Best book for selling?

[internet]

I was wondering what is the best book you read on selling.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[MJ DeMarco]

I changed the title to help get the thread more looks and perhaps, more answers.

 

[Kung Fu Steve]

1. Ziglar on sales

2. Ziglar's secrets of closing the sale

 

[AJ.]

I haven't read it cover to cover, yet I have seen it mentioned in various places (among them, the "Referrals audio book" I am listening to today):
How to Master the Art of Selling
- Tom Hopkins

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[exon]

Selling is better than sex ~ Alen Majer

 

[camski]

Jeffery Gitomer has some great sales books. He is also a good speaker, if you ever get a chance to see him.[video=youtube;j0-rMKxzTo8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0-rMKxzTo8[/video]

 

[Flatlander]

Salesmanship and Business Efficiency - Knox

I collect old business books and this is one of the best. Don't let the fact that it is old bother you, it is still well worth reading.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Paul Gallo]

Salesmanship and Business Efficiency - Knox

I collect old business books and this is one of the best. Don't let the fact that it is old bother you, it is still well worth reading.

I just started to read this book....
there are nuggets of wisdom in every paragraph...

thanks for the recommendation.

 

[MJ DeMarco]

Cashvertising by Whitman ... it is focused on sales by print / web advertising (not in personal sales).

 

[Flatlander]

I just started to read this book....
there are nuggets of wisdom in every paragraph...

thanks for the recommendation.

Glad you like it!

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[atlet]

I just read Jeffrey Gitomer's book. The title is "Little Red Book of Selling". It's a bible of selling.

The book answer the question "Why do people buy?". I recommend it.

 

[Brander]

The best one by far is by the now deceased libertarian author Harry Browne: "The Secret of Selling - Anything"

Don't let the low price dissuade you - it is a bombshell.

A distant second is: Question based selling by Thomas Freese

Others? I don't recommend any. They are full of doo doo and want to make you into something you are not and never will be. Use your strengths, not improve your weaknesses.

 

[deepestblue]

Also for copywriting aka 'salesmanship in print' I would recommend John Caples "Tested Advertising Methods", David Ogilvy "Ogilvy on Advertising" and the granddaddy of them all, Claude Hopkins "My Life in Advertising" / "Scientific Advertising".

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[qwerety]

Bumping this, as I am trying and failing with sales right now. Not giving up though, but I decided to start reading stuff now to get better at it and find out where I am going wrong. Thanks all for the recommendations

 

[Dos]

Advanced Selling Strategies by Brian Tracy

 

[InMotion]

Others? I don't recommend any. They are full of doo doo and want to make you into something you are not and never will be.

I have read plenty of sales books and roark is right, 9.5/10 are a waste of time and full of crap. Im not sure where the sales book industry went wrong. If you'll notice just about all the authors are just trying to pump up their sales training companies with their "new" system of selling. How many systems do we need? Every one is just trying to make their mark in this industry. If you find some good books that aren't mentioned let me know. Hell, if you dig into the authors background many of them never sold anything in their life except their book. I'm on the fence about Gittomer, I don't know what he ever sold except his training programs, perhaps I missed something. But that's what I usually look for before I buy a sales book, have they actually sold anything before they wrote it.

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[murphprodigy]

Sales bible by gitomer

 

[Likwid24]

How to sell anything by Harry Browne.

 

[Vhwin]

The Definitive Book on Body Language by Allan Pease

One of a things I noticed that tends to get overlooked is body language.

I strongly recommend this book because it heightens the awareness on any signals the other person (or yourself) may be sending out to each other on a verbal level and focuses on maximizing that.

Cheers,
Victor

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Trevor Kuntz]

The Definitive Book on Body Language by Allan Pease

One of a things I noticed that tends to get overlooked is body language.

I strongly recommend this book because it heightens the awareness on any signals the other person (or yourself) may be sending out to each other on a verbal level and focuses on maximizing that.

Cheers,
Victor

How funny. I just finished watching a History Channel documentary on body language in my public speaking class today. It's interesting how much one's body language can affect the way that their message is perceived.

 

[Kak]

Zig Ziglar secrets of closing the sale.

I think it is a pretty good book. I like Zig too.

Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk

 

[Likwid24]

I forgot to mention a book that I think is by far, not only the best sales book, but the best book on life in general. "How to win friends and influence people" by Dale Carnegie. Imo it's a book I think everyone should read, then read again and again!

