Reading economics books and entrepreneur books gives you an insight into the importance of sales.
Improving sales requires you to gain a comprehensive knowledge of different tactics and sales channels. At the same time, you need to understand exactly what makes your clients tick.
Sales books can help you advance, whatever your current level of experience. Novices can learn to take advantage of best practices and avoid mistakes. As for veteran salespeople, there are many new tricks they can learn to boost performance in the field.
Quick Look: The Best Sales Books
- How To Be A Great Salesperson… By Monday Morning! by David R. Cook - Buy it now
- Fanatical Prospecting: The Ultimate Guide to Opening Sales Conversations and Filling the Pipeline by Leveraging Social Selling, Telephone, Email, Text, and Cold Calling by Jeb Blount - Buy it now
- The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson - Buy it now
- New Sales. Simplified.: The Essential Handbook for Prospecting and New Business Development by Mike Weinberg - Buy it now
- The Introvert’s Edge: How the Quiet and Shy Can Outsell Anyoneby Matthew Pollard and Derek Lewis - Buy it now
- Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness by Jeffrey Gitomer - Buy it now
- Secrets of a Master Closer: A Simpler, Easier, and Faster Way to Sell Anything to Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere by Mike Kaplan - Buy it now
- How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling by Frank Bettger - Buy it now
- Gap Selling: Getting the Customers to Yes: How Problem-Centric Selling Increases Sales by Changing Everything You Know about Relationships, Overcoming Objections, Closing, and Price by Keenan - Buy it now
- Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions: A Tactical Playbook for Managers and Executives by Keith Rosen - Buy it now
What You Should Look for in a Sales Book
A great sales book teaches you how to get your customers’ attention and build relationships. This is easier said than done, and many people are afraid of sounding like a used car salesman.
Books can help you find the right tone. But it’s important to look beyond the promising titles. Let’s take a closer look at what you should focus on instead.
Author Authority
Anyone with some experience in sales can write a book. But having experience isn’t enough to make him or her an expert. You want a professional with an impressive sales portfolio and, ideally, someone who worked with renowned brands and companies.
As such, the author is able to share a wealth of knowledge based on real-world scenarios and give you invaluable tips on proven strategies.
Skill Depth Covered
A good sales book will point out the key skills and tools you can use to increase revenue. But the collection of personal and professional skills covered in these books will depend on your current level of experience.
At a beginner level, you learn to utilize different sales channels and keep your customers satisfied. But if you wish to go a step further, you need to understand the customers’ desires, and consumer psychology is a must.
Our Picks for the Best Sales Books
We took the above-mentioned principles as basic guidelines to create a list of the top sales books currently available.
How To Be A Great Salesperson… By Monday Morning! by David R. Cook
- Who’s it for? Novice and veteran salespeople, entrepreneurs and business owners
- Price: $10.72 Kindle, $16.93 Paperback or listen to it free with an Audible trial - Try it now
David R. Cook takes his decades-long experience in sales and distills it into a comprehensive volume, covering all aspects of sales. Some of the topics include creating urgency in your customers. You’ll learn how to make the sales cycle shorter and use trial, third-party, and assumptive closes.
How To Be A Great Salesperson… By Monday Morning! also gives you tips on follow-up meetings/calls. Special sections are dedicated to salesperson enthusiasm and attitude.
Fanatical Prospecting: The Ultimate Guide to Opening Sales Conversations and Filling the Pipeline by Leveraging Social Selling, Telephone, Email, Text, and Cold Calling by Jeb Blount
- Who’s it for? Beginner salespeople, sales executives, and marketing students
- Price: $14.30 Kindle, $27.00 Hardcover, $13.34 Paperback or listen to it free with an Audible trial - Try it now
Fanatical Prospecting details the innovative sales approach used by some of the top earners in the industry. The book teaches you about the importance of the 30-day rule in relation to the sales pipeline.
The author pays special attention to the law of replacement, which can help you prevent unexpected drops in price. Plus, you get a comprehensive guide about email, text message, and telephone sales.
The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson
- Who’s it for? Salespeople in general, business owners, and entrepreneurs
- Price: $28.95 Hardcover, $12.93 Paperback or listen to it free with an Audible trial - Try it now
The Challenger Sale offers a comprehensive pool of proven tactics and examples of good practice. In this book, the customers take center stage and you learn to effectively approach them.
The authors teach you how to be assertive, take full control, and even push back if necessary. Overall, The Challenger Sale gives you all the tools you need to become a sales guru.
New Sales. Simplified.: The Essential Handbook for Prospecting and New Business Development by Mike Weinberg
- Who’s it for? Sales representatives and managers of all levels
- Price: $17.95 Paperback, $20.43 Audio CD or listen to it free with an Audible trial - Try it now
New Sales. Simplified.: The Essential Handbook for Prospecting and New Business Development is rich in anecdotes and examples that bring sales strategies closer to you. Weiberg uses humor to explain common mistakes some salespeople make, and he gives you guidelines to avoid going down the wrong path.
