1. The Ultimate Sales Machine – Chet Holmes
The ultimate selling machine
What is this sales book about?
Sherlock Holmes provides proven strategies in his book on Management, Marketing and Sales on how to adapt and elevate almost every aspect of your business by spending just an hour a week in each area of impact you want to improve
He debunks the classic mistake of impulsive salespeople following new trends, and instead suggests focusing on a selective twelve specific key areas of improvement as guiding principles.
Who is this for?
Sales managers and salespeople who want to be successful — basically, everyone has a tendency to sell
Why are you reading it?
It’s been billed as a compact package of the most effective life-changing principles that’s fun and easy to read — and I’m sold.
What do people say?
“Reread the book every 30 days for a year, maybe two years, and if you’re not at the top of the game, it’s time to look for a new game.”
— Dustan Woodhouse from Good Reads
2. SPIN Sales – Neil Rackham
What is this sales book about?
This seminal resource by Rackham is the first book dedicated to selling high-value products and services.
SPIN Selling details the revolutionary SPIN (Situation, Question, Suggestion, and Needed Return) strategy that will enable readers to significantly increase sales channels from key clients by following its simple, practical, and easy-to-apply techniques.
Who is this for?
SPIN Selling is essential reading for anyone involved in sales or managing a sales force.
Why are you reading it?
Containing real-world examples, inspiring graphics, and informative case studies, and backed by solid research data, SPIN Selling is the best sales book for understanding and generating record high-end sales. If I were you, I wouldn’t risk missing this.
What do people say?
“SPIN selling, like other successful things in life, is counterintuitive. Takes you on a journey from what’s obvious and wrong to what’s right beneath the surface. Writing in a clear, straight-forward style keeps you on the journey Stay focused and become the successful seller you want to be.”
— Rafael Funs, via Amazon Review
3. The Secret of Closing – Zig Ziegler
What is this sales book about?
Ziegler’s book will give you the winning techniques for getting a positive response and closing a deal.
Filled with fun stories and real-life illustrations, Ziegler’s strategies and guides will show you how to master the art of effective persuasion.
Who is this for?
Whether it’s demonstrating products or principles, services or ideas, we’re in the business of selling. This book is for the typical salesman – let Ziegler illuminate your path to a successful sale.
Why are you reading it?
Ziegler’s success principles are easy to understand and apply. And they have far-reaching consequences. His proven method will guide you to face your prospects with enthusiasm and confidence.
What do people say?
“I researched as many Ziegler tapes and books as I could to develop my abilities. Within a few years, I broke every sales record imaginable.”
— Linda Burzynski, International Computer Mom
4. How to Win Friends and Influence Others – Dale Carnegie
How to Win Friends and Influence Others
What is this sales book about?
For more than 60 years, the time-tested, rock-solid advice in this book by Dale Carnegie has lifted thousands of celebrities up the ladder of success.
Learn Twelve Ways to Use Your Mindset to Win Others, Nine Ways to Change Others Without Resentment, Six Ways to Make People Like You, and Three Essential Tips for Dealing with People from Carnegie’s famous sales handbook .
Who is this for?
This is a self-help book for learning to relate to people – which means it’s basically written for anyone and everyone. For people and non-humans, here are the best sales books to build your interpersonal skills.
Why are you reading it?
Because “no book is more important than this one”. A classic through and through, because Carnegie teaches timeless truths in a timeless way. Whether you’re a salesman or not, you’re bound to be inspired by Carnegie’s teachings.
What do people say?
“Should have read it sooner.”
— Timbo, via Amazon Review
5. The greatest salesman in the world – Og Mandingo
What is this sales book about?
Mandingo’s book is essentially a guide to the philosophy of selling and success through the chronicle of Hasid, a poor camel boy who ended up living a prosperous life.
The main attraction of this book is the secrets embedded in the ancient scrolls, which will give you never-ending salesmanship. If you follow Mandingo’s suggested reading structure, it will take about 10 months to complete the book for the best reading experience.
Who is this for?
Aspiring salesman.
Why are you reading it?
