You may be wondering why write a list of sales books at a time when we have instant access to what seems to be an endless amount of information in easy-to-consume formats like videos, podcasts, online courses and blogs.

While these mediums are great to learn from, most of the content that’s available all seem to stem from one original source – books.

Contained within just a few hundred pages can be a person’s life work, carefully laid out and organised for you to consume at your own leisure. Teachings from more than half a century ago are available for us today with principles that are still relevant as ever.

In a world of hyper-connectivity and high-speed internet, we’ve created this list for you to choose a book from and slow down while you tap into the knowledge of some great minds.

Our selection of the greatest books about sales

We believe there is more to sales than prospecting strategies and closing techniques. Sales is very much a human-to-human interaction which is why the following books will be about a whole range of topics that are directly applicable to sales.

Whether you are a business owner, a long time sales leader or a first-time sales rep, these sales books will cover sales methodologies, mindset, entrepreneurship, negotiation and much more that will benefit you in becoming the best salesperson you can be.

The following books about sales will be listed in alphabetical order to avoid any kind of bias. Enjoy!

Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler

“Tools for talking when stakes are high”.

This sales book specifically covers how you communicate what’s on your mind and achieve the results you want when the stakes are high.

Especially helpful when dealing with high seniority individuals on high-value deals, you will learn how to “prepare for high-stakes situations”, “be persuasive, not abrasive” and “turn crucial conversations into the action and results you want”.

Fanatical Prospecting by Jeb Blount

“The ultimate guide to opening sales conversations and filling the pipeline by leveraging social selling, telephone, email, text, and cold calling”.

As you can guess, this is a book about sales prospecting. Arguably the most important part of the sales process, this book gives you a step-by-step approach on how to prospect so you can keep your pipeline filled with qualified opportunities.

This book is filled with knowledge that will teach you techniques such as the 30-day rule for keeping your pipeline full, the 5 C’s of social selling, and the 4 step email prospecting framework. Once learnt, you can expect to start more conversations, set up more meetings, and close more sales.

Founding Sales by Peter Kazanjy

“The early stage go-to-market handbook”.

This sales book is targeted at first-time sales professionals or start-up founders who find themselves in a sales role within the B2B SaaS software industry.

Peter Kazanjy was a founder himself with a product marketing and product management background who needed to develop his sales skills. He eventually went on to be a sales leader and his book teaches how to accelerate the learning and success of how he did just that.

Go for No by Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz

“Yes is the destination, no is how you get there”.

This short book about sales follows the story of a fictional character, an average salesperson, who meets his more successful version of himself. The dialogue between the two characters shows what could be achieved by overcoming self-limiting beliefs and fear of failure.

Go for No is about seeking failure and how focusing on increasing your failure rate can greatly accelerate your movement toward ultimate success. You will learn lessons such as what it takes to outperform 92 percent of the world’s salespeople, why it’s important to celebrate success and failure, and that the most empowering word in the world is not yes…it’s NO!

How to Talk to Anyone by Leil Lowndes

“Never be at a loss for words again!”.

Ever wanted to learn how to be more skilful in the way you deal with people? This book will reveal the secrets and psychology behind successful communication.

Sales is so much about relating with people and if you can’t relate to your prospect you may not even get the chance to pitch them let alone attempt to close a sale. How to Talk to Anyone will teach you 92 simple and effective techniques to learn how to “be an insider in any crowd” and “use key words and phrases to guide the conversation”.

How to Talk to Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime by Larry King

“The secrets of good communication”.

If you feel uncomfortable or intimidated when talking to others, then this book will help you build confidence and improve your communication to talk to anyone, anytime and anywhere.

Larry King, known as the “king of talk”, guides readers through lessons such as “How to overcome shyness and put other people at ease”, “How to choose an appropriate conversation topic for any situation” and “What the most successful conversationalists have in common”.

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

“The only book you need to lead you to success”.

After more than 15 million copies have been sold, readers of this book have improved their life and have learnt how to win new clients and customers, become a better speaker, and persuade people to their way of thinking.

The book covers timeless teaching from “Fundamental Techniques in Handling People” to “Letters That Produced Miraculous Results”. These teachings are heavily applicable to sales and also your own personal life.

How to Get Rich by Felix Dennis

“The distilled wisdom of one of Britain’s wealthiest self-made entrepreneur”.

Felix Dennis is an entrepreneur who amassed huge wealth for himself and in this book he shares his story about how he did just that.

The book is written in a conversational style so expect some “unprofessional” language. Although this book is primarily about entrepreneurship and since working in sales is very similar to running a business, you will learn real-life lessons on business, mindset and sales such as what not to do, how to negotiate and some universal truths.

Influence by Robert Cialdini

“The psychology of persuasion”.

Dr. Cialdini has spent his entire career researching the science of influence and in this sales book, he explains the psychology behind why people say yes.

Influence is backed by Cialdini’s 35 years of evidence-based research to give you the 6 universal principles of becoming a skilled persuader which are Reciprocation, Commitment & Consistency, Social Proof, Liking, Authority and Scarcity. You will learn not only how to apply them yourself but also how to protect yourself from others who dishonestly use these principles against you.

Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss and Tahl Raz

“Negotiating as if your life depended on it”.

Never Split the Difference is stemmed from real-life experiences of the former FBI hostage negotiator Chris Voss. The principles learnt from his dealings with bank robbers, gang leaders and terrorists are revealed in this book to give you that competitive edge in sales.

Negotiating a deal in a high-stakes sale can often get people’s emotions running high and feel like an intense situation. In this book about sales negotiation, you will learn the 9 principles, tactics and strategies that will take your emotional intelligence and intuition to the next level to become more persuasive.

Pitch Anything by Oren Klaff

“An innovative method for presenting, persuading, and winning the deal”.

Pitch Anything is a sales book all about how to best position your ideas to get the results you want. The information in this book will cover the science of creating and presenting a great pitch and help you to stay in control of every stage of the pitch process.

The methodology this book teaches on pitching is described as STRONG: Setting the frame, Telling the Story, Revealing the Intrigue, Offering the Prize, Nailing the Hookpoint and Getting a Decision. Once learnt, you too can pitch anything to your audience to persuade and engage them in a meaningful way.

Predictable Revenue by Aaron Ross and Marylou Tyler

“Turn your business into a sales machine with the $100 million best practices of Salesforce.com”.

For those who are in outbound sales, Predictable Revenue gives you the process of how Salesforce.com added 9 figures in recurring revenue without any cold calls.

If you’re looking for a book that shows how you and your sales team can build a sales machine that generates as many highly qualified new leads as you want, you must check this out.

Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely

“The hidden forces that shape our decisions”.

Dan Ariely, a behavioural economist, shows the patterns in our behaviour that leads to how we make irrational decisions. By recognising these patterns, Predictably Irrational shows how you can make better decisions not just at work but in your everyday life.

From his research and everyday experiences, Ariely helps you understand how people often make irrational decisions such as overpaying for things and underestimating situations. Knowing that our behaviours are not random but systematic and predictable, it makes us predictably irrational.

Sales Acceleration Formula by Mark Roberge

“Using data, technology, and inbound selling to go from $0 to $100 million”.

Mark Roberge, an SVP at HubSpot, shows in this sales book his approach and action plan in how he led his team in acquiring their first 10,000 customers.

You will learn the formulas for successful sales hiring, sales training, sales management and demand generation. Mark challenges the conventional methods of sales and shows you how to apply data, technology, and inbound selling to every aspect of accelerating sales.

Secrets Of Closing The Sale by Zig Zigler

“For anyone who must get others to say yes!”.

Zig Ziglar’s book about sales closing techniques teaches you the strategies you need to become proficient in the art of effective persuasion, backed with stories and real-life examples, to help you to face your prospects with enthusiasm and confidence.

His secrets of closing the sales include over 100 successful closings for every kind of persuasion, over 700 questions that will open your eyes to new possibilities you may have overlooked, and professional tips from America’s 100 most successful salespeople.

Sell or Be Sold by Grant Cardone

“How to get your way in business and in life”.

Sell or Be Sold will introduce ways you can sell your product or idea to anyone. It teaches you the techniques and approaches to handle rejection, overcome call reluctance, fill your pipeline with new business, and more.

You will also be shown how to be persuasive and how to build trust with your prospects among other ideas to help you navigate the challenges of selling. The concepts you will learn in this sales book about selling will set you up for success and whether it be in your personal life or supporting your company.

SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham

“The most validated sales method available today”.

After studying more than 35,000 sales calls over 12 years, this sales book shows how Neil Rackham and his team found that the selling techniques for smaller sales won’t work for high-ticket sales.

The SPIN (Situation, Problem, Implication, Need-payoff) strategy is developed from their research and shows you the way to sell high-value products and services to produce record-breaking sales performance.

Start With Why by Simon Sinek

“How great leaders inspire everyone to take action”.

It’s easy for an organisation to explain “what” they do and even “how” they do it. But Simon Sinek describes how the most influential people and organisations started with “why” they do it.

This book talks about what it takes to inspire and lead people without having to be manipulative. Whether you’re leading an organisation, a team, or aspiring to become a leader, by starting with your “why”, you can inspire others to want to follow you.

The Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson

“How to take control of the customer conversation”.

After studying the performance of thousands of sales reps around the world, Challenger Sale is a book about sales profiles that describes how all sales reps fall into one of five profiles where the profile of the “Challenger” is the only one that consistently delivers high performance.

The sales book goes on to say that Challengers do not tell the prospects of all the features and benefits of the solution but tailor their message around the prospect’s specific needs and goals. It will help you see how to be more assertive and take control of the sale while not being defensive to their demands and objections.

The Science of Selling by David Hoffeld

“Proven strategies to make your pitch, influence decisions, and close the deal”.

Being skilled in sales is perceived by some to be something you are either born with or not. Hoffeld breaks this conception by applying research in social psychology, neuroscience, and behavioural economics to show you the science of selling.

Our brains naturally have a way to form buying decisions and this sales book uses an evidence-based approach to connect how people buy with how you should sell. You will learn proven methods such as how to ask questions that line up with how the brain discloses information and guide buyers through the necessary mental steps to make purchasing decisions.

The Secrets of Question-Based Selling by Thomas Freese

“How the most powerful tool in business can double your sales results”.

Sales is not so much about pitching to your prospect but asking the right questions. By asking the right questions at the right time you are able to uncover your prospect’s needs which allows you to present a solution for them.

This sales book will provide a step-by-step guide on the secrets of questions-based selling. From it, you will learn how to generate more sales calls, prevent and handle objections, establish greater credibility and more.

Way of the Wolf by Jordan Belfort

“Straight line selling: Master the art of persuasion, influence, and success”.

Being successful in sales is a lot about persuading others. If you want to persuade anyone to do anything and be a master salesperson, negotiator and closer, this sales book is for you.

Jordan Belfort, popularised by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie The Wolf of Wall Street, gives you his tested and proven step-by-step system on sales and persuasion so you can become a master closer.

New readers

For those that are unfamiliar with hubsell, we provide an end-to-end B2B prospecting solution with on-demand generated B2B data and multi-channel personalised outreach automation software to generate sales qualified leads.

Book your discovery call today to see how you can scale your opportunity generation.

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