There are hundreds of thousands of sales books, but only a few have stood the test of time. If you plan to become a serious salesperson, we highly recommend you check out some of the classic sales books to improve your sales skill set. Let’s take a look at the top 10 sales books and how they can help you improve your skill set.
You are reading: Books about sales and marketing
1. how to win friends and influence people – dale carnegie
This is perhaps one of the most popular books in sales and business of all time. Over 75 years of print and over 15 million copies sold worldwide it’s no question that this book has had major influence in the world of selling and business.
how to win friends and influence people breaks down the methods and strategies for you to persuade and win people’s attention with fundamental techniques for making people like you.
who is this book for?
This book is for entrepreneurs, salespeople, and anyone in the business world who is interested in improving their interpersonal and communication skills. it is essentially written for people from all walks of life who have an interest in improving themselves and their ability to relate to others.
why read this book?
This book is a long time classic and there is no one in the business world who hasn’t heard or read about it. it is timeless and can serve as a great source of inspiration that you can always come back to for lessons and methods that can help you succeed.
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2. the little red book of sale – jeffrey gitomer
The Little Red Book of Selling is an awesome book on sales because it focuses on the other end of sales, why people buy. Gitomer believes that most sales-people focus too much on fancy selling techniques and high pressure tactics instead of asking why people buy in the first place.
The goal of this book for sellers solves a very important question for sellers that leads them into the mind of the buyer and their purchase decision.
This book is full of principles and reasons people are looking for to help them make sales now and in the future.
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who is this book for?
This book is recommended for all levels of sellers who want to improve their skills and get a head start in thinking through the buyer decision-making process to help them make an informed buying decision.
why read this book?
Most salespeople are all about action and sales. the great part of this book is that it is full of that and much more. It’s short and to the point with direct answers to handling objections, quotes, engaging cartoons, and much more. It will help you understand shopper psychology and the most common reasons people buy.
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3. throw anything – oren klaff
Pitch Anything is a great book to read when it comes to developing a strong delivery method to your sales pitches regardless of what you are selling. It focuses on teaching you the best delivery strategies to make your pitch irresistible.
In his book, Oren Klaff explains the process the human brain goes through when making purchase decisions and how it responds to pitches. he believes that creating and presenting a great sales pitch is not a god-given talent, there is a structured process that anyone can follow.
With the information in this book, you’ll be better equipped with the knowledge you need to create and deliver a compelling sales pitch.
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who is this book for?
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This book is for salespeople and leaders who want to take their persuasion and presentation skills to the next level. it’s meant to give you a structured approach to presenting and persuading people in a strong, non-invasive way.
why read this book?
pitch anything gives you the strong pitch framework method that can be put to use immediately after you learn it. it is extremely effective and can be learned quickly if you apply all the techniques. the strong framework includes:
set the frameworktell the storyrreveal the intrigueofferthe prizenhook the hookgetmake a decision
4. secrets to close the sale – zig ziglar
In Secrets of Closing The Sale, Zig Ziglar outlines the methods behind getting positive responses from people and how it can help you close. The book features over 100 successful closings types for any kind of persuasion, over 700 questions that will shed light on possibilities you may have overlooked and so much more.
also explains how to use your imagination to generate results and provides professional advice from some of the best salespeople in the world.
who is this book for?
This book is for any salesperson who wants to improve their closing style and explore new ways to close the toughest deals.
why read this book?
Closing a sale is no easy task, but the techniques and principles outlined in Ziglar’s book provide clarity and simplicity to help you improve your closing skills. their strategies will help you approach your prospects with confidence and improve your chances of closing a deal.
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5. the best salesman in the world – og mandino
The Greatest Salesman in the world is a book that is meant to serve as a philosophical guide to craft of salesmanship and revolves around the story of Hafid. Hafid, although just a poor camel boy goes on to achieve a life full of abundance.
The main points of the book are detailed in ancient scrolls that contain many lessons on how to develop your craft as a salesman.
who is this book for?
This book is intended for all levels of salespeople who wish to take a philosophical approach to sales to help improve their trades in their own light.
why read this book?
Reading this book will help you to see the journey of a struggling boy who, through perseverance and effort, managed to get out of poverty and live a life full of abundance. He stresses the importance of roadblocks and how they help take your sales success to the next level. not just in sales, but overcoming obstacles in all walks of life is important because they help shape an individual’s character.