It’s been billed as a compact package of the most effective life-changing principles that’s fun and easy to read — and I’m sold.
What do people say?
“I read this book 25 years ago on a business trip in Chicago. It wasn’t drink service, turbulence or thunderstorms that couldn’t keep me looking up. I think I read it in a day. At the end of the flight, the flight attendant asked about it.” It must have been A very good book,” she said. It is.”
—Anonymous, from Amazon Reviews
6. Selling Xiaohongshu – Jeffrey Gitomer
Selling Xiaohongshu
What is this sales book about?
If salespeople worry about how to sell, Gomer thinks they’re missing a more important aspect of selling: why people buy. That’s “the most important thing,” he said.
Selling Xiaohongshu is a fun book designed to demystify buying principles for salespeople.
Short and straight to the point, it contains the answers people are looking for to help them sell this moment and for the rest of their lives.
Who is this for?
Highly recommended for individuals or teams in the sales industry.
Why are you reading it?
Salespeople hate to read, which is why The Little Red Book of Sale is engaging and accessible, with funny comics, quotes, and soundtracks for takeaways. It tackles sales problems with a lively combination of humor and professionalism to help salespeople get through more doors.
What do people say?
“This isn’t just a Red Book; it’s the Red Bull of high-energy selling tips and advice.”
–David Dorsey, The Wall Street Journal
7. Sell to big companies — Jill Konrad
sell to big companies
What is this sales book about?
Get your foot in the door of big companies with Konrad’s proven strategies for reaching big accounts, shortening sales cycles, and closing more business.
No more endless cold calls or waiting for the phone to ring. Now is the time to start positioning yourself as a valuable resource, not a relentless product enabler. Selling to big companies will teach you how to target your most likely customers.
Who is this for?
The best sales books for senior sales executives and pre-sales consultants.
Why are you reading it?
Selling to Big Companies provides a practical step-by-step guide and template with examples based on hardships, insight, and perseverance—real-life guides.
What do people say?
“That’s the best advice I’ve ever heard.”
— Jack Covert, 800-CEO-READ
8. Solutions Sales – Michael T. Bosworth
solution sales
What is this sales book about?
Bosworth’s book reveals a process that takes the guesswork out of hard-to-sell intangible products and services.
It enables sellers to make the way they sell to an advantage as big as their product or service.
Who is this for?
Salespeople and sales managers alike. Solution Selling is a handbook for sales strategy that shows you straight-forward how to familiarize yourself with your consumer market.
Why are you reading it?
Understand buyer psychology with Bosworth’s Bible. It brings a revolutionary step-by-step system that ensures a higher success rate for salespeople and a higher likelihood of meeting buyer expectations.
What do people say?
“Loved this book so much, I incorporated this sales method into our organization and asked all new salespeople to read it.”
—Robert, from Good Reads
9. New Strategic Sales – Robert B. Miller & Stephen E. Heiman
new strategic sales
What is this sales book about?
Heiman and Miller’s rejection of manipulative tactics and emphasis on process pushed the idea of selling as a joint venture and introduced one of the most influential concepts of the decade, win-win.
Their book describes the assets and mechanics of a unique sales system that even the best companies in America have proven successful.
Who is this for?
This book provides valuable advice especially for business development executives.
Why are you reading it?
If you are a salesman interested in taking your sales team to the next level, then Strategic Selling is the program of choice for you. It provides detailed step-by-step instructions for account management, opportunity assessment and trust building.
What do people say?
“This book changed my life 30 years ago. I’ve given it away dozens of times because it’s a simple, timeless, repeatable process for all salespeople of any age, at any time. Organize, downsize and Flourish.”
— Robin Olin, via Amazon Review
10. How To Say It – Jeffrey James
How to say
What is this sales book about?
Selling to other businesses is hardly the same as selling to consumers. That’s why business-to-business sales reps need a completely different set of skills.
Learn to market your business like a seasoned professional. James’ book will give you important tips for accelerating your sales cycle and building sales partnerships.
Who is this for?
How to Say It is aimed specifically at business-to-business salespeople. Its short chapters provide tips and strategies specifically tailored to unique business-to-business sales processes.