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Gold777]

1. Ziglar on sales

2. Ziglar's secrets of closing the sale

This...

 

[Mocha]

The best book on Selling?

Sales, being the oldest profession, is a vast subject. There are various challenges in selling, and the best book depends on what your challenges are. You don't walk into the doctor's chamber and have him write out a prescription without checking your symptoms - do you? Likewise, diagnose your problems and then get started.

Are you looking for motivation, sales strategy, product sales, professional services selling, cold calling, networking, C level selling...?

 

[cashflow3000]

How to Sell Anything to Anybody by Joe Girard [Amazon Affiliate Link]

How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling by Frank Bettger [Amazon Affiliate Link]

These are two "old school" classics that helped me tremendously in my young salesman days.

Girard is the Guinness Book of World Records World's Greatest Salesman.
He sold Chevvys. Three a day. Every day. For years.

Bettger is a former minor league baseball player who ended up selling insurance for a living.
His book gives you a great foundation on the importance of record keeping and enthusiasm.

These two books combined will give you a solid foundation in sales.

Have fun, and good luck!

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[psaco131]

Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles of Sales Greatness by Jeffrey Gitomer

 

[Kak]

I have a pretty well known systematic approach i will post. Quick and to the point.

Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk

 

[Kak]

After you have found your lead and qualified him or her into a prospect this is how a good sales meeting will go.


The first section of the sales meeting is the Approach included in the approach is the following.

Start by obviously introducing yourself and shaking the customers hand, tell them the company you represent and give them your business card. Ask for theirs in return.

Complement them on something in their office like a picture to build rapport. Chat it up for a minute or 2.

Then get down to business, explain why you are there. Ex "I was having lunch with Angela the other day, and she indicated to me that (customer company) may be a great fit with (your product). Give a little elevator speech that is geared more toward the customer ex: "(my company) is in the business of helping your employees work smarter and more efficiently through blah blah."

Then you must confirm that the time for the meeting is still ok. Ex "we had arranged for about 25 minute meeting, is this still Ok?"

Go over what the meeting will be like. Ex "i am going to start by asking you a few questions about (customer company), i am going to try to get a feel for the way y'all operate, then i am going to give you a brief demonstration, then if there seems to be a fit i will go into a value analysis. Is this ok with you Mr Prospect?"


Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk

 

Dislike ads? Remove them and support the forum: Subscribe to Fastlane Insiders.

[Kak]

Now you go into the second part if the meeting, the needs "identification" this is where you probe for any possibility of a problem your product can solve.

Start this off by making sure you are meeting with the correct decision maker. Ex "can you tell me a bit about your decision making process concerning purchases like this?" If someone else is involved as well try to get them in there too.

Then make sure that they are in a position to buy. Ex "Mr prospect, is it safe to assume that if (my company) can provide a great deal of value to (your company) the funds will be available to make the necessary investment?"

Then start asking about the company pertaining to your product. For my sales staff i train them to ask about their current providers if my service, what they are currently paying, how satisfied they are. You want to be able to present why your product mixed with these findings will provide some kind of value. Confirm everything they say make sure they know you are listening.

Once you uncover a problem focus on it. Ex "if this problem goes unsolved this could mean a great deal of money left on the table for (customer company) couldn't It?" Light a fire under their a$$ here. Make them definitely consider taking action. This is important.

When they confirm your previous question go ahead and give your sales person need payoff question. Ex "Mr prospet, i agree with you. If i could show you how (my product) can solve this problem, potentially worth thousands, with just a small one time investment, would you be interested?"

They always say yes. They can't say no to that question if you do it right.




Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk

 

[Kak]

Now is the product presentation. You gear this to the problem you found. You cycle through this a couple of times. Use visual aids, testimonials, examples of your product. Keep the customer involved.

Feature- "one thing we do at (my company) is (some feature) it does this, this and this.

Benefit- "what this means for you Mr prospect is... this is how this could help you (of course relate this to the problem uncovered earlier) with your problem"

Understanding- "do you understand how this will help?"

Do this for a while and then wrap up. Summarize what you went over, why it will solve their problem and tell them you are exited to show them exactly what kind of value you can provide. The value analysis is the next step.


Sent from my GT-P7510 using Tapatalk