10 Book Recommendations for Sales Professionals
Sales is the backbone of all successful businesses. Regardless of whether you’re an entrepreneur, aspiring business owner, or simply a hard working professional in a business development role, you should always prioritize your quest for knowledge on the subject of sales.
I’ve noticed a consistent trend among successful business executives with whom I’ve had an opportunity to teach our speed reading skill-set, and they all do a significant amount of reading.
Tony Robbins once said, “When you succeed you party. When you fail you ponder. Greatness comes from pondering.” If you want to find more success in sales, you need to read these 10 essential books – then ponder. The idea is to acquire knowledge first and then move on to strategy and execution.
Each of the sales training books below provides new clues, tactics and strategies, that other people used to build successful businesses. You’ll learn time-tested concepts and techniques, and how to apply them in your own business.
Make sure to add some sales-related books you’ve read in the comments section below, and don’t forget to share this article with like-minded individuals.
The Sales Bible, New Edition: The Ultimate Sales Resource by Jeffrey Gitomer
Notable Quote:
“When you ask a closing question, SHUT UP. The first rule of sales.”
“When you ask a closing question, SHUT UP. The first rule of sales.”
Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles fo sales greatness: How to make sales FOREVER by Jeffrey Gitomer
Notable Quote:
“Attitude allows you to see the possibilities when opportunity strikes — because it often shows up in the form of adversity. How well do you spot opportunity?”
“Attitude allows you to see the possibilities when opportunity strikes — because it often shows up in the form of adversity. How well do you spot opportunity?”
How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Notable Quote:
“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”
“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini
Notable Quote:
“The truly gifted negotiator, then, is one whose initial position is exaggerated enough to allow for a series of concessions that will yield a desirable final offer from the opponent, yet is not so outlandish as to be seen as illegitimate from the start.”
“The truly gifted negotiator, then, is one whose initial position is exaggerated enough to allow for a series of concessions that will yield a desirable final offer from the opponent, yet is not so outlandish as to be seen as illegitimate from the start.”
Zig Ziglar’s Secrets of Closing the Sale by Zig Ziglar
Notable Quote:
“You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”
“You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”
The Psychology of Selling: Increase Your Sales Faster and Easier Than You Ever Thought Possible by Brian Tracy
Notable Quote:
“People are much more motivated to buy if they feel they are going to lose something by not buying, than they are in anticipation of the benefits they will enjoy if they do buy.”
“People are much more motivated to buy if they feel they are going to lose something by not buying, than they are in anticipation of the benefits they will enjoy if they do buy.”
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey
Notable Quote:
“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”
“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
Notable Quote:
“The starting point of all achievement is DESIRE. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desire brings weak results, just as a small fire makes a small amount of heat.”
“The starting point of all achievement is DESIRE. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desire brings weak results, just as a small fire makes a small amount of heat.”
Jeffrey Gitomer’s 21.5 Unbreakable Laws of Selling: Proven Actions You Must Take to Make Easier, Faster, Bigger Sales… Now and Forever by Jeffrey Gitomer
Notable Quote:
“The segue from rapport building to business discussion requires an assertive thought process. There’s no formula, but there is a feeling.”
“The segue from rapport building to business discussion requires an assertive thought process. There’s no formula, but there is a feeling.”
How to Master the Art of Selling by Tom Hopkins
Notable Quote:
“How many no’s am I willing to accept on my way to success?”
“How many no’s am I willing to accept on my way to success?”
Do you want to read at the speed of thought? Learn to read faster and more efficiently by enrolling in an Iris Reading course today!
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Paul Nowak
Paul is the founder of Iris Reading, the largest provider of speed-reading and memory courses. His workshops have been taught to thousands of students and professionals worldwide at institutions that include: NASA, Google, HSBC and many Fortune 500 companies.
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