Sales isn’t a skill that comes naturally to everyone. Some learn it by doing. Others need to understand the theory and take the journey at their own pace. Whichever type of learner you are, picking up some of the best books on sales will get you to grips with the industry quickly.
This article shares our top 6. Don’t immediately purchase all of them and read them cover to cover. Select one that resonates best with you and your approach. The key is to absorb the information and insights and then embed your learning into your sales strategy.
Way of the Wolf by Jordan Belfort
Chances are you’ve heard of Jordan Belfort from the wildly successful film The Wolf of Wall Street. That film was based on his life as one of the most infamous salespeople the world has ever known. Belfort uses this book to guide the reader through a step-by-step sales process that leans heavily on persuasion principles.
This book contains insights into sales and techniques that Belfort shared with his team. Previously, all of this knowledge was locked behind the $1,997 fee for his online training course. This is what some call old-school sales. It’s higher pressure sales than many would like to deliver, but it has been proven to work.
Key concepts include looping and future pacing, which aim to handle sales objections and turn them into opportunities. These concepts also promote the selling of and the certainty of three core areas: the product, the company, and you.
The Psychology of Selling by Brian Tracy
A great deal of sales comes down to empathy. If you take the time to understand what the prospect wants and their pain points, you stand a greater chance of building rapport with them and guiding them to a sale. In this book, Tracy explores the psychology behind sales so that you can learn some of the core tenets of sales techniques.
These tenets include removing the fear of rejection. They also include building strong confidence and understanding what makes people buy from you. The book focuses on developing your mindset rather than specific sales techniques. Consider it a combination of self-help and a guide on how to persuade people.
One great feature throughout the book is the collection of self-assessment exercises that encourage you to take action as you read.
Sell or Be Sold: How to Get Your Way in Business and Life by Grant Cardone
This book treats sales as a lifestyle approach. You can apply the lessons with it to an actual sales process or use them as a way of improving your life. It focuses on the usual sales issues, such as handling objections, rejection, and negative situations. But it also covers ways to shorten sales cycles and grow your pipeline.
Reviewers say the book is not for career salespeople. It's for those who find themselves in a sales position but don’t see themselves as salespeople. It delivers a methodology that helps you communicate better so that more people will buy from you. This all starts with yourself. You have to believe in yourself and your product 100% before you can start selling.
New Sales. Simplified: The Essential Handbook for Prospecting and New Business Development by Mike Weinberg
Weinberg wrote this book to help businesses grow through the development of a robust sales strategy. It first identifies the trap that many businesses fall into. A reliance on repeat business and ad hoc referrals rather than a steady flow of new business.
Throughout the book, readers are presented with various learning opportunities that are vital to the sales process. One of the most powerful sections discusses creating a “sales story.” These stories are customer-focused narratives that always put the prospect first. Once that is in place, you can use other strategies. These include preparing for sales calls and building strategic lists.
$100M Offers: How to Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying No by Alexander Hormozi
This is one of the most highly-rated books and arguably the most popular on our list. Alexander Hormozi shares his blueprint for sales by breaking the book into actionable sections. The methods are designed to be implementable almost instantaneously.
Each chapter details a particular aspect of sales. For instance, one chapter documents how you should use “the unbeatable value equation.” This ensures that you’re always delivering value above and beyond what the customer expects.
It’s a book full of lightbulb moments. You just need to have the determination to build the processes into your business.
The Challenger Sale: How To Take Control of the Customer Conversation by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson
This book brings a challenging notion that sales isn’t actually about relationships. It almost directly opposes that idea by suggesting that salespeople don’t build relationships. They actively challenge them, and that’s the namesake of this book.
The entire book is based on data rather than experience. 44 different attributes were tested across a sample of nearly 6000 salespeople. These attributes were then split into levels of performance and different types of sales reps. Every salesperson can fit into an archetype. The Challenger is one of them.
Each chapter delivers more insights. These insights are almost all applicable to a sales career in some shape or form. This makes it not only an interesting read but an actionable one, too.
Key Takeaways
That was our selection of the best books on sales. It’s fair to say that they won’t all resonate with each individual who reads them, but there are valuable insights and sales tactics within all of them. If you’re not an avid reader, every book is also available as an audio version.
- Once you finish a book, give yourself time to digest the material.
- When a book suggests you take action or reflect, do it! Don’t skip over this vital interaction. It will cement your learning.
- Beyond this list, ask colleagues and mentors for recommendations on their favorite sales books.
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