The Top 10 Best Sales Books On How To Sell

In this era of iPods, iPhones, and apps, sales communications may be growing, but sales conversations are dying–and so are too many sales. Globalization, the explosion in competition, the slow economy, and fast-emerging technologies all have changed buying habits. Salespeople can no longer rely on traditional sales methodologies. They must change the conversation.

Selling value to B2B buyers today can feel like trying to stop a freight train that’s hurtling towards the sales graveyard of commoditisation and discounting. Today, an empowered buyer has done the research, has a clear idea of his or her firm’s needs, and how much the firm is willing to pay. This type of buyer does not want a salesperson to talk about features and deliver a series of open-ended questions that deliver no value. What this buyer wants is insight.

In today’s sales world there’s no room for followers. But there’s plenty of room for leaders. Competition is intense, and if you don’t take a leadership role in producing results for your clients, someone else will. In Lead, Sell, or Get Out of the Way, Ron Karr outlines a repeatable process based on the powerful idea that great sellers lead relationships in the same way that great leaders sell ideas.

The Book That Sparked A Selling Revolution In 1985 one book changed sales and marketing forever. Rejecting manipulative tactics and emphasizing “process,” Strategic Selling presented the idea of selling as a joint venture and introduced the decade’s most influential concept, Win-Win.

What’s the secret to sales success? If you’re like most business leaders, you’d say it’s fundamentally about relationships and you’d be wrong. The best salespeople don’t just build relationships with customers. They challenge them.

To Sell Is Human offers a fresh look at the art and science of selling. As he did in Drive and A Whole New Mind, Daniel H. Pink draws on a rich trove of social science for his counterintuitive insights. He reveals the new ABCs of moving others (it’s no longer “Always Be Closing”), explains why extraverts don’t make the best salespeople, and shows how giving people an “off-ramp” for their actions can matter more than actually changing their minds.

In Sell or Be Sold, Grant Cardone breaks down the techniques and approaches necessary to master the art of selling in any avenue. You will learn how to handle rejection, turn around negative situations, shorten sales cycles, and guarantee yourself greatness. Watch our interview with Grant Cardone here

When it comes to understanding Outbound Sales, Predictable Revenue is your bible on building an outbound team that doesn’t revolve around cold calling. Written by Aaron Ross who built the outbound team at SalesForce.com

It wouldn’t be a complete list without including my own book “Social Selling: How to Prospect, Position and Present Using Social Media”. In this book I cover how to adapt your selling techniques to incorporate social media and modern technology.