of accomplishment will help boost your momentum.

2. A rejection is one step closer to my ideal customer. 

One of the harder parts of a career in sales is dealing with rejection on a regular basis. Sales reps will be well-served by reminding themselves that every rejection can be treated as additional data to help hone in on the perfect customer.

3. I am a skilled problem-solver.

Effective sales is all about solving problems — both for the customer, and throughout the sales process. Reminding yourself on a daily basis that you’re capable of solving problems can add to your well-being and sense of self-confidence.

4. I perform my job with integrity.

One of the biggest reasons that people balk at otherwise great product opportunities is because they don’t want to deal with pushy salespeople. Remember to lead with integrity and authenticity, and your prospects will respond in kind.

5. I manage my time effectively.

Remember that statistic about how little time salespeople are allotted to do their actual jobs? It can positively shift your mental health to remind yourself that, despite the challenges, you can actually manage it all. 

6. I practice active listening to show my prospects I care. 

This life quote is more of a reminder than a mantra, but it’s worth repeating every day. Most prospects want to feel heard and understood, and active listening is a great way to show that to them.

7. I know when to push and when to move on. 

It’s important for salespeople to persist, even in the face of objections — 80% of sales outreach gets no response until the 5th follow-up. On the other hand, it’s also important to avoid being pushy. Repeating this affirmation can give reps the confidence they need to know the difference.

8. I am consistent in my work. Every day I deliver something of value.

With so much of a salesperson’s performance judged on metrics and KPIs, it’s also important to step back and realize that numbers aren’t always everything. Showing up, connecting with prospects, and making small steps toward your goals also counts. 

Bonus:

Speaking of the power of words, check out our psychology of selling ebook. These data-backed psychological principles and findings will help you anticipate common prospect triggers and behavior patterns to win more deals.

Psychology Principles + 13 Power Words for Winning SalesData-backed psychological principles, nonverbal cues, and persuasive phrases to win more deals.

EmailDownload PDF

How Yesware Can Help Salespeople Stay Motivated

Yesware is a one-stop sales solution for teams who want more time for selling, more insights into their performance, and more direction on how to keep moving forward. 

Our reporting and analytics capabilities give reps tangible data about what subject lines, email messages, and attachments resonate best with your customer.

This reporting can also help you pinpoint which prospects are most engaged, so you can prioritize those leads and get more wins on the books.

Our email templates then allow reps to save and re-use the most effective messaging efforts, so you can start seeing more consistent wins.

These wins can really add up in terms of motivation. The more that sales reps can see tangible success in the data, the more likely they’ll be to continue giving 100% effort.

Yesware keeps teams organized and lets them multitask by offloading non-critical duties to autopilot. Seeing the results of your hard work can give reps a huge boost in confidence and motivation.