There’s one common mistake sales people usually make is- underestimating the value of good sales books. Imagine knowing why people say yes to your products or what made them say no right away.
While we are selling our ideas, services or products, we need to know who we are selling it to, why and how can we make it better. This is something that a bunch of really well made sales books can help us with. With topics covering the right approach, persuasion skills and so much more, sales books are invaluable for anyone intending to learn and grow in sales. In our blog below on the Best B2B Sales Books, we’ve listed down our top picks for the best 10 sales books each teaching you something better and differently. Let’s take a look!
10 Best B2B Sales Books For Every Sales Person
- Fanatical Prospecting by Jeb Blount
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
- Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss
- New Sales. Simplified. by Mike Weinberg
- Sell Your Way to the Top by Zig Ziglar
- SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham
- The Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon & Brent Adamson
- The Psychology of Selling by Brian Tracy
- The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes
- To Sell Is Human by Daniel Pink
1) Fanatical Prospecting- Jeb Blount
Fanatical Prospecting Sales Book
What Is The Book About-
Starting off with this list of best B2B sales books we have- “Fanatical Prospecting” by Jeb Blount; it is like the ultimate sales coach in a book. Jeb tells you it to you as it is: if you want to win in sales, you’ve got to get into real conversations with potential customers. He introduces some very unique terms called “golden” hours for reaching out to prospects and “platinum” hours for making a plan who to talk to next and how.
One peculiar thing that we spotted was that the author loves cold-calling because it’s like a mini mock test that actually helps you get better at selling. This book is packed with tips and tricks to keep your sales game strong and your confidence high. It’s a must-read if you’re just starting out in sales and want to get ahead fast and smart in the sales world.
Reviews-
4.7/5 (4391 reviews)
Best For-
Salespeople, Sales leaders, Entrepreneurs, and Executives
Key Things To Learn-
- Utilize peak hours for high-impact outreach to enhance productivity.
- Establish genuine rapport to transform initial contacts into promising leads.
- Focus on activities that have a direct impact on achieving sales targets.
- Use quieter periods for thorough preparation and strategic planning.
- Overcome apprehension about cold calling to open up new opportunities.
- Prioritize regular and consistent prospecting efforts over seeking perfection.
- Treat rejection as a valuable part of the learning process in sales.
- Persistent follow-ups can be key to converting prospects into customers.
- Use a variety of communication methods to connect with potential clients on their preferred platforms.
Pages
304 pages
2) How to Win Friends and Influence People- Dale Carnegie
How To Win Friends & Influence People Sales Book
What Is The Book About-
“How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie is a classic sales book that takes you deep into the art of not just making but maintaining interpersonal relationships and persuasion. Although it has seen some criticism about its thoughts that are more of a people-pleasing mentality, the focus of Carnegie’s work lies in all about making real friends in the industry and getting along with people with.
He also shares tips that help us understand each other better and get through social situations smoothly. Dale Carnegie’s advices about really giving a ear to people and finding nice things to say that support your selling strategies, is super useful for anyone wanting to be more liked and successful both professionally and in your personal life.
Reviews-
4.7/5 (31,533 reviews)
Best For-
Business Leaders, New Graduates, Sales Professionals and Customer Service Representatives
Key Things To Learn-
- Make a real effort to know the interests of the people you talk to show genuine interest.
- Find authentic reasons to appreciate others and express your gratitude genuinely.
- Remembering and using people’s names is super important. It makes interactions more personal because people love hearing their name and reminds them that they matter.
- Find things you agree on and try to see things from the other person’s side to keep things friendly and avoid fights.
- Let others share their big dreams and be their cheerleader; it really means a lot to them.
Pages
320 pages
3) Never Split the Difference- Chriss Voss
Never Split The Difference Sales Book
What Is The Book About-
Chris Voss, once an excellent FBI hostage negotiator, uses his experience to teach readers some really powerful persuasion tactics almost like your life depends on it. The book launched in 2016, is great for anyone wanting to get much better at making deals, whether in business or everyday chat. It’s full of really smart tips from a psychology point of view to help you understand and influence people better in sales. It is perfect for improving negotiation skills, seeing things from other people’s POV and find solutions that is great for everyone. It’s a must-read according to us!
Reviews-
4.6/5 (40,454 reviews)
Best For-
Entrepreneurs, Business negotiators, Marketers, Lawyers, Customer Service Representatives etc
Key Things To Learn-
- Avoid giving in too quickly and concentrate on asking “how” type of questions to get the other person to look at possible options.
- Address any feelings that the other person is experiencing (confusion, doubt, disappointment)
- Find out the unexpected detail that could drastically change the negotiation’s result.
- To win their trust, listen intently to what that other person has to say and prove what you’re aware about them as well.
Pages
288 pages
4) New Sales. Simplified.- Mike Weinberg
New Sales Simplified Sales Book
What Is The Book About-
Mike Weinberg’s book, “New Sales. Simplified.,” is a big hit with many, many people in sales because it’s a read full of simple, effective tips. It’s all about helping you get better at finding new customers, making your pitch stronger and more interesting, and closing more deals. If you’re feeling confused by all the other best B2B sales books out there, this book comes to the top and gets you back to the basics that actually work. The author, Weinberg talks about the usual problems like not getting people to notice you or sounding too negative. And also, he’s got some great advice on how to make your clients trust you more and not just see you as person who is just wanting to sell something. With genius hints for making calls, leaving voicemails, and conducting meetings, this book’s got everything sales newbies as well as the pros need.
Reviews-
4.7/5 (2485 reviews)
Best For-
Marketing teams, New sales reps, Consultants, Freelancers, Sales managers
Key Things To Learn-
- Make comments that force your listener to understand your message with their full attention.
- Be ready to be engaged, concentrated, and prepared to make every meeting matter.
- Never underestimate the importance of following up.
- Use each failure as a chance to learn.
Pages
240 pages
5) Sell Your Way to the Top- Zig Zaglar
Sell Your Way To The Top Sales Book
What Is The Book About-
For anyone in sales, Zig Ziglar’s book “Sell Your Way to the Top” is like an important map. Ziglar, who, is a bit of a legend in the motivation and sales fields, discusses how to go from how to wow in sales. It’s not only about making more money in sales; it’s also about improving yourself and being a complete pro at sales. No wonder over half a billion people have benefited from his sales books! In order to make everyone satisfied, it all comes down to understanding both sides of the transaction: what you need and what the other party needs. This book is a must-read if you work in sales or are even considering it. It’s about improving oneself in life as much as in work.
Reviews-
4.3/5 (26 reviews)
Best For-
Sales Managers, Anyone interested in sales, Freelancers, Customer Service Representatives, Realtors etc
Key Things To Learn-
- Maintain a positive attitude at all times, be passionate about what you’re selling, and have a “can-do” mentality.
- Highlight how your product improves your customer’s life rather than just listing its features.
- Getting success in sales requires a dedication to continuous learning, practice, and improvement.
- Feelings and facts should be balanced in your pitch. People consider facts, but emotions motivate them to take action.
Pages
208 pages
6) SPIN Selling- Neil Rackham
SPIN Selling Sales Book
What Is The Book About-
Let’s firstly talk about the main premise of this book- SPIN selling! The acronym SPIN, which stands for Situation, Problem, Implication, Need, drives sales interactions towards understanding client needs and offering custom-tailored solutions. Unlike the anecdotal advice found in most sales literature, “SPIN Selling” is based on the researched result of thousands of sales calls and provides actual proof to back up its methods.
This book’s “SPIN Selling” approach provides a holistic strategy to improve the selling powers of sales professionals, particularly those involved in high-value transactions or in B2B sales.
Reviews-
4.6/5 (2,211 reviews)
Best For-
IT Executives, Tech Sales, Commercial Realtors, Entrepreneurs, Startups, B2B Sales Reps
Key Things To Learn-
- Know and ask more questions that encourage detailed answers to get more info.
- Complex sales take time; be patient
- Don’t jump to presenting/selling your product before completely understanding the customer’s current situation.
