My Top 5 Recommended Books on Selling

Photo by Shiromani Kant

Mark Twain once said, “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read.”

Here are short links for you to find on Amazon:

  1. Objections: The Ultimate Guide for Mastering the Art and Science of Getting Past No Jeb Blount does an excellent job of outlining the mental process of addressing objections rather than rejection. This is my favorite book on closing and isn’t your typical anectdotal approach to objections that you find in sales.
  2. Triggers: Creating Behavior That Lasts-Becoming the Person You Want to Be While this isn’t technically a “sales” book, being truly effective in sales is about engaging in the right behaviors consistently. While there are many books that will tell you exactly what sales behaviors to do- none of them get to the psychology of root behaviors. Goldsmith does an excellent job of understanding the psychology behind the behaviors we choose to engage in (sales or not).
  3. Escaping the Price Driven Sale: How World Class Sellers Create Extraordinary Profit Anyone who knows me knows that I am a BIG fan of SPIN Selling. When your value is determined by your ability to be consultative, there is simply no better sales methodology than SPIN, in my opinion. Escaping the Price Driven Sale is a great companion to SPIN Selling and further deepens the understanding of the SPIN methodology.
  4. Emotional Intelligence for Sales Success: Connect with Customers and Get Results Talk to anyone who works in sales and they will undoubtedly tell you that it’s an emotional rollercoaster of a profession. Enter; Emotional Intelligence. If you don’t have it- your success, if any, will be shortlived. If you don’t have it, and you find success, you’ll never become a great leader- you’ll be pigeon holed. Just get it and be grateful that you made the investment in yourself.
  5. The Sales Bible: The Ultimate Sales Resource I simply enjoy Jeffrey’s approach to all things sales. It’s short and to the point. He over delivers on what he promises and his approaches simply work. The amount of complimentary resources he provides on his website through this book is worth 10x’s what he charges for the book. You’ll be referencing this for years to come and should be a staple on your shelf.

As with any list it’s hard to narrow down to just five, and some would be debatable depending on the stage of your sales career. I consider these to be foundational to the profession of sales. I could create lists upon lists should we get into the various facets of sales; presenting, speaking, communicating, building value, prospecting, asking for referrals, so on, and so on. Hey- there’s my next few lists ideas 🙂

What books are staples on your “sales” shelf?

On Goodreads? Let’s connect there!

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