There are thousands of sales books out there but which are best for you? We’ve distilled our favorites here, (10 Best Sales Books Ever Written) simple to review with excerpts to help you judge whether or not they can help you to close more deals. Here we go:
1. SPIN Selling (Neil Rackham)
This may be the best selling book of all time. And it’s an easy read. SPIN can help anyone to sell anything. The whole concept is that complex sales deserve a different process and Neil delivers that different process on a silver platter. You can find more resources from Neil in Huthwaite’s resource center.
Pro-tip: skip the research sections up front & jump straight into the meat of the process (about 1/3rd in).
2. What Great Sales People Do (Mike Bosworth)
Mike’s good enough to be on this list twice. Selling has changed dramatically over the years & Mike’s changed right there with it as a thought leader. Here Mike takes an emotional approach to sell that is relevant and unlike anything else on the market.
Pro-tip: before you read the book, check out 34 quips & takeaways from ‘What Great Salespeople Do’.
3. The Challenger Sale (Matthew Dixon, Brent Adamson)
This had to be on best sales books list. One of the latest to hit the scene, this model goes against traditional thinking that sales is all about relationships. It’s focused on being the advisor in each sale and working your customers towards improving their roles through new solutions.
Pro-tip: don’t forget, you still have to connect with your customers before you can ‘challenge’ them.
4. Solution Selling (Mike Bosworth)
This is the book that put Mike on the map. It’s the book that started a revolution of leading sales by uncovering the entire landscape of your buyer and sprinkling in sales content along the way.
Pro-tip: Keep in mind that buyers today are more informed than they were when this book was written. Make sure you read about the ‘9-block vision processing model’.
5. Hope is Not a Strategy (Rick Page)
Rick is one of the most sought-after sales consultants and trainers in the world. He made a big splash at enterprise software powerhouse MSA and shares a solid process on how to land large 6+ figure deals here.
Pro-tip: The larger and more complex your sale, the more this book will be helpful
6. Little Red Book of Selling (Jeffrey Gitomer)
This is a recommendation to those getting into selling or considering it. Most professional sales reps will already know the contents. It’s short & simple which is why it’s one of the top selling sales books (and hence on this list).
Pro-tip – knock this one out on a plane ride. It’s short, simple, and helpful but you won’t learn deep complex sales lessons here.
7. Selling to Big Companies (Jill Konrath)
This book represents the beginning of the death of the cold call. In ’05, Jill took a new approach to breaking large companies and it’s served up through this classic.
Pro-tip – Read Jill’s blog & the Amazon reviews before jumping into this book.
8. How to Win Friends and Influence People (Dale Carnegie)
Published in 1937, this book could be on top 10 lists for virtually any personal subject. Think of it as the Bible for how to treat others and live in this world. It’s sold over $15mm copies & you’ll probably never meet a rainmaker who hasn’t read it. This book not only should be on “best sales books” list, it should also be a “best book” list, period.
Pro-tip – This book will make your life better, plain and simple.
9. Strategic Selling (Stephen Heiman, Robert Miller)
This book takes a different approach which hits home with a lot of ‘non-salesy’ people. It’s a low pressure, ethics-based & methodical approach to selling. This book turned Miller Heiman into a global leader in sales development & one of the top 3 training methods all time in sales.
Pro-tip – Read this if you are technical or someone who thinks like an engineer.
10. How to Say it (Geoffrey James)
Geoffrey is the ‘Sales Machine’ & the best know sales blogger on the internet. This book is a culmination of all of his writing. It’s simple wisdom, a perfect combination.
Pro-tip – This book is worth the read, but take a look at these 19 one-liner excerpts.
[ctt template=”3″ link=”eF4ud” via=”yes” nofollow=”yes”]These 10 classic sales books are full of tips that never go out of style![/ctt]
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