Why are you reading it?
James demystifies the sales process with a clear understanding of information with practical material that can be applied to all areas of business. This is the best sales book for honest, valuable advice for sales prospects at all levels.
What do people say?
“Sales people learn differently than the rest of us. They don’t want fluff, crap, or another book that describes how some author works when they sell fax machines to Woolworth’s. What sales people really want is straight talk Talk about tools, tactics, and tactics to help them do one, and only one very important thing: win business.
The good news: Geoffrey James, the best writer in B2B selling, has collected engaging, relevant, and fully field-tested content from experts in 15 key B2B selling fields, in powerful, organized, and Delicious way to consume. If you work in sales or sales management, you will love this book. ”
— Dave Stein, Beyond the Sales Process, from Amazon Reviews
11. Never Close – Tim Husson and Tim Dunn
never close
What is this sales book about?
Selling better is not just a one-time thing. This is one way to become a more valuable long-term partner. In their sales book, Hurson & Dunne lay out 12 clear tips that can benefit both sellers and customers.
Never Be Closing teaches salespeople how to improve their strategies and sell anything to anyone using a simple, repeatable framework and problem solving that’s better for both the seller and the customer.
Who is this for?
While the practical content of this book is for salespeople (sales managers, leaders, coaches), it’s really about the ways we can strengthen any relationship in an attempt to convince someone of something.
Why are you reading it?
This book introduces some groundbreaking tactical tools that can be added to one’s steady never-fail coaching approach or sales strategy. It provides illuminating insight and a practical approach to conveying one’s point of view in a variety of situations involving negotiation or persuasion. The ideas in this book can be implemented immediately, with immediate results.
What do people say?
“If you really want to be successful, this is a must read.”
— Jill Konrad, Agile Sales and SNAP Sales
12. Challenger Deals – Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson
challenger sales
What is this sales book about?
Challenger Selling argues that the classic relationship-building approach has become a failure, especially when it comes to selling complex, large-scale business-to-business solutions.
Dixon’s research found that there is only one type of rep—the challenger—that delivers consistently high performance. Rather than acquiescing to every whim and fantasy of customers, the challenger is confident, fighting back when necessary, and taking control of sales.
The qualities that set the Challenger apart are replicable and teachable to the average sales rep, he added. Once you understand how to identify challengers in your organization, their approach can be modeled and embedded within your sales team.
Who is this for?
The Challenger promotion is highly recommended for sales executives, managers, and especially professionals.
Why are you reading it?
This sales book is highly touted and yields new insights based on extensive research by the Sales Executive Committee on the attributes of successful sales professionals, which is at the heart of this book. All information provided by The Challenger Sale has been informed.
What do people say?
“This is a must-read for every sales professional. The author’s groundbreaking research explains how the rules of sales are changing – and how to respond. If you don’t want to be left behind, don’t miss this innovative book that provides The new formula for sales success.”
— Ken Revenaugh, Vice President, Temporary Home Sales, Oakwood
13. The Magic of Thinking Big – David J. Schwartz
The magic of big thinking
What is this sales book about?
In his book, Schwartz proposes a carefully crafted game plan to get the most out of your work, marriage, family life, and community.
The magic of big thinking proves that you don’t need innate talent or great intelligence to achieve great success and fulfillment.
Foot feel. However, what you need to do is learn and understand the habit of thinking and behaving in a way that will allow you to achieve your goals.
Who is this for?
The Magic of Big Thinking is the best self-help book for anyone looking to develop the right attitude and lifestyle. It basically means everyone because…who doesn’t?
Why are you reading it?
Succeed, don’t fail: Trusting your mantra is the central premise of this book. Schwartz’s rock-solid philosophy is filled with indispensable concepts and vital secrets that force you to think beyond the mundane status quo and strive for excellence. To quote Schwartz, “Think big and you’ll live big. You’ll live happily.”
What do people say?
“This book has changed the way I see the world and will continue to be a powerful reminder of the great things that can be accomplished with the right attitude.”
— David Osage from Good Reads