6. the psychology of selling: tracy brain
The main premise of the Psychology of Selling focuses on giving you a series of different ideas and strategies that you can immediately use in order to quickly get more sales inside your business or practice.
starts by explaining the whole sales game and how you can consistently set and achieve sales goals. it goes on to lots of different things like why people buy in the first place, creative selling strategies, how to get more appointments, power of suggestion, and how to make the sale right.
who is this book for?
This book is for all levels of salespeople who want to improve their sales techniques and also find other techniques they haven’t considered before. focuses on psychological factors and the kinds of processes that go on inside someone’s head before making a purchase decision.
why read this book?
If you don’t have a proper structured guide to your sales process, this book can help serve as a blueprint for your process. It gives you time-tested fundamental sales strategies that you can follow step by step to improve your sales process. it can also help give you different ideas on how to approach your potential customers and optimize your sales technique to close more sales.
7. the ultimate sales machine: chat holmes
inside the ultimate sales machine, chet holmes begins the book with a very simple yet powerful concept: the power of focus! Instead of trying different strategies and techniques recommended by other sales gurus, Holmes argues that instead of trying different sales strategies, he should pick one and focus on perfecting it before moving on to others.
He strongly believes that a focused approach can help you improve every part of your business and spend only a limited amount of time per week on each of the areas you want to improve.
who is this book for?
This book is intended for business owners or aspiring business owners who want to take their business to the next level by focusing on improving key components within their business one at a time.
why read this book?
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Reading this book will not only help you improve processes within your company, it will also help you find a balanced approach to your everyday life. don’t spend hours a week concentrating on tasks that don’t give you positive results, focus on the things you know you can improve on and take them to the next level.
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8. spin sale – neil rackham
Spin Selling is a great book for anyone who is involved in the sales or management process inside a business. The book takes a different approach to sales and argues that the most successful sales occurs with the least amount of sales techniques involved.
In his research, Neil found that traditional sales methods that were developed for small-scale consumers simply don’t work within large organizations. From his research, he developed this revolving method of selling:
- situation
- problem
- implication
- need payment
Although most people opposed his method, it was hard to refute his real-world data that clearly supported his system.
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who is this book for?
spin selling is for anyone in the world of sales transitioning from a small-scale sales organization to a larger one. As Neil argues, not all sales are built equal. therefore, it is important to adjust your sales approach as you transition to different types of sales roles.
why read this book?
Reading this book will help you discover different ways to sell that you may not have considered if you are in a transition period in your sales career. can help you refine your sales process and understand what can separate you from just a good salesperson to a great one.
9. the way of the wolf: selling straight – jordan belfort
As one of the most popular modern day salespeople Jordan Belfort or also commonly known as the Wolf of Wall Street, has pioneered the straight line persuasion method. Weather you love him or hate him, there is no denying that he has a natural born ability to sell.
in his book, jordan opens people up to his way of selling through a step-by-step system that any aspiring entrepreneur and salesperson can learn. Jordan reveals his tactics on how to persuade anyone to do anything, regardless of their background.
who is this book for?
Any level of entrepreneur who is open and eager to learn sales techniques and practices that can transform their confidence and ability to connect with others. this book can help you learn the skills necessary to systematically improve your sales ability.
why read this book?
the main premise behind jordan belfort’s straight line persuasion system is that the quickest route to get from point a to point b in sales is through a straight line. Although every sale may look different to you depending on what you’re selling, the market, the customer, and the sales process are pretty much the same.
straight line persuasion gives you the ability to close prospects who are truly closeable and looking for something you offer.
10. selling is human – daniel h. pink
In this book Daniel H. Pink explores the power, reality and impact of selling in our everyday lives. He makes the startling discovery that one out every nine Americans works in some sort of sales related occupation.
Throughout his novel, he convinces why that number is actually much higher. The book offers a new perspective on the science of selling and gives insight into the changes emerging from old school ABC selling methods.
also provides an insightful explanation of why extroverts really aren’t the best salespeople and how giving people options for stocks is more persuasive than trying to close them.
who is this book for?
This book is for salespeople who want a fresh take on their sales methodology and some amazing facts about the world of sales.
why read this book?
If you’re not convinced that most people in the world have a shape or form in a sales-related position, the data within the book is enough to do so. if they are not selling us something, we are most likely selling ourselves, convincing ourselves of what is true. The research within this book is practical, engaging, and extremely informative.
conclusion
To grow as an individual salesperson, it is important that you are constantly learning new strategies, techniques and methodologies that can improve your sales technique. All of these books offer a unique approach to selling that can take your skills to the next level.
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