Besides being a great source of motivation and self-improvement, sales books also provide us with a much-needed opportunity to rest, reflect, and take a deep breath in the midst of our hectic schedules. For that reason, we were determined to find the top sales books out there. We asked our LinkedIn network to recommend the sales book that has had a big impact on their sales career and this was the outcome.
- How to win friends and influence people
- Hacking Sales
- Pitch anything
- Never Split the difference
- To sell is human
- Secrets of Closing the Sales
- Challenger Sales
- Predictable Revenue
- The Sales Acceleration Formula
- Sales Management. Simplified
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How to win friends and influence people - Dale Carnegie
What is it about?
This book has been helping thousands of people to achieve success in interpersonal relationships for over 60 years. Dale Carnegie teaches 12 ways to persuade people to see things your way, 9 ways to change people without making them resent you, 6 ways to make people like you, and the 3 main techniques in handling people.
Who will make the most out of it?
This book is written for anyone who is looking to improve their interpersonal skills. It is a must-read for those who want to work in sales.
Key learnings:
- Get people to take action (buy) by arousing an eager want. The person you’re trying to sell to must already have that desire, to begin with.
- Make people like you and buy from you by being genuinely interested in them. It’s easier to sell to someone who likes you.
- Win people over to your way of thinking by dramatizing your ideas. Emotions win people over.
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Hacking Sales - Max Altschuler
What is it about?
Hacking Sales helps you transform your sales process using the next generation of tools, tactics, and strategies. Author Max Altschuler outlines the tweaks you can start applying right away to improve your sales and set higher standards. You'll experience the complete sales cycle from beginning to end, while picking up useful tips along the way.
Who will make the most out of it?
Best for the start of your career.
Key learnings:
- Identify your ideal customer and your total addressable market.
- Build massive lead lists and properly target your campaigns.
- Learn effective hacks for messaging and social media outreach.
- Overcome customer objections before they happen.
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Pitch anything - Oren Klaff
What is it about?
Pitch anything is a fresh approach to pitching ideas. We believe that we make rational decisions after carefully analysing the pros and drawbacks. But most of the time, we follow our gut. Klaff explains the strategies and procedures required to persuasively pitch anything to anyone using psychology, neurology, and personal anecdotes. After reading this book, you will be able to pitch by encouraging your target to have this “gut feeling”.
Who will make the most out of it?
This is a must-read for anyone, but especially at the beginning of your sales career, as you will have to nail your pitches.
Key learnings:
- You have to own the room with “frame control”, drive emotions with “intrigue pings”, and get to a “hook point” fairly quickly.
- Frame: creating context and relevance around the situation.
- Intrigue pings: short but provocative pieces of information that arouse curiosity
- Hook point: the place in the presentation where your listener becomes emotionally engaged.
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Never Split the difference - Christopher Voss and Tahl Raz
What is it about?
After 24 years of working at the FBI and having to negotiate with kidnappers and terrorists, Chris Voss was able to perfect his negotiating skills. In this book, you will find many of his experiences and all the lessons he learned from them. He came to the conclusion that negotiations are successful when putting in emotion and not just reason. Furthermore, he noticed that all the lessons learned could be applied everywhere and that it was the key to profitable human relationships.
Who will make the most out of it?
Regardless of your professional background, there is no doubt that at some point you will have to put your negotiating skills into practice. So this is a must-read for everyone who is interested in nailing their negotiation techniques.
Key learnings:
- Mirroring the other person and using a good tone of voice will help you build trust. The other person will be more likely willing to talk because they will feel more comfortable.
- State the other party’s feelings to gain tactical empathy. By understanding how they feel, and showing it, you will be able to position yourself better during the negotiation process.
- Slow down and don’t compromise with the other side. Never split the difference, it is always a bad idea because you might be agreeing on a term that might not be solving the real problem.
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To sell is human - Daniel H. Pink
What is it about?
After reading this book you truly know what it means to sell in the 21 century. Selling has become a part of all our lives, and it's really important that we master the art of selling. Daniel Pink will teach you how to become a good salesperson without becoming the typical pushy door-to-door salesman.
Who will make the most out of it?
For everyone but especially for early career starters.
Key learnings:
- No matter what your job is, you’re a salesperson. Regardless of the job you have, you will have to convince people of ideas or to do certain things, which is basically selling too.
- The concept of sales has changed radically, thanks to the internet. Now the consumer is more informed than ever, making sales not about guarding information but rather a service that helps people make the best decision at a specific 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 further move the conversation along.
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Secrets of Closing the Sales - Zig Ziglar
What is it about?
The Author, Zig Ziglar, shares his best-selling techniques that are based on honesty, enthusiasm, and empathy. All of the techniques mentioned have been tested by the author and put into practice, which has made them into the golden keys to sales.
Who will make the most out of it?
“Old but gold”, this book might not be one of the newest sales books, but it contains some of the most valuable advice when it comes to sales. You should definitely read it, especially if you have a middle manager position.
Key learnings:
- “People first” mindset is crucial. Sales is about connection to people, adding value and serving sincerely.
- Convinced vs. Persuaded and why people say “no”. People will buy what they want, not necessarily what they need.
- The close is not more important than any other stage of the sales process. The little details will determine your success.
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Challenger Sales - Brent Adamson and Mathew Dixon
What is it about?
This book is based on a huge in-depth study of thousands of sales reps. The authors focus on bringing light to a new manner of selling called the “challenger sales” method, where salespeople control the sales and encourage their customers to see things from a different angle. It basically defends the idea that sales reps are able to teach their customers something new about their own company.
Who will make the most out of it?
This book is a game-changer, especially for managers that want to shift the working approach of their sales team.
Key learnings:
- Understanding the customer’s world. You must demonstrate why your product or service will benefit your buyer and to what extent it will ease their life.
- Commercial teaching. The rep guides the customer through alternatives and educates and consults them on their company problems.
- Tailoring. In order for the sales process to become more effective, the sales rep must not only personalize the pitch, but also hold firm value and refrain from excessive competition.
- Taking control. Sales managers must identify possible obstacles preventing a new sale and build a strategy to position an offer and share their best practices.
- Connection, Conversation, Community. Nailing these three concepts during the sales process is essential for maximizing the performance of your sales force.
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Predictable Revenue - Aaron Ross and Marylou Tyler
What is it about?
Authors, Aaron Ross and Marylou Tyler will show you how you can have a big impact on generating predictable revenues when you have an outbound sales team that concentrates completely on prospecting. It is not about having to employ more motivated salespeople but the important thing is to generate leads. Salespeople need to understand the importance of prospecting to be able to revolutionize the sales process.
Who will make the most out of it?
It is a must-read for entrepreneurs, salespeople (managers), and businesses who wish to build a sales machine and a culture that people get drawn towards.
Key learnings:
- You need a sales development team that creates a bridge between the marketing and sales team.
- You should have an outbound prospecting team that generates leads from cold companies and qualifies them before sending them to the sales team.
- Having a clear ICP is a must. You must be able to describe them in detail and identify their problems.
- You cannot create predictable revenue when you don’t have a predictable pipeline, and it requires measuring and tracking the creation of the pipeline.
- Obsess over the process of decision-making and not the decision-maker.
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The Sales Acceleration Formula - Mark Roberge
What is it about?
Mark Roberge, former CRO of Hubspot, created a formula to generate massive revenue growth by focusing on developing a predictable and scalable path instead of setting the focus on innovation and competition.
Who will make the most out of it?
This is a must-read book, especially for people that have senior roles like VP of sales as it teaches you how to scale your organization.
Key learnings:
- Sales hiring formula. You should hire the same successful talent every time.
- Sales training formula. Train every salesperson in the same manner.
- Sales management formula. Make sure that all salespeople use the same process.
- Demand generation formula. Give salespeople the same kind and number of leads, every month.
- Technology. Use technology to help clients make better purchases and salespeople close deals more quickly.
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Sales Management. Simplified - Mike Weinberg
What is it about?
Mike Weinberg shares his extensive experience as a sales manager and consultant. These insights reveal that, rather than the salespeople themselves, is the most important factor in developing a successful sales organization is the actual management of sales
Who will make the most out of it?
Sales leaders.
Key learnings:
- Managers should break the habits they developed as salespeople. Senior management roles require very different mindsets.
- Managers need to understand team roles and create the right environment for success.
- A healthy sales culture starts at the executive and managerial levels.
- Follow the 4 R’s of talent management (The first is to put the right people in the right roles)
- Managers must provide clear goals and make sure their team has the tools to reach them.
We hope you will enjoy some of these books! If you are considering launching your career in tech sales, we encourage you to apply here - our program is 100% free and candidates usually find a job in under 30 days.
