Best TED Talks for Salespeople
1. What I Learned from 100 Days of Rejection
Sales is a game of resilience and getting comfortable with rejection is huge part of the job. Jia Jiang shares his hilarious personal experiment facing rejection for 100 days straight, and how it rewired his fear into confidence. A must-watch for anyone who’s afraid of hearing “no”.
- Watch Time: 15 minutes
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2. How to Build (and Rebuild) Trust
Trust is the foundation of every high-performing sales team and every relationship with your prospects. In this insightful talk, Frances Frei breaks down the three components of trust: authenticity, logic, and empathy. And how to rebuild it when it breaks.
- Watch Time: 15 minutes
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3. Are We in Control of Our Own Decisions?
Sales is all about understanding how people make decisions but most decisions aren’t made as rationally as we think. Behavioural economist Dan Ariely walks through fascinating experiments that reveal just how easily people can be nudged, framed, or influenced. This is a must-watch for anyone in sales or marketing who wants to understand the hidden forces that shape buyer behaviour.
- Watch Time: 17 minutes
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4. The Counterintuitive Way to Be More Persuasive
Want to be more persuasive? Say less. In this short and counterintuitive talk, Niro Sivanathan explains the dilution effect. Which is how adding weak arguments can actually undermine your strong ones. For salespeople, it’s a powerful reminder: let your strongest points stand on their own.
- Watch Time: 11 minutes
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5. The Power of Vulnerability
Great salespeople aren’t just confident, they’re human. In this classic talk, Brené Brown unpacks why vulnerability isn’t a weakness but a path to connection, trust, and courage. For anyone in sales, it’s a great reminder that people don’t buy from personas, they buy from people.
- Watch Time: 20 minutes
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6. The Paradox of Choice
Too many options can kill a deal’s momentum. In this talk, psychologist Barry Schwartz explains how choice overload leads to indecision, regret, and paralysis. For salespeople, it’s a powerful insight: simplify the path forward. Fewer, clearer options help prospects commit faster and with more confidence.
- Watch Time: 19 minutes
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7. Developing a Growth Mindset
Success in sales isn’t just about skill, it’s about mindset. In this powerful talk, psychologist Carol Dweck introduces the difference between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset, showing how our beliefs about learning and failure shape performance. If you’re leading a team or coaching salespeople, this is essential watching.
- Watch Time: 10 minutes
(okay… this one isn’t actually a TED Talk) - Watch Video