Pages
256 pages
7) The Challenger Sale- Matthew Dixon & Brent Adamson
The Challenger Sale Sales Book
What Is The Book About-
The next in the list of best B2B sales books in 2024 is a book that gives conventional sales ideas a good fight, showing that success happens by challenging your clients instead of simply becoming close to them. These methods, can be especially helpful for salespeople trying to stand out in highly competitive markets. The writers, Dixon and Adamson, studied hundreds of salespeople before arriving at this conclusion after doing some extensive research. The ‘Challenger’ salesperson is a theory that aims towards success by educating consumers, making sales messages to meet their needs, and taking charge of the sales conversation. At the end five different types of salespeople were found by the authors:
1. The Hard Worker
2. The Lone Wolf
3. The Relationship Builder
4. The Problem Solver
5. The Challenger
Reviews-
4.5/5 (5127 reviews)
Best For-
Marketing Professionals, Business Owners, CRM Specialists, Team Managers, Account Executives
Key Things To Learn-
- Collect everyone from different teams in on meetings to make things go smoothly.
- Get your customers to think twice about how they do things.
- Really get what troubles your clients, then show them how what you’re selling can make a difference.
- To sell well, you need to really get what’s going on with your client’s business and what’s bugging them.
Pages
240 pages
8) The Psychology of Selling- Brian Tracy
The Psychology Of Selling Sales Book
What Is The Book About-
Brian Tracy’s book The Psychology of Selling provides some smart ideas for making it big in sales. Tracy introduces unique simple techniques, such as some breathing exercises, mantras, and self-affirmations, that add to the book’s straightforwardness and power. The book points out the value of basic information exchange all while offering some really great insights into the dynamics of buying and selling. Tracy’s material can still teach you important things even if you are an already experienced salesperson. This particular book stands out FOR A REASON-because the methods it presents can be used in daily life even if you hold no relation to the field of sales.
Reviews-
4.2/5 (2397 reviews)
Best For-
E-commerce Sellers, Telemarketers, Marketing managers, Professionals Across Industries
Key Things To Learn-
- Believe in yourself; your self-image plays a huge role in your sales success.
- Show how your product meets your customer’s needs to boost their desire to buy.
- Get creative when looking for potential customers and figuring out what drives them to purchase.
- Stay cool, confident, and collected – it makes you a sales powerhouse.
Pages
24o pages
9) The Ultimate Sales Machine- Chet Holmes
The Ultimate Sales Machine Sales Book
What Is The Book About-
The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes is a must-read for anyone looking to improve their small and big business. If you just dedicate to this book an hour from your week, Holmes teaches you how to enhance every aspect of your company. Whether it’s management, marketing, or sales, this book has all the proven strategies that give visible results. A chapter on time management has particularly been reviewed by it’s readers as extremely impactful. Implementing Holmes’ techniques led to a significant increase in productivity and revenue for many avid readers of this book. Another chapter called ‘The Dream 100″ is a great reason to get the book, giving you smart tips on winning big contracts. Other standout chapters include sales skills, hiring new talent AKA ‘superstars’, and some other essential marketing tactics- making it one of the best sales books in the market.
Reviews-
4.5/5 (1745 reviews)
Best For-
Sales Professionals, Startups, Customer Service Representatives, Marketers
Key Things To Learn-
- Getting really good at something comes from doing it over and over.
- When you share your wins, your business or project can grow faster.
- You connect better with people when you teach, not just sell.
Pages
272 pages
10) To Sell Is Human- Daniel Pink
To Sell Is Human Sales Book
What Is The Book About-
Last but not the least in the list of these best B2B sales books , “To Sell Is Human” by Daniel H. Pink is one such book that fights the traditional concept that selling is not just limited to sales people anymore. Pink writes that persuasion is a skill that we all have in us and that we are capable of convincing people quite well. This book is backed by research that shows the best ways to get your point across aren’t about being pushy or ‘salesy’. Daniel Pink’s big idea is about making it simpler and easier for customers to decide on their own, instead of just trying to win them over. So, whether you’re working in sales or just want to level up your persuasion game in day to day life, this book has some really smart insights that could come in handy.
Reviews-
4.4/5 (4142 reviews)
Best For-
Non-Profit Organizations and Fundraisers, Freelancers, Sales Managers, Marketers,
Key Things To Learn-
- Before pitching, ask yourself some good questions to make sure you’re fully prepared and in the right mindset.
- Keep in mind that rejection is part of the process, so don’t take it to heart.
- Focus on discovering what drives your customer to act, and aim to make that clear in your conversation.
Pages
272 pages
Conclusion
After having read the above list of the best B2B sales books, you must be aware just how important it is to sharpen your sales skills to know how you can handle some common sales objections.
It doesn’t matter how far you have reached in your career, sooner or later, having a good set of interesting sales books becomes very essential.