What’s more, the author tells you how to list and contact potential prospects. You also learn to draft a captivating sales story and leverage the power of social media. Special attention is paid to sales call structure and building rapport with your potential clients.
The Introvert’s Edge: How the Quiet and Shy Can Outsell Anyone by Matthew Pollard and Derek Lewis
- Who’s it for? Introverted salespeople
- Price: $17.95 Paperback or listen to it free with an Audible trial - Try it now
Think introverts are not good salespeople? The Introvert’s Edge: How the Quiet and Shy Can Outsell Anyone is here to prove you wrong. In 11 chapters, Pollard and Lewis help introvert people leverage their personal traits to boost sales.
The topics range from potential problems to mastering the art of sales. Some sections cover the craft of sales storytelling, plus you learn proven strategies to check the pulse of your customers. These are just some of the reasons why the Introvert’s Edge is a good read for salespeople in general.
Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness by Jeffrey Gitomer
- Who’s it for? Beginner salespeople and online entrepreneurs
- Price: $19.95 Hardcover, $26.95 Audio CD or listen to it free with an Audible trial - Try it now
When it comes to sales guidebooks, this volume ticks all the right boxes. It’s short, to the point, and rich in immediately applicable tips and tricks.
Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness covers personal branding, creating value, and building a strong relationship with your clients. Gitomer also teaches you about the importance of humor and creativity to devise successful sales pitches.
Plus, you learn to proactively search for new prospects. The book features amusing illustrations on nearly every page.
Secrets of a Master Closer: A Simpler, Easier, and Faster Way to Sell Anything to Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere by Mike Kaplan
- Who’s it for? Sales veterans, sales executives and business students
- Price: $8.34 Kindle, $16.95 Paperback or listen to it free with an Audible trial - Try it now
Secrets of a Master Closer provides you with a selection of rules and tactics that turn potential clients into happy customers. The author presents 8 proven steps that work for any sales, whatever your industry may be. Kaplan offers tricks to transform objections into opportunities and utilize a particular method to close deals.
In addition to all this, the book teaches key presentation skills, helping you discover the perfect prospects for the services or products you sell.
How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling by Frank Bettger
- Who’s it for? Anyone who is interested in sales
- Price: $13.55 Kindle, $32.03 Hardcover, $15.99 Paperback orlisten to it free with an Audible trial - Try it now
How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Sellingis a timeless classic in the world of sales. This edition was published in 1992, over a decade after the author’s death, and he wrote the original version back in 1952. But Bettger’s work has aged very well, and the practical tips are still as applicable as ever.
Frank Bettger gives you a first-hand insight into the strategies that propelled him to success. He offers detailed guidelines for overcoming fear and developing the mindset of an accomplished, confident salesperson.
The book outlines the rules of closing a sale and teaches you how to attract more buyers. Special sections cover pre-sales and follow-ups, plus you learn all the secrets of making an appointment.
Gap Selling: Getting the Customers to Yes: How Problem-Centric Selling Increases Sales by Changing Everything You Know about Relationships, Overcoming Objections, Closing, and Price by Keenan
- Who’s it for? Industry professionals, business owners, and entrepreneurs
- Price: $11.99 Kindle, $26.93 Hardcover or listen to it free with an Audible trial - Try it now
Gap Selling doesn’t just give you proven sales strategies. It provides a detailed understanding of the sales game and teaches you about all the nuances of this industry. It also tears down some old sales myths that don’t bring good results.
Once you finish this book, you’ll be able to create greater win rates, generate more leads, and increase your revenue. What’s more, your sales cycles are will be shorter and your customers will be happier.
Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions: A Tactical Playbook for Managers and Executives by Keith Rosen
- Who’s it for? Top-tier sales professionals, aspiring salespeople, business students
- Price: $19.19 Kindle, $29.95 Hardcover or listen to it free with an Audible trial - Try it now
This award-winning book, Coaching Salespeople into Sales Champions, stands out as one of the most comprehensive guides for successful sales. It offers proven strategies to increase sales, personal accountability, and productivity.
What’s more, it’s a great source of coaching tips to create an army of power sellers. The author provides a step-by-step guide for transforming underperformers in a month. You also learn how to communicate with clients and other salespeople more efficiently.
Finding the Best Sales Books
Making sales comes naturally to some, but talent alone is not enough to keep your career on an upward path. It’s crucial to stay on top of the latest trends and tactics, and this is where sales books can help.
They provide the right combination of examples and actionable steps to apply in any given scenario. But if you want to gain a handle on the big picture, it pays to read business books too.