What are the Best Sales Books that You Guys Have Read?

[MartinM]

So I'm in a crunch to sell at least 3-4 SEO / SEM monthly marketing contracts this month; and I am looking to update my sales skillset. I'm at least in the 90th percentile of sales knowledge, skills, and I close deals every month already. I also get a good amount of leads per month. I just need to sharpen my skills and close the leads that are already in my lap, along with new ones that are coming in as well. The last entrepreneur book that I read was The Millionaire Fastlane and I am wondering if there are any other books in anyone's reading arsenal that have been of the same caliber as this book but ones that focus strictly on sales and marketing. Thanks in advance for your comments. You guys never disappoint.

Martin

 

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[FierceRacoon]

I was really impressed by "How Brands Grow" by Byron Sharp. While I am not a marketer myself, it matched what I saw at one of my jobs, where I've got to stare at a lot of sales analytics.

The book in a nutshell explains, allegedly relying on extensive empirical research that is frequently quoted, that most marketing wisdom is just fairy tales with no basis in reality. It is highly reminiscent of the Law of Effection. The book completely destroys the idea of cultivating loyal fans, as well as the idea of niche brands. Imagine a local coffee brand in your city that is highly special. Do you think its customers are more loyal than those of Starbucks? Think again: in every vertical, overwhelmingly, the largest brand commands the most loyalty. If you are small, then yes, you have fewer customers and those fewer customers are less loyal, not more. People don't have that cozy feeling, but they come back to Starbucks again and again, if only because it is everywhere and everybody else is talking about it. People don't come back to that little niche brand, particularly if they move out of town. The book is arguing convincingly that the idea of trying to protect your customer base from attrition is sheer nonsense (think of those customers who moved out of the town with your coffee brand). A high level of attrition is experienced by everyone, including companies spending zillions on loyalty programs.

The book quotes the "what if" computations (what if you could reduce attrition by 10%) and ridicules them much like MJ ridicules 40-year computations of what a $1000 invested in a mutual fund could do. Then, the author asks, what is easier: protecting another 5% of your customer base — which may be next to impossible — or grabbing another 500% of those disloyal to the competition? The book is similarly arguing that the idea of upselling your loyal customers is unsupported by evidence, and logically, those people may already be maxed out. It then goes on to destroy the idea of niche markets, demonstrating with numbers that die-hard Harley Davidson fans contribute 3% of revenue, while most Harley Davidson owners also buy other motorcycle and strongly disagree with the expression "My bike is everything to me". It turns out that if you buy Coca-Cola 3 times a year, you are, in fact, a die-hard fan.

It then attacks the idea of differentiation. First, it argues that there is no real difference in the audiences of different brands: people buying Coca-Cola and Diet Coke, and Fanta, and Pepsi are overwhelmingly the same demographics. Second, it argues, those people do not even perceive their preferred brand as different. In fact, the vast majority of loyal customers think their brand is not unique, and yet they keep buying it anyway — until, that is, they stop. It makes sense once you think about it: if you go and look at all the toothpaste brands at a mall, do you have a clue how distinguished they are? OK, this tube says it's for sensitive teeth, but do you really know or care about the details? These days most brands are interchangeable, whether it comes to cars, airlines, chocolate, electronics, or soft drinks.

 

[Canadoz]

"How to get Rich" by Felix Dennis...Despite the awful title there is gold on every page.

"Playing to Win" by A.G Lafley...This books hammers home the point that, for most ordinary businesses, taking on Goliaths in your industry will wear you out, exhaust your funds and cause you to fail. He endorses a different approach.

"Ultimate Sales Machine" by Chet Holmes. Very actionable strategies.

"How to sell anything to anybody" by Joe Girard. The power of your business having top-of-the-mind awareness with your clients.

And of course, the king of them all is the " E-Myth by Michael Gerber.

 

[Garret S.]

The Psychology of Selling by Brian Tracy is the sales book that has the most impact in my life.
I was able to close a $270,000-worth condominium unit a few years ago by following the advice Brian Tracy has given in that book.

 

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[JAJT]

SPIN Selling by Neil Rackham.

This isn't a new-age feel good book that wastes your time with attitude and motivation. It's a no-nonsense "how-to" textbook for how to structure a sales call INCLUDING sample calls.

Here's two completely random pages I opened up to, to give you an idea:





Honestly, it's criminal that this book doesn't get brought up more in sales conversations.

 

[Rawseed]

Influence by Cialdini
Pre-suasion by Cialdini
Thinking Fast and Slow by Kahneman

Those books help you understand the human mind and cognitive biases better.

 

[Pat456]

How to win Friends and influence people --- hands down the best sales book ever written

 

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[MartinM]

Thanks for all of the great suggestions everyone. @FierceRacoon, thanks for suggesting "How Brands Grow" by Byron Sharp. I just picked up that one right now. Yesterday evening I also picked up "Wooden on Leadership: How to Create a Winning Organization" and "Combo Prospecting" by Tony J. Hughes. Thanks for everyone's input, suggestions, and good reads. As usual, you guys never fail me.