The 10 best sales books you need to read

For this reason, we were determined to find the best sales books on the market. We asked our LinkedIn network to recommend the sales book that had a big impact on their sales career and this was the result.

1. How to make friends
2. Hacking Sales
3. Pitch anything
4. Negotiate without compromise/Never Split the Differecen
5. To sell is human
6. Secrets of closing the sale
7. Challenger Sales: Challenging and successfully convincing customers
8. Predictable Revenue
9. The Sales Acceleration Formula
10. Sales management. Simplified

1. How to win friends - Dale Carnegie

What is it about?

This book has helped thousands of people be successful in interpersonal relationships for over 60 years. Dale Carnegie shows 12 ways to convince people to see things the way you want them to see them, 9 ways to change people without them taking anything bad from you, 6 ways to make people like you, and the 3 most important techniques for dealing with people.

Who is it best for?

This book is for anyone who wants to improve their interpersonal skills. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to work in sales.

Most important learnings:

• Get people to do (buy) something by creating an eager need. The person you want to sell something to must already have this desire, right from the start.
• Get people to like and buy from you by being genuinely interested in them. It's easier to sell to someone who likes you.
• Convince people of your way of thinking by dramatizing your ideas. Emotions convince people.

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2. Hacking Sales - Max Altschuler

What is it about?

Hacking Sales helps you change your sales process with the next generation of tools, tactics, and strategies. Author Max Altschuler shows how you can immediately start improving your sales and setting higher standards. You'll see the entire sales cycle from start to finish and get useful tips along the way.

Who is it best for?

Best for the start of your career.

Most important learnings:

• Identify your ideal customer and your entire addressable market
• Create extensive lead lists and choose the right audience for your campaigns.
• Learn effective hacks for messaging and social media outreach.
• Overcome customer objections before they arise.
  
  

3rd Pitch Anything - Oren Klaff

What is it about?

Pitch Anything is a new approach to pitching ideas. We believe that we make rational decisions after carefully analyzing the pros and cons. But most of the time, we follow our gut instincts. Using psychology, neurology and personal anecdotes, Klaff explains the strategies and procedures required to convincingly convince everyone of an idea. After reading this book, you'll be able to encourage your target audience to have that “gut feeling.”

Who is it best for?

This book is a must for everyone, but especially for the start of your sales career, as you need to get to the heart of your pitchings.

Most important learnings:

• You have to control the room with “frame control,” arouse emotions with “Intrigue Pings,” and get to a “hook point” pretty quickly.
• Frame Control: Create context and relevance for the situation.
• Intrigue pings: brief but provocative information that sparks curiosity
• Hook point: The point in the presentation where your listener becomes emotionally involved.
  

4. Negotiate without compromise/Never Split the Differecen

What is it about?

After 24 years of work at the FBI, during which he had to negotiate with kidnappers and terrorists, Chris Voss was able to perfect his negotiating skills. In this book, you'll find many of his experiences and all the lessons he's learned from them. He came to the conclusion that negotiations are successful when you use emotions and not just your mind. He also found that all findings can be applied anywhere and are the key to successful human relationships.

Who is it best for?

Regardless of your professional background, there's no doubt that you'll have to put your negotiating skills into practice at some point. This book is therefore a must for anyone who wants to improve their negotiation techniques.

Most important learnings:

• By mirroring your counterpart and using a good tone of voice, you can build trust. The other person will be more willing to talk because then they'll be more comfortable.
• List the feelings of your interlocutor to gain tactical empathy. If you understand how your counterpart feels and shows this, you can position yourself better during the negotiation process.
• Go slowly and don't compromise with the other side. Never share the difference, it's always a bad idea, because you could agree on a term that doesn't solve the actual problem.
  
  

5. To sell is human - Daniel H. Pink

What is it about?

After reading this book, you know what it means to sell in the 21st century. Selling has become a part of our lives, and it's really important that we master the art of selling. Daniel Pink shows you how to become a good salesperson without being the typical pushy door-to-door salesperson.

Who is the book best for?

For everyone, but especially for career starters.

Most important learnings:

• No matter what job you have, you're a salesperson. Regardless of what job you have, you have to convince people of ideas or do certain things, which basically also means selling.
• The concept of sales has changed radically thanks to the Internet. Today, customers are more informed than ever before, so selling is no longer about preserving information but more about a service that helps people make the best decision at a given time.
• Get used to saying “Yes, and...” instead of “No” or “Yes, but...” Try to agree with your customer's ideas and add them to improve and improvise how you can move the conversation forward.

6. Secret fo Closing the Sales - Zig Zaglar

What is it about?

The author, Zig Ziglar, shares his best sales techniques based on honesty, enthusiasm, and empathy. All the techniques mentioned have been tested and put into practice by the author, which has made them the golden keys of sales.

Who is it best for?

While this book is no longer the newest, it contains some of the most valuable advice when it comes to distribution. You should definitely read it, especially if you're in a middle management position.

Most important learnings:

• The “people first” attitude is crucial. Sales is about connecting with people, adding value, and serving sincerely.
• Persuaded vs. persuaded and why people say “no.” People buy what they want, not necessarily what they need.
• Closing is no more important than any other stage of the sales process. The small details will determine your success.
  
  

7. Challenger Sales - Challenging and successfully convincing customers - Brent Adamson and Mathew Dixon

What is it about?

This book is based on a comprehensive study of thousands of salespeople. The authors focus on bringing to light a new way of selling, the so-called “Challenger Sales” method, in which salespeople manage sales and encourage their customers to look at things from a different angle. Essentially, it defends the idea that salespeople are able to teach their customers something new about their own business.

Who will get the most out of it?

This book is a turning point, especially for managers who want to change the way their sales team works.

Most important learnings:

• Understanding the customer's world. You need to show why your product or service benefits your customer and how it will make their life easier.
• Commercial teaching. The sales representative shows the customer alternatives and informs and advises him about his company's problems.
• Tailored In order to make the sales process more effective, the sales representative must not only personalize the sales pitch, but also have a fixed value and refrain from excessive competition.
• Take control. Sales managers must identify potential barriers that stand in the way of new sales and develop a strategy to position an offer and share their best practices.
• Connection, conversation, community. Adhering to these three concepts during the sales process is critical to maximizing sales team performance.

8. Predictable Revenue - Aaron Ross and Marylou Tyler

What is it about?

Authors Aaron Ross and Marylou Tyler show here how you can have a big impact on generating predictable sales with an outbound sales team that is fully focused on acquisition. It is not about hiring more motivated sales people, but above all about generating leads. Salespeople must understand the importance of acquisition to revolutionize the sales process.

Who is the book best for?

The book is a must for entrepreneurs, salespeople (managers), and companies who want to build a sales engine and a culture that attracts people.

Most important learnings:

• You need a sales development team that bridges the gap between the marketing and sales teams.
• You should have an outbound prospecting team that generates leads from cold companies and qualifies them before forwarding them to the sales team.
• A clear ICP is a must. You must be able to describe them in detail and identify their problems.
• Without a predictable pipeline, you can't generate predictable revenue, and that requires evaluating and tracking how the pipeline is built.
• Focus on the process of making decisions and not on the decision maker.
  
  
  

9. The Sales Acceleration Formula - Mark Roberge

What is it about?

Mark Roberge, former CRO of Hubspot, has developed a formula to achieve massive revenue growth by focusing on creating a predictable and scalable path rather than focusing on innovation and competition.

Who will benefit the most?

This book is a must, especially for people who are in a senior role such as VP of Sales, as it shows them how to scale their business.

Most important learnings:

• The hiring formula for sales. You should hire the same successful talent every time.
• Sales training formula. Train every salesperson in the same way.
• Sales management formula. Make sure all sales people use the same process.
• Demand generation formula. Give salespeople the same type and number of leads each month.
• technology. Use technology to help customers make better purchases and sellers close deals faster.

10. Sales management. Simplified - Mike Weinberg

What is it about?

Mike Weinberg shares his extensive experience as a sales manager and consultant. These findings show that the most important factor in developing a successful sales organization is not the salespeople themselves, but the actual management of sales

Who will benefit the most?

sales manager.

Most important learnings:

• Managers should break the habits they've developed as salespeople. Senior management roles require a completely different mentality.
• Managers must understand the team's role and create the right environment for success.
• A healthy sales culture starts at the level of executives and management.
• Follow the 4 R's of talent management (the first is to put the right people in the right roles)
• Managers must set clear goals and ensure that their team has the means to achieve them.

We hope you enjoy some of these books! If you want to start your career in tech sales, we recommend that you here to apply — our program is 100% free and candidates usually find jobs in less than 30 days.

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