Branch managers have a complex role that requires both strong leadership and sales skills. While there are plenty of paid training resources to fine-tune those skills, why not take advantage of some of the best free resources out there? Podcasts are some of the most accessible sources of information, and yet many people still don’t take full advantage of them. Podcast episodes tend to be short (typically 20-40 minutes long), and they’re downloadable so you can listen on the go. Such accessible resources to help you grow and develop professionally shouldn’t be passed up. Here are the top 5 podcasts to help mortgage branch managers find inspiration to grow professionally:

1. Accelerate!

This energetic podcast is run by Andy Paul, author of best-selling books Zero-Time Selling and Amp Up Your Sales. He’s a popular public speaker and trainer, and it’s easy to see why. His episodes on sales and marketing can offer mortgage branch managers some great motivation to accelerate the growth of their business. The podcast’s motto is “Sales. Profits. Growth.”, and in each episode, he interviews inspirational sales leaders to uncover leadership and professional development insights. One powerful episode to check out is “You Can’t Run A Sales Organization When You’re Buried In Crap”. He invites Mike Weinberg on to talk about the self-destructive behaviors sales managers often exhibit, and he offers advice on how to counter those with actionable strategies.

2. Mortgage Marketing Radio

This podcast is by Mortgage Marketing Institute and will inspire managers with the valuable tips they dish out in each episode. They touch on building a thought-leader platform and even offer a book based on the subject. Check out episode 63, “Building Your Foundation to Sustainable Success”, where Kelly Resendez, the EVP of Sales and Business Development for Paramount Partners Group, gives her advice on becoming more efficient and more productive in your business. Episode 55 is also valuable for branch managers. In this episode, Jay Niblick, the CEO and Co-Founder of WizeHire, discusses how the DISC profile is the best method of identifying your most worthy hires.

3. In the Arena Podcast – The Sales Blog

The Sales Blog runs In the Arena, a podcast by Anthony Iannarino who shares his own tips and advice on all things sales. He also interviews world class authors and sales leaders to share their wealth of knowledge. One standout podcast is episode 45, “Mike Weinberg Simplifies Sales Management” where Weinberg talks about some issues managers have in achieving results (like having a sales “ego”, the need to coach their sales force, and pointless administration) and how to counteract them.

4. The Social Selling Podcast

As its title suggests, this podcast focuses on social selling, something mortgage managers can benefit from studying. The podcast is run by Martin Brossman, Greg Hyer, and Elyse Archer of Linking into Sales. In each episode, they offer selling strategies that can help amplify the social-media marketing efforts of sales professionals. Mortgage branch managers can take away effective techniques for using LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ in their prospecting and as a foundation for their business growth. Listen to episode 48, “Insights from LinkedIn SalesConnect 2015”, where Kevin Thomas Tully shares his thoughts on the LinkedIn Social Selling Index score. Greg and Martin also touch upon updates to Twitter and LinkedIn in this podcast.

5. Manager Tools

Do you want to reach the management and business goals you’ve set for yourself? This podcast can help with that. Geared specifically towards managers who want to boost performance, this podcast is a resource for managers to learn specific, actionable skills they can employ in their branch. The podcast is run by Michael Auzenne and Mark Horstman, graduates of West Point and former corporate executives and army officers. They take their own leadership experience and harness it into actionable recommendations for their listeners to build management skills. Episode 39, “Retaining Disgruntled Staff As a New Manager”, covers the potentially challenging situation where a new manager takes over and the team undergoes confusion and resistance. They give real insights and outline ways to help retain critical employees.

While there are countless ways to continue growing as a manager in the mortgage industry, feeding yourself new knowledge is one of the keys to success. You may not always be ready to shell out the money and hours of time to attend a conference or professional development class. At moments like these, utilizing podcasts to continue educating yourself can be the difference between remaining stagnant and excelling.