We asked our sales team what books they read to sharpen their skills, and, holy cow, did they deliver.
Our team shared some amazing books that they’ve used to improve their communication, break through noise, shorten sales cycles, coach buyers through their journey, and improve their earning potential.
You might not be able to get through all of these this year (because we know 32 is a lot), but get started on your reading goals with one or two of these fantastic sales books. My biggest takeaway here: Find what works for you and become the best at it. There are a lot of similarities in these methodologies, but how you carve out your niche within these methods will define your personal and professional success.
Books open whole new worlds, and sales books can help us crack the code on being a top seller this year. Check out these books to learn new ways of selling.
Traditional sales methods don’t work well in B2B, probably because they were designed for smaller consumer sales. That’s why Neil Rackman wrote SPIN Selling. Based on real-world case studies and research, the SPIN strategy helps sales reps achieve outstanding sales performance with every deal.
Sales personalities can be boiled down to five basic types, but only one delivers consistently high performance: The Challenger. Challengers stand out from other sales reps because they focus on specific customer pain points and push back on customers when objections arise. The Challenger Sale goes into what makes a rep a Challenger, how to identify them in your own organization, and how to transform every rep into a top performer.
The buying process has become too confusing. Buyer enablement is the only way forward, and Garin Hess is the master. He even coined the term Buyer Enablement, calling it the practice of equipping champions and shortening deals. Selling Is Hard. Buying Is Harder. goes into the nuts and bolts of finding or creating champions, giving them the proper tools to sell for you, and then getting out of the way so they can make the sale for you. Don’t leave your buyers feeling lost; become their guide through the sales cycle.
From her many years of experience as a sales coach, Carole Mahoney noticed a common trend—many sellers fail to reach their goals because they believe that selling is inherently bad. In Buyer First, she asks sellers to question their thought process that selling is a thing that we do to people. Instead, it’s something we do with them.
This book goes hand in hand with Selling Is Hard. Buying Is Harder. Modern-day selling is all about buyer enablement. With over 90% of B2B buying happening behind closed doors, you have to find a way to sell without being in the room. Selling With tells you how to create messaging your champion can use to sell for you when it matters most.
There’s a science to crafting a perfect pitch. In Pitch Anything, Oren Klaff shares his tried and tested formula for delivering a great pitch every time. Become a pitching master with the latest research in neuroeconomics and the STRONG pitching method. Stop using outdated methods and start using tactics that work.
Most deals aren’t lost to a competitor; they’re lost to indecision. When meetings end with “I need to think about it,” it might feel like you need to double down on selling tactics, but that can do more harm than good. The JOLT Effect uses actual analysis and research to bust the myths around high-performing sales reps. Learn how to change “I don’t know…” to an emphatic “Yes!”
First published in 1937, this sales classic is still talked about for a reason. Using the original titans of industry like Andrew Carnegie and Henry Ford as examples, Napoleon Hill will teach you the secrets that lead to lasting success. The Think and Grow Rich philosophy can help you change your perspective and achieve goals both personally and professionally.
No salesperson wants to hear the word “No.” Right? Well, Andrea Waltz and Richard Fenton’s book is asking salespeople to question that reaction. What if no wasn’t discouraging? What if, instead, we used it as encouragement to look for the opportunity to turn that “No” into a “Yes”? This quick read teaches sellers how to push past failure and use it to propel them into success.
Lowering your price is a common tactic to close a deal, but do you really need to? Sales Differentiation argues that a combination of what you sell and how you sell it leads to better margins. Packed full of 19 simple techniques that can be implemented at any organization, you’ll learn how to leverage your differentiators, strategies to engage buyers, and turn objections into differentiation opportunities.
Sales leaders do a lot to ensure that their team members are getting the training they need. But at the same time, many sales leaders themselves say that they’re more or less on their own when it comes to their own development. That’s where The Sales Leader’s Problem Solver comes in. This book offers expert guidance on overcoming common issues with sales teams, such as prospecting troubles, inconsistent sales, and poor communication.
Another classic, How to Win Friends and Influence People, is a must-read for any sales rep. Originally published during the Great Depression, this book breaks down time-tested advice for climbing the ladder of success in tough times and good. Learn how to communicate effectively, become a better leader, and get people to like you in any situation.
Whether you’re a seasoned sales rep or just getting started out, this book is for you. How to Be a Great Salesperson has the strategies you need to close more deals, no matter your industry, company size, or skill level. Crammed full of solid techniques, you’ll discover how to use open-ended questions to your advantage, when to stop selling and start closing, and how to create urgency for every customer.
Most people think you have to be extroverted to be an effective sales rep, but the opposite can also be true. While extroverts might feel at home in the sales world, introverts’ quiet nature can actually be a superpower when it comes to selling. Don’t be shy when it comes to building the sales skills you need to be successful. Instead, use your subdued personality to win big.
While it’s called business-to-business sales (or B2B), at the end of the day, you’re still selling to another person. Drawn from many of his own experiences, Frank Somma shares how it’s the little things that build rapport. With a focus on the way we interact as humans, B2B Is Really P2P describes how to use body language and microexpressions to build relationships and trust with your clientele. Create connections that lead to bigger sales.
Are your go-to tactics creating problems? Many traditional strategies used by sales are actually to blame for long sales cycles, prospects ghosting you, and last-minute feature requests. Take back control with Gap Selling. This groundbreaking book questions the old way of doing things and proposes a better way. Increase your selling IQ and let go of hurtful, outdated beliefs.
You can’t close on a pipeline that doesn’t exist. The art of prospecting can be easily overlooked, but it is an incredibly powerful tool for keeping that pipeline filled. Covering topics like the 30-Day Rule, the Law of Replacement, and the Law of Familiarity, Jeb Blount filled this book with tips and strategies that will fill your pipeline and keep it full. Say goodbye to sales slumps and empty pipelines with Fanatical Prospecting.
As Marion Luna Brem posits in Women Make the Best Salesmen, regardless of role or gender, we are all “salesmen.” We’re always selling something, including and perhaps most often ourselves. Learn what skills women are more likely to hone throughout their lives and how these skills translate to better sales.
This book has the only method of closing you’ll ever need. By following the specific laws, steps, and stages outlined in this book, you’ll be able to sell without relying on annoying sales tactics. Learn how to keep the pipeline full, build a loyal customer base, and approach every new opportunity with Secrets of a Master Closer.
How to Sell Anything to Anybody isn’t about having a fancy degree. It’s not even really about selling strategy. It’s about two key components that are essential in any sale: trust and attitude. In this book, Girard teaches readers how to harness the power of their own attitude to build trust. With this trust, you truly can sell anything.
Sell or Be Sold looks at everything in life as a sale. That means that, for every interaction you have, even with yourself, it’s essential to know the principles of selling. In this book, Cardone breaks down the techniques and methodologies needed to sell anything under any circumstances. Whether you’re facing rejection, dealing with a bad economy, or have a sales pipeline bursting with more opportunity than you know what to do with, this book helps you manage it.
Keith Rosen wrote the book on sales coaching…literally! Coaching Salespeople was built upon Rosen’s tried-and-true coaching methodology and proven L.E.A.D.S. Coaching Framework. Packed with case studies, a 30-Day Turnaround Strategy for underperformers, coaching templates, sales scripts, and coaching questions, this book coaches coaches through the creation of top sales performers.
You can learn all the top techniques and strategies of selling, but if you don’t understand the psychology of selling, none of these methods will accomplish what you want them to. Understanding the inner workings of our minds is at the heart of The Psychology of Selling, which teaches salespeople to learn to control their thoughts, feelings, and actions to better connect with people and address why people buy.
Who doesn’t want selling to be a snap? In SNAP Selling, internationally renowned sales strategist Jill Konrath shares the four steps to overcoming customer hesitation, speeding up sales, and closing more deals. Learn to keep it simple, become invaluable, align with customers, and raise priorities, the four key SNAP rules.
The MEDDIC (with just one C at first) dates back to 1996, but since then, it’s been expanded upon and has become the go-to sales methodology for top sales organizations. This book deconstructs MEDDICC into an easy-to-understand strategy. Through actionable insights into each letter, the book teaches readers how to revolutionize their sales execution.
Psychologically, we’re driven toward fight-or-flight responses when challenged, but in a career where challenges from buyers happen every day, those responses don’t serve us. In Emotional Intelligence for Sales Success, sales trainer Colleen Stanley breaks down why emotional intelligence is essential in sales and how you can build upon your emotional toolkit to better overcome difficult sales situations.
Many of the world’s wealthiest people can cite direct sales experience as the jumping-off point for their successful careers. Sales expert Marcus Chan uses Six-Figure Sales Secrets to share how they did it, offering a proven framework for the creation of a highly profitable company. Learn the habits of high-performance sellers and implement strategies that work, even if you have little experience.
The Science of Selling uses social psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral economics to teach sellers to align how they sell with the way that people’s brains naturally work. Hoffeld’s evidence-based approach uses science to derive ways to handle situations that sellers face every day. Unpack why objections happen, engage buyers’ emotions, guide buyers through the mental steps of selling, and see your sales climb.
Jeffrey Gitomer’s The Sales Bible was the definitive book on sales strategies in the ‘90s, and he’s back with a new edition that takes readers into the world of social selling. In this book, he guides readers through the 10.5 Commandments of Sales Success, shares the fundamental values of every great sales approach, and teaches how to build real, conversion-ready relationships. He also takes his lessons into the 21st century with tips on how to navigate sales on social media.
We couldn’t resist including another Brian Tracy book on this list, and once again, he’s proving that the psychology behind sales is key. With The Art of Closing the Sale, sellers learn to hone their confidence and self-esteem, as well as more than 50 practical techniques salespeople can use every day to boost their sales, including how to avoid five common errors that stop a deal in its tracks.
Selling with EASE follows four distinct steps to closing a deal: Earn the right, ask the appropriate questions, solve the problem, and execute the solution. Murray guides readers through the steps, breaking them down and teaching sellers how to implement the steps easily and effectively.
In The New Handshake, sellers are introduced to Sales 2.0, the new way of selling in a more digital world. Unpack the impact of the communication revolution on sales, learn how to incorporate social media into sales, and create a roadmap for social selling.
While these sales books include some of the best sales tactics and strategies of the top sellers in the world, they also show that everything is sales and everyone can benefit from reading these books. By sharing these books with your revenue teams, you’ll give them the support they need to better themselves, both through the improvement of their sales performance but also in their day-to-day lives.
Looking for additional seller support? Consensus is the world’s first Performance Experience Platform and aims to make selling simple in a world where most B2B buyers say that their last buying journey was way too complex. Through automated demos, product tours, and product simulations, buyers get the self-service tools they want, giving you a serious buyer enablement boost.
Check out Consensus’ sales solutions